MILK SUPPLY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 168, 5 April 1918, Page 6

MILK SUPPLY

Alleged Injustice,

Board of Control Idea.

SPECIAL COMMITTEE'S REPORT ACTION IMPERATIVE THE CLEARING HOUSE FAILURE NO FURTHER ATTEMPTS OTHER SCHEMES PROJECTED. The report of (ho Special Committee of the City Council on milk supply was discussed fully at a meeting of the council held for the purpose last night. A resolution to adopt the report wae carried. The Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) presided, and the following were also present: Councillors W. T. irildrelli. E. A. Wright, J. Castlo. W. .T. Thompson, C. B. Norwood, M. F. Lnckie, L. M'Kenzie, J. 0. Shorland, A. Veitch. A. B. Atkinson. W. H. Bennett, and J. Godber. Municipalisation the Only Solution. The Mayor said that the council could if it chose prevent the business proceeding, the previous question having been moved at the ordinary meeting. This would, according to the standing orders, prevent the matter coming , on for six months. He hoped, however, that tho business would bo allowed to proceed. He thought the people of Wellington were justified in asking the council to deal with the milk supply question. Complaints about the quality of milk dispensed in Wellington had been general for a long time. Ho agreed that the time wns not a good one for action, but the need for action wns real. He would not discuss Hie report of the committee. Tfe believed that the milk had been of such quality as to threaten the health of the. infants of the city. So bad was some ho had seen that lie marvelled that children fed upon it could live. That particular milk had not come into the city by train. He 'had boon attacked for the scheme to force through the clearing house milk from farms on the city boundaries as from those farms at a distance from which the milk was borne by rail. The farms near the city wore just as likely to breed disease germs and dirt ns the more distant farms. Almost every councillor had told tho people that ho was in favour of a municipal- supply for the city. Personally, he had said from the beginning of his period of office—five years—that ho could see no solution of the problem short of municipalisation of the supply. The council had decided to engage an expert, and an expert, Mr. Oliver, was engaged. Tho whole responsibility was delegated to tho expert. ,The total cost of a municipal scheme would have been i.'4!),00f1, for which the council could not have got a loan. The cost of materials would have been heavy, and it would have had to bo loaded upon tho community over many! years. Causes of Failure. For this reason the council decided against the big scheme. v lt had been said tnat the fanners never would have fulfilled their threat to divert their milk to factories. He was satisfied that tho farmers who had written to the council had not been writing what they did not mean. Other good offers were before them, and the council had in the face of the facts to go on with the clear ing house suncine. As Far as the plana for the clearing house wtre concerned, neither the Mayor nor the council were at fault. They accepted the advice of the expert appointed. He considered that the report "did the committee, and especially the chairman, much credit. They had devoted much time and energy to tho preparation of it. When, tne clearing house was established no member of the council interfered in any way in the control of it ou- in the number of staff to be employed. He was present on the first day of operations, and he with the chairman of tho committee took upon themselves the responsibility of closins it for the time being. The plan of the building was proved to be. defective, and no other action was possible. There nad , been no wasting of public money; the council had endeavoured seriously to discharge a public duty. Aβ the committee had reported, the present building could not bo enlarged .on its present site. He was sorry to sa-y that he would like to forget many things that the council had encountered in 'this milk question. He was sorry to have to say that there were people in Wellington who would trifle with n great piitfto as some men connected with tne milk business had shown a disposition to do. Whether ho was in the council or out of it, he would not be satisfied with anything less than milnicipalisation of milk supply until milk distribution. But ho thought that in view of the call shortly to be made ou our manhood, it would uot be advisable to' do more until the labour snarket was more plentifully supplied. Vor the present ho would suggest that matters be allowed to rest. What the Vendors Did. Councillor C. B. Norwood, chairman of the committee, spoko on the report. He said that tho net loss on the clearing house would be some .6919, but if any ot the committee's suggested schemes were adopted it might be possible to make use of this building, and so tho loss would be redmeed. Tho expert had un-der-estimated by 50 per cent, the labour necessary to carry out tne scheme. Tlio vendors demanded :i more elaborate scheme, whicii would have entailed a 75 per cent, increase in cost. It was assumed by the vendors, on legal advice he believed, that they were free to sell Kiilk direct from tho. clearing house Vitiiout pasteurising it, and. that they would be free from correction by the Courts even it" they sold milk that was practically rotten. In this respect the vendors had been hostile to the scheme, and had contributed to its failure Under these conditions the scheme would have failed, even if the building had boon in every way suitable. As to tho threat of tho farmers to withdraw milk from tho city, he would point out that in Auckland the farmers not only threatened but. did withdraw milk from the city, and ii higher price had to be paid to j induce them to supply again. Hn thought . the Minister had been of opinion from the beginning that the scheme would not work.

