THE CITY'S MILK PROBLEM

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 91, 10 January 1918, Page 6

THE CITY'S MILK PROBLEM

The Mayor's Comment.

FIRST DAY OF MUNICIPAL CONTROL

CLEARING STATION OPENED UNDER DIFFICULTIES

MILK VENDORS AND CONSUMERS DISSATISFIED

STATEMENT BY THE MAYOR

The Wellington municipal clearing station for milk was opened yesterday, 'fhe event is an important one, and it was watched with a good deal of interest. So far it seems that there was delay in tho dispatch of milk from the clearing station, and the vendors allege- that some of tho milk was sent away sour, and also that some milk was not tested at all. The corporation authorities have not yet issued a statement covering these points. Milk began to arrive at the Lambton railway station before 9 a.m.; the usual time, but vendors stato that they were unable to make their deliveries until much later than usual. The vendors condemn the schemei but the Mayor expresses the hope that all will soon be working to the satisfaction of everyone. Some vendors were observed to be still on their rounds at 6 in tho evening.

The Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke), in an interview on the subject, said: "The clearing station was opened this morning, but it will take a little while to get into our proper stride. Certainly to-day's work showed that certain improvements and changes will have to be made. No doubt there was a little delay in getting the milk to the clearing house, but that can bo put right. Things dragged a little at the clearing station, but it is to bo hoped that every day will see a quicker dispatch of the milk. I wish to pay a tribute to the services rendered by the milk vendors this morning: they gavo considerable help at a time when help was needed. I might say that I hope that the difficulties which' have presented themselves with' regard to Sunday milk will be got over and that everything will go along well. ' "I was present at an early hour this morning when the first milk was coming in, and I went along again twice during tho day. Tho whole control of the thing is in the hands jr Mr Olliver, the corporation's expert, who is expending considerable energy in initiating this very difficult undertaking There is no gainsaying the fact that the difficulty of obtaining labour and the uncertainty of keeping it has already made itself felt by those who are running tho depot. Tho chairman of the Milk Committee of the City Council (Councillor &■ A. Wright) was invited to make a statement on the subject, but ho preferred not to do so. In reply to a question, he said that the vendors had agreed to allow the corporation to take chargo of the milk" when it arrived at the railway station and convey it to the clearing station.

However, Mr. Wright gave an assurance that tho milk from tho various fanners would be kept in separate vessels, and that the morning milk would be kept separato from tho evening milk.

The wliolo of tho farmers' cans were to be sterilised at the clearing station and forwarded bock to tho railway station to be sent on to the farmers. Owing to tho delays already mentioned the whole of'tho cans were nofc sent back to tho railway station in time to catch the train which would take them back to the farmers. This might affect the supply of milk to tho city for tho following day, hut it was probablo that tho difficulty would be overcome, at least to a considerable extent.

"3000 Gallons of Milk Not Tested." "Up to the present," said another vendor, "the clearing house scheme has absolutely failed. It has caused great disorganisation of the vendors' business, and has caused serious loss through the people receiving milk which was in such a condition that tboy will not feel inclined to pay for it. " It is to be hoped that the council will not expect the vendors to bear these losses, for which they are not responsible. "It seems clear-that tho corporation to-day brolto tho Act in several directions. The Act says that the milk must be tested. Tho clearing house allowed a largo quantity of milk to go out without being tested. The Act pays that only good milk must he sent away from the clearing house, yet much of the milk that was sent out was sour. Hundreds of_ gallons nf the milk was sour, and it has boon estimated that at least 3000 gallons of milk was not tested. Does it not strike one that. if every one of the city vending firms needs a man to do its' testing more than ono man will bo needed to do tho whole of the testing for the city? The clearing station is. to start with, quite, inadequate: They need a nlace several times as large."

Was' All Milk Tested? One of the city councillors who has all along opposed the clearing house scheme, Councillor J. E. Fitzgerald, was among the interested spectators at the station this morning. He says that after making all allowances for tho fact that this was the first day of the scheme ho is more than ever convinced that he was right in opposing tho scheme on the grounds of economy, avoidance of delay, and the fact that the existence of the clearing station would be no guarantee that the people will receive better milk. He had asked the Mayor to call a special meeting of the council at once to consider certain aspecte of the question that had come under his notice. Tho matter was a serious one, and he did not think that there should be a moment's delay in looking into it. Councillor Fitzgerald was asked if it was a fact that large quantities of milk were passed through the station yesterday without being tested. He replied that unfortunately it was a fact, and that this was one of the reasons why the council should bo called together at once to endeavour to rectify the present position.

■ The Vendors' Experiences. A member of one of the principal vending firms, who was on tho scene, made a statement to a Dominion reporter. He said that the milk arrived as usual at Lambton from the Hutt line by the 8.50 a.m.'train. "In the ordinary course of business tr.at milk would havo been delivered to our dairies shortly before 10 o'clock. At the dairies it would havo been subjected to cooling. and then it would have been passed on to the public for consumption. However, there was a delay of some two hours in the handling of the milk to tho vendors, and during much of that time the milk was lying on the railway station, rapidly being turned sour. The vendors had been assured by the chairman of the Health Committee of the City Council that thore would not bo more than half an hour's delay in putting the milk through the clearing house. If that assurance had been borne out by the result all the milk would have been nassed out to the vendors by 9.20. The fact is, that tho first of the milk did not reach the clearing; station until 10.5. The second lot reached there at 10.15, and the third lot at 11 o'clock. So there was considerable delay, and no vendor was able to rcceivo any supply until 12.45. The majority of the milk was simply tipped from the cans in which it arrived from the fnrinsSiito tho vendors' cans, which had been waiting at the clearing house without its being tested or sampled, or analysed in any way. The milk which had to come by road from Makara and Karori arrived at the clearing house at about 0 a.m., the time at which it would ordinarily have arrived at the vendors'. This milk was not delivered to the vendors till 12.55. The result was that a very large proportion of this milk from Makara and E-'irori had turned sour before it was handed to the vendors, but in that condition it was allowed out by the cor|K>ration authority as fit for human consumption. Tho next milk to arrive was that from the Manawatu lino at 12.20." Some of this milk was brouglit to the clearing station, but most of it was given to the vendors without being put through the clearing station at all.

During the delays several of the council officials appeared on the scene, and appeal was made to the vendors to give some assistance so that the deliveries rmild be made as soon as possible. This .appeal was answered bv the vendors in very good spirit, and th«v did everything' they could to facilitate matters.

Cans for To-day? Proceeding, the vendor said that the Vendors' Association inquired as to the methods of testing, tipping, ok., which were to be adopted at the clearing station. They wero told by the chairman of tho Health Committee (Mr. R. A. Wright) that he could not see where this affected tho vendor.