CITY MILK SUPPLY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 90, 9 January 1918, Page 6

CITY MILK SUPPLY

CLEARING STATION OPENS TO-DAY

THE VENDORS' ATTITUDE

Councillor E, A. Wright, chairman of the Public Health Committee of the City Council, announced yesterday that the clearing station would be opened this morning. It was thought work could be done in an hour. The vendors said it would take longer. Until the system was actually v in operation • it was impossible to say exactly. The present practice of the majority of vendors was to take delivery nt the railway station at 6 o'clock in the morning of tho milk which came by train late on the previous night. Sometimes the train was delayed, and on that account vendors preferred to leave the milk at the station until the morning. The council would take the milk from the railway .station on the arrival of the train, but would not lest it at once, as it would not do to keep the'testing staff waiting about in the event of the train being delayed, lo ensure early deliverv to the vendors, however, tlio testing staff would commence work at 5 a.m., and,the milk could be cleared shortly after 6 a.m.-r----the same hour, as at present. Hie clearing station would bo open on Smidavs. and the s,talf «ould be available to "test the milk then as on other days. Milk coming in by motor could te dealt with as speedily and he made available for retail delivery with as little delav as that airivmg by train. With regard to the milk vendors decision to deliver no milk on Sundays or tiublic holidays, and n<S milk on week-days earlier than 1 p.m., it was stated yesterday by one of the vendors that it''was estimated by vendors that the process of passing the' milk through tho clearing station would take two to ■three hours. As the milk commenced to arrive in the city about 9 a.m., it would be 11 or 12 before it could, ba cleared. It would be delivered direct from tho clearing house in the afternoon and would comprise the product of that morning's and tho previous evening's milkings. At present the morning delivery comprised tho previous day's milk. Under the new sys-' tern the milk', would- bo 24 hours fresher, but it would not be pasteurised as was invariably tho case at this season of tho year under the present system The vendors would not take the milk to their premises for pasteurisation before delivery, sinco they would be held responsible for any staleness or depreciation in butter-fat, and could not, therefore, risk delay in deTlie reasons for no delivery being made on Sundays and publio holidays wer t>:_(l) Labour difficulties; (2) cutting out of Sunday trains; (3) disorganised service on holidays. As to the labour difficulty tho vendor spoken to stated that it would be useless to ask men to deliver on Sundnv afternoon. At present the milk was brought into tho city on Sunday by motor-van arriving about mid-day, and by the time the milk was cleared it w ; ould be afternoon. The motor-van would not now ho continued, and no milk would como into the city from the railway districts. Milk would come in on Saturday morning and would he delivered on Saturday afternoon. It would be for the people themselves to make provision to carry them over till mid-day on Monday, For thoso who wished' to do so milk would be available at the dairies on Sunday, - this being the supply brought m on Saturday 'night and delivered to the dairies on' Sunday morning.