CITY MILK SUPPLY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 97, 17 January 1918, Page 6

CITY MILK SUPPLY

CLEARING STATION PROBLEM SPECIAL COMMITTEE'S REPORT .READY VARIOUS VIEWS The Special Committee, consisting of Messrs. Ward, Williams, and Oliver, which was asked by the Milk Committee of the City Council to report on tho milk clearing station, has completed its deliberations and tho report reached tho Mayor yesterday. To-day tho Milk Committee will meet to consider the report. There are two courses open to the committee —to act on the report.' or to refer tho mutter to tho City Council. It is understood that the changes proposed in the report aw so drastic that the committee will refer it to the council. The next ordinary meeting ot the council will be on January 24, but some consider it possible, that after to-day's meeting of the Milk Committee the Mayor will call a special meeting of tne council.

Proposals of Trades and Labour Council. The following statement lias been issued by the "Wellington Trades and Labour Council with reference to measures and proposals for effecting an improvement in the city milk supply :— "Lest tbo impression should got abroad that the central milk clearing scheme of the Wellington City Council is what Labour has heon asking for for some time, the Trades Council desires to make it dear that it, jias no interest and very little sympathy vnth the nroposal as adopted bv tho oity Ccun'cil. The desire of the Labour people generally is, first, than a sufficient and wholesome supply of milk shall be available for citizens, wo »olieve that the unwholesome and diluted state of the milk has oeen duo mainly to the greed of private enterprise. We believe also that much of the esnense of delivery could have been saved 'by a system which would avoid overlapping. To cope with the present situation a more satisfying: method than that adopted by the City Council would have been to send a representative into, say, the Manawatu district and enter into an agreement with .i number of farmers for a rqgular supp y of wholesome milk. This milk should be roseived and cooled at tho producing end. The cooling station should be _ra the country district, and close to Hie railway. It should be apparent io everyone that it is not possible to preserve the milk unless it is dealt with within an hour or so of the time it leaves the cow. We believe that Llie clearing station was built at the wrong end and •that tho arrangement was altogether haphazard and unsatistacto''while the ideal system would be one in which the city would nave its own farms and attend to its own delivery, the method by which we could cope with immediate difficulties is the one here suggested. Upon arj-tal of tho milk in the city it should bo possible to avail ourselves or the plant and experience of the present vendors, while cutting out a great deal oi h, waste duo to overlapping, lhat woul-1 bo preliminary, of course, to a scheue which would gradually transfer the delivery to responsible officers of the council-" _. . „.„ Maunr

Statement by the Mayor. In reply to a question by a reporter as to whether anything Pad been done respecting the milk question, the Mayor (Mi. J. 'l , . L» 1; °) si,1(1: , ■„ "I feel it my duty to ihe councillors aivl mysolf to enter a most emphatic motest against Mie attitude ot those the community who have attempted to settle the blame for what has oc curred at the milk depot on the Jlnvor and councillors. Criticism I have always invited, but biased opinions are ther honest nor helpful to solve die, difficulties that have arisen. J he [ public farmers, and vendors were told m Dlaii language that the council could £ launch the schems o municipal control and distribution while the,»« listed 'Hie Minister ot I'liiaiicc, IS, could not permit the raising fa loan for municipal purposes in \,U financial requirements hod oevn thoroughW estaAished. The farmers Sm&thattheyecmttiKlcdatcmnonrv clearing house, and unless one "as provided they would cease to send heir milk to.the .city, nnd wwld en tn the factor es instead. Ihe council deckW to provide the clearing house s; Y or° v-ho acted promptly, and after S what was taking pl«» on the fir tday, would not permit similar conditions "to h" continued even for an--1 or dav. The report, when avmlaWe, wmnnn.lv iustify the action that nas been taken by the Mayor on behalf of the City Council.