WOMEN AND THE MILK SUPPLY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 270, 3 August 1918, Page 4

WOMEN AND THE MILK SUPPLY

MENACING THE CHILDREN'S WELFAKE. A meeting of women called by tho Wellington brunch o'i the Women's National Council for the purpose of discussing matters in connection with tho Wellington milk supply was held in the Concert Chamber yesterday afternoon. Mrs. ; W. A. Eva ns, M.A., presided, and associated jvith her lipon the platform were Lady Stout. Miss England, Mrs. Harverson, and Mrs. Chapman-Taylor. In opening tho meeting, Mrs. Evans spoke of the great need of efficiency in the world to-day. Without good food efficiency was impaired, and, in the case of tho young child, good milk was an absolute necessity. How to secure quality as well ns quantity in the city's milk supply to meet with tho children's necessities was what the meeting had been called to discuss. ' _ Miss England, president of the Wellington branch of the Women's National Council, brought forward the following resolution:—"That this meeting nrgo upon the Government the need of taking such action as may be nccessary to ensure to the City of "Wellington an adequate biippty of tho milk required for the health of the population before permitting the export of milk or any of its by-products." Dealing with the subject, Miss England referred to the scheme brought before the City Council by tho Milk Committee for the distribution of the milk supply of tho city, and commended the attempt they were making to tako over the control of at least one thing of the city's food supplies for the good of tho citizens. Among other things, tho committee planned to bring unpasteurised milk direct to tho city from- the farms, and these farms to be so managed that the dirt which at present is to bo found in milk should oo eliminated. Furthermore, practical advice would be given the farmer as to ways in' which his buildings and utensils should be kept to ensure that the milk would arrive at its destination uncontaminated by tho various processes through which it had to pass. The scheme also embraced regularity of supplies and arranged for depots within reach of all farms within a radius of GO miles of tho city. If these objects were achieved much would be done to provide children with what was 6o vital to their well-bping instead of with what one of the city councillors had described as "painful mess of boiled bacteria." Miss England considered that a weak point in the schemc lay in tho matter of transport facilities. Trains had been cut down by the authorities, and although milk and plenty of it was vital to tho well-being of the children yet tho milk trains were the ones to be dispensed with. What women could and should do was to urge upou the Government tho absolute necessity of rearranging tho t:r(iin service so that there would bo no difficulty in transporting milk into town. If women wanted to have milk for their children, then they must mako it plain that whatever other interests suffer that I of the children must not. Women in England had protested, and the Pood Controller had insisted that whoever ! went short of milk it would not be the children. Dr. Ada Paterson, in seconding the | resolution, 6poke from the doctor's point ] of view of tho necessity of a full sunply ' of clean milk if we are to rear healthy \ children. Milk, she pointed out, was the natural food of tho young, and owing to various causes infants and young children of to-day depend upon an adequate supply of cow's milk for nourishment. Epidemics were often caused bv inipuro milk. Another point nmdo by the speaker was that tho distribution of milk should be as speedy as possible. With regard to dried milk, she pointed out that it would play an important part in the diet of the. future, but it was important to see that only the surplus milk should bo used for tiiat purpose. The resolution was carried. A resolution was brought forward by Mrs. Chapman-Taylor, an cx-Plunkc't nurso from Hastings, to the following effect"That in the opinion of this meeting greater cleanliness is needed in tho dairies and 011 the farms where milk is produced, and rigorous inspection of premises should be made by the Government. Further, ns milking machines aro, known to be tho greatest source of contamination of milk these should not bo allowed to be used unless proper facilities (ire provided for cleansing the same." A good deal of discussion followed, and Mrs. Snow expressed the opinion that nothing would be done until the combines were killed and tho Government commandeered the mill; farms. Tho motion was carried. Another resolution brought forward and also carried (Mrs, Aitken seconding it) was:—"That this meeting nrgo tho City Council to take immediate steps to acquiro dairy farms sufficient to meet tho needs of the city supply." One speaker pointed out that tho hospitals would not be eo full of fever if there was a good milk supply. If money could bo found to build more hospital accommodation, then it could be found for nutting into execution measures that would do so much to lessen the number of cases with which our hospitals were filled.