CITY'S MILK SUPPLY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 80, 28 December 1917, Page 8

CITY'S MILK SUPPLY

QUESTION OF GOVERNMENT }■ INTERVENTION J The price of milk in the city is controlled by the Board of TraHe, which has fixed a maximum, and the board, which acts in a matter of this kind with tho sanction cjf it? Ministerial head, has no intontiton of raising the price at tho present time. Tho people of Wellington are already paying more for their milk than the people of any other centre. Tho retail price of milk per quart on Novemiber 15 in the four cities was: "Wellington, Sid..; Auckland and Dunedin, 5d.; Christchurch, 4el.

It has been suggested that tho Government should come- to tho assistance of the city by issuing under the War Regulations Act an order reeerving for the use of nhe city consumers all thd milk produced within a certain distance from Wellington, or within defined areas. It is understood tflnt Ministers would not be willing to t:ike drastic action of this kind. Tho alternative may bo for the city to look further afield for supplies of milk. It is stated by people who have knowle'ize of the dnirvinp: business that Wellington could driiv milk from many points in the Waivaxapjt and Mnnawsshi districts if tlis conditions were mark easy for the fai-mers.

"It really is Ig6s a question of price thVin of conditions," said a gentleman collected with the basiness yesterday. "If the dairy farmer car, be sure of receiving the present price for all the milk that he nuts on the train in sound condition, and , of fretWii" his hack wHJi reasonable sneefi, lie will be cout«i)|t. But if he i« to suffer all forts of annoyances and restrictions, if he is to he'blamed for bad milk when ]i" knows he shipped ftood milk, and if bo k to lose, cans constantly. tVi'i ho wa.iTts some special financial irducemen't.tq go on snpplv'npr the eitv at '".. He is already suffeTmij'a serious flisndvaiitcwe as compared with +he factory supplier in bavin": to jr>i]V cows r>ll 4bp vMi , rounr! n.nd find fodder in t)i» bail months wher the factory supplier is having a spoil."

A REPLY nmW HUTT ' (To the Editor.) EJir, —I am not at all surprised that Hin Worship the Mayor is somewhat' concerned about the city's fresh milk requirements, but I do not think ho shcmld express much surprise at the actaou of the Hutt dairy farmers' after tho official statement that appeared in the Press of November 24 ultima te. In that th«y were told in plain wards that what they have been trying to obtain from the council and Public Health Department for the past five years, "and were promised," re a clestring house for milk, "and which the Wellington dairy fnrmers have promised to contribujio toward the cost of erection," would only mean additional, cost! to the milk and very little good to the producer. I should like the Mayor to remember thtib a few months ago, when I had good reason to believe that a laige portion' of the city's supply was to be cut off for factory purposes, only I colled upan him and told him of the danger. We., together with the chairman of the' Heailth Committee, waited on the Board of Trade to see if they (the board) had not the power.' to commandeer the miVk required for .human consumption, and after careful inquiries it was '.found that under tho. presient legislation that they did not pos.'iess that power. Then through negotiations between the Farmers' Association that supply was kept on call, and is still availaMc for the city's supply whenever required. Although to do so it- cost the association over five hundred pounds, and is still being made'into cheese. If it was a tJ&nger. then it is mttch more so now, and I think that the council and the_ Board of Trade will be wanting in their duty to the .public if they, do not take the necessary steps to see that it caii b!) obtained. At a meeting held at Lower Hutt on December 14, and when, proposing its 'adjournment for n weok, I ailso proposed that the Press should be '.invited to attend so that the public should know what was contemplated, ajnd bring out facts, if nossiblej that Hhe general public know very little- aboufc. Perhaps not one in a thousand know that as much «s five huiuJred grillons of milk per day havn been , separated at Lower Hutt, «nd the cream sent to Pnlmerston North, which is a very "unprofitable and wasteful way of dealing with.milk, as the best is not obtained from it, and the by-pro-ducts arc, altogether wasted, and this ■was mnVproduced for Wellington, and not required, and it wdb not possible to get ty to a cheese factory at anything likp reasonable ''Ost. T.'ien, in addition."to this, about 200 gallons tier day was sent to cheost- factories that we're wilihiii reach. These quantities must be ,-ptit to their best uses, and a small, factory at Loivti- Hntt is the only 'profitable way of doing so. "These ijuantities" apply to niilk bring rnispd. in| the Hntt district only, Mr. Editor, the production of an all-tV-yenr-rou.iid milk supply for tho city and-suburbs is a thing that slwuld be gone into without delay by, tbo authorities, and I venture to isay that theiiKwe that is found out about it and tho supposed largo profits madebv producers of milk for the towns, tho more (surprised will the Mayor, councillors,, and Board of Trade be that they 'have obtained the supply ihey hiivo lior so long under cxistii"* conditions. TTiere is no need for ill-feeling and l'iard words in this matter, as they do'vciry little good, and I do not think His 'Worship the Mayor is justified in spending of us as acting nnpatrioticly until, he knows tho whole proposals, the reasons, and our feelings in the matter,' but there is, indeed, every reason why those concerned 'should _give the liec'essary time to sop why it is that the whole tendency from the producers' side is for factory supply, instead of town. More than once I have been told it is all bluff, and that there is no fear but' what the dairy farmers :will continue to simply the towns with milk. Sir, I. believe that the time fis very near indeed when the towns will find themselves very short of winter milk unless somo. very great , alterations nre made, and I r.m rot alone , by a long way in this opinion. If it was si fact that it-paid better to produce iriilk for tlie towns than the factories, how is it that there n>B r.ot more anxious to do it, and leave the factories alone. Even in the country towns such as Palmerston' North, Taibape, and other places, right in the heart of the dairying districts, it is very hard to get produced sufficient) during th-p winter for their own requirement!)? ' Trustins; that tin's may be the means of bringing more of this important question iso light, and should any of your readffrs or persons interested wish. I would only bo too pleased to, meet them either in public or privately, to go deepen into it than vour valuable space will allow, or I will take the Mayor, councillors, or the Press to several of tlir- farms producing milk foua Wellington's supply, to enablo them to jret a better idea for themselves. ;I have always thought and said, and am still of the opinion, that every person in New Zealand, town or country, should have' the opportunity of having tho best and purest milk that can be obtained.—l am, etc., W. T. STRAND. Lower Hutt, December 26.