THE VENDORS BLAMED

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 100, 21 January 1918, Page 6

THE VENDORS BLAMED

OBSTRUCTING MUNICIPAL EFFOIIT. Mr. W. T. Strand, of Lower Hutt, one of the members.of the recoiit conference on the milk question, saicl on Saturday that he felt strongly that a section of the vendors were doing all in their power to prevent the City Council improving ihe milk supply in Wellington. A policy of obstruction appeared to have been pursued. The city' authorities and the clearing station liad been blamed for the bad condition of some of the milk delivered on the day when the clearing house was opened. But as a matter of fact not one gallon of the milk delivered on that morning had been in the clearing station. All meat coming into Wellington, said Mr. Strand, had to be passed by the Government meat inspectors, and neither farmer nor butcher had anything more to do than the one to deliver the stock tr> the council's premises and the butelior to deliver it when passed by the inspector, when certain fees were paid. The abattoirs were not to malto diseased meat good, but to havA it destroyed, so that it could not bo passed on to the public. "And, ho added, "the milk clearing house is not to try and make bad milk «mod, but to prevent it being passed on to the public. Is the City Council responsible for the meat keeping after it has passed it? By no means; but to see tliat it is lit for human consumption at a certain time and place. What would happen if a. butcher delivered bad meat to a customer and blamed the abattoir. No, I think he- would have too muclv sense to try. If the housewife could not get good, wholesome meat from one butcher just because it has been through the abattoirs, she would very soon got it from another- —and the same with inilk. Have any vendors the right to say that hecauso some unwholesome 111 ilk has been condemned by the inspector to prevent it from reaching the public, that the council is responsible for any sour or dirtv milk they may wish to pass 011 to -the consumer, because i at a certain time and placo the in-

spector pronounces that milk to be clean and wholesome? 1 think i.ot. "The City Council has a duty to perform to the public it represents, and nearly every man now sitting round the Mayor expressed his determination, if elected, to deal with the milk question, and if they are the men I think they are too strong to bo turned iisido by protests or resolutions passed by men who have tried for years to obstruct them, and who are not representative, of all the milk vendors of Wellington." . THE MAYOR_ANDJBR. WILLIAMS Mr. IT. A. Ward, secretary of tho Dairy Farmers' Association, and one of the experts v'ho presented tHc report to the Health Committee, said on Saturday that he regretted the premature publication of the report. He did not agreo that, Mr. Williams, another of the experts, had been treated with disoonrtesy, as had been suggested, by the Mayor. "The Mayor requested me to meet ii , . conference with himself, Councillor Wright, and the city expert to consider tho control of the clearing house," said Mr. Ward. "After tlio Mayor had suggested a certain method, Mr. "Willianfts asked to attend and give his opinion. Mr. Williams did hot approve, and offered as a further proposal certain private premises. As Mr. Williams was interested in this pronositinn he was asked to retire while the Mayor and Councillor Wright considered the proposal. Mr. Oliver nnd I being present as advisers to the coiinc'l. While the nrnnos.il was under discussion Mr. Williams snid ho could not wait any longer as he had an appointment. Tho Mayor said: 'You have a public as well as a private duty to perform, but if you want to go I wish you good afternoon!' "