Councillor .T. Castle rose to a. "point of order." "It seems to me," ho said, "that there is an attempt on the part of the council to have a smug little meeting on this milk question mid then drop it." Councillor Castle had no real point of order, and the Maynv told him so. Councillor Norwood continued hi? analysis of the report of tiie committee. Future Policy. As to the future policy of the council, the committee had made certain suggestion. The committee had not been able to discover any part of the world in which there was complete municipal control. For this reason the suggestion of distribution by a joint stock compiiny was made (scheme. A), the committee recognising that there was but little chance of money being offered for such nu enterprise. He believed there was likely to bo an offer to the council to carry on this work. In fact, one concern had offered to do it, and to pay a deposit of some thousands of pounds as a warranty of good faith and stability. This proposal the committee wished to have considered. One objection that might be raised to this scheme was that it would create a monopoly. This could not be tolerated. The committee's idea was Ilial the enterprise should be under the control of the council in such matIprs us price, buildings, plant, etc. Bui the idea had much to commend it. At present there were ninny small vendors who became of their <i>nall resources, could not under!nice contracts to _ get milk from fur afield during the winter season. .

Scheme B had been suggested to ensure continuity of control by experts, in preference to a control by a changing committee of the council. The idea was that control should be by a board of

experts holding office under tho council and at the pleasure of tho council. He was of opinion that milk should be pasteurised as soon as possible after it came from the cow, preferably at district collecting stations in the country, ns was the custom with some of the milk in Auckland. Pasteurising in Wellington of milk twelve or eighteen hours old was valueless.. It was very important that milk should be dealt with at tho supply end. If it were properly treated there and kept in cool store thore could be no risk of the milk going had, especially if it were kept at n low temperature in transit. Tho C scheme suggestion was tho same as the B scheme except that it provided for control by a council committee. No More Delay. Tho result of the committee's inquiries led them to tho conclusion , that it would not be proper for them to agree to further inaction in regard 'to milk. It migiit not be possible to proceed, but the council ought (o α-ystnlliso its ideas, and be ready to proceed as soon as this should be possible. He would not' be satisfied with postponement until after tho war. Ho submitted tho following resolution: (1) "That this council adopt the committee's report and Scheme B. (2) "That the council reappoint tbe Special Committee "tp bring down a report in detail to bring into effect Scheme l>, with power to obtain estimates. t3) 'That the committee be authorised to consider any offer whicn may arise under Scheme A, and report same to the council." What the Vendors Did. Councillor R. A. Wright seconded the resolution. Ho eaU that Councillor Norwood had taken great pains in dealing with this matter, sparing neither himself nor his committee. The real caiise of the failure was the hostility ot' the vendors. They were advised by a lawyer that they need not take milk from the clearing station, and they simply left it there, with the result uiat the pluce became hopelessly congested. Ho thought (hat no great improvement could be inude in the milk supply unless milt could be carried rnoro rapidly into the city. Good milk could not be obtained while it arrived here twelve hours old. His own opinion was that | not sufficient had beeu paid to. the Rail- ] way Department for the carriage of milk, j and tnat because of this the farmers' | milk was not well cared for in transit, ! Ho thought it might be possible to have I Scheme A if the compaly would submit j to regulation by the cjuncil, even in I such matters as buying ifnd selling price. | It did not seem likely that any company 1 would submit to this, but t'lie council must not accept anything less than this. Scheme B would be preferable, in i his opinion, to municipal ownership, j But tho evidence was so clear that Wei- I iington milk was bad, that something j must bo done by the council without de- ] lay. At present tho people were- getting i milk which was being pasteurised when it was on the verge of going rotten. | The Right-End for Operations. j Councillor SI. I?. Luckie agreed that j the vendors wore responsible for tho ; failure of the clearing house scheme. I Tho vendors had deliberately forced n failure. Personally he had always favoured municipal distribution, and ho had supported the clearing house because it appeared to' him to be a step towards that end. The great trouble was in the lack of care of tho milk from the farm to tho vendor. The council must prepare to take delivery of milk at collecting stations in tho country, and treat the milk there and take measures to preserve its quality in transit. The council would be able to make better terms with the Railway Depart- j ment than a number of isolated small vendors could nuke. This might enable the council to pay the farmers such prices as would pay them better than the dairy factories paid now. and also to relievo tho farmers of loss by disappearance of cans and 'damage to cans. Ho was sure the council could undertake this trading venture- with every hopo of success. In no other way could a supply of milk of uniformly good quality be assured to the people of Wellington. Councillor Castle is Suspicious, Councillor J. Castle said that ho believed tho committee had done much good work, but he could not support the motion because it proposed a scnenia which would lead the city into greater trouble than it endured now. The evidence taken by the committee showed him that there had been more doubledealing in connection with milk supply than with any other business he had ever had to do with. He made certain vague suggestions about sinister influences dominating the council, using the terms "vested interests" and "hidden hand." He criticised the action of ; the Mayor and others regarding tho i clearing house. He declared that the council's, expert was asked to cany on a clearing house which had been erectled on the advice of "the opposition I expert," on a site which he (the counI cil's expert) had not had any part in choosing. He would not support the resolution, because he feared that it would shelve the matter for years. He I moved an amendment to adopt only tho ! first portion of the committee's report (dealiug with tlw clearing house and the failure of it). ' There was no t-ecouder, and the amendment lapsed. Councillor W. H. Bennett said he was satisfied that the clearing house had been a failure and that the idea was a mistaken one, and that whatever the council might in future do must bo I done at the supply end and not here : in the city. j Councillor L. M'Kenzie said the tailiuro of the clearing house would be. a i godsend, bemuse it had proved beyond i doubt that that line was a wrong one jto follow. If tao council went on with this clearing house scheme the council could hold out no inducements to the farmer, but if the council went into the country and took over the milk there., the inducements it coultii offer the farmer would bo such that the farmer must in his own interest sell his milk to tho city, and not to any other purchaser. Ho nopeil that some scheme of this sort ! would bi_> vigorously prosecuted. I Councillor W. 1\ Hildreth said the committee hud at last got down to somei thing like a workable scheme. His opinion from the beginning had been that the problem must be tackled frog tho supply end. Councillor .1. Shorland said that lie would vote Tor t.Tie resolution, but he did so only because it did not commit the council to anything final. Before, he did th'at he must have more information, especially as to finance. He feared that financo would in tho end bo the j stumbling-block. Ho did not favour the proposal to give a monopoly to any comCouncillor A. Veitch suggested that it might be possible to gain all the advantages of Scheme A without giving a monopoly to anyone. This couM be done by licensing only those vendors with plniits to do all that the council required to have done. The advantage of this was that if could bo done without legislation and without expense. He urged that this. was worthy of tho consideration of the committee.

Councillor A. E, Atkinson said that the report put a grave injustice on the expert, in that the expert was blamed for the failure of the clearing house, wheal he did not understand that the building was to be used for this purpose, and not for that originally intended.

Councillor Norwood said that the paragraph of condemnation of tho expert was inserted because, and only because, the expert opened the clearing house knowing the purpose for which it was intended, and did not report to anyone his opinion that it would hot suffice. Councillor Atkinson said ne could not agree that the paragraph was fair to Mr. Oliver, wno knew exactly what had to be done only a little time before the clearing house was opened. ■ At length Mr. Norwood agreed that this part of the report be reconsidered. ~\"ilh this nnmndnient the motion was enrriod, Councillor Castle dissenting. a vote of thanks was nceorded to the chairman And members of the Special Committee for their work, and anothor voto of thanks also for special services in connection with the same matter to the clerk of the committee, Mr. M'Bean.