WELLINGTON'S MILK

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 111, 4 February 1920, Page 8

WELLINGTON'S MILK

THE WORK OF THE DEPOT SUPPLIES AND PRICES Tho arrangements by which milk _ is being supplied through the Municipal Milk Department to the people of Wellington wore described by Mr. Ward, manager of tho depot, at a meeting of workers in the Trades Hall last night. Mr. Ward described the system in somo detail and answered various questions. Mr. Ward emphasised the importance of the milk supply an expressed surprise that mora people did not take an active interest in what the City Council was doing. Tho welfare of many thousands of babies, the future citizens of New Zealand, was dependant on a pure milk supply. Very many people had their powers of resisting disease much reduced by the stress and anxiety of recent years. It was a fnct that the proportion of infants receiving their natural food was decreasing, and experts had predicted that the time was approaching when practically all babies would require to 1» artificially fed. Yot tho world's supply of cows' milk was not keeping pace with tho demand, rnd there was an increasing tendency on the part of farmers to neglect tho production of milk for human consumption and concentrate on the output of butter, cheese, and beef. This was a stato of affairs that demanded the attention of all people. No other food could tako the place of milk as a food. Wellington faced special difficulties with respect to its milk supply, said Mr. Ward. The city was sea-girt and hillgirt in such a way that 80 per cent, of its milk had to come from districts distant more than twenty miles from the city boundaries. Over 500,000 acres of land in tho immediate vicinity of Wellington did not run a goat, let alone a cow. These facts indicated tho difficulties that had to be overcome in the supplying of Wellington with milk. Much complaint was made about shortages of winter milk. Tho consumers did not realise always that the production of winter milk meant for tho farmer 365 days' work in the year, without pause or holiday. The; lactation period of the cow was between eight tnd nine months. Tho cows were dry for the remaining three months, and the farmer who put his milk into a cheese or butter factory could havo somo rest in that period. But tho man who prov'ded milk all the year round must arrango for overlapping lactation period end mj keep going all the year. He believed that in order to make the city's winter ir ilk secure, heavy expenditure would have to be faced.

Mr. Ward sketched the movements that led to the control of the milk supply by the City Council, and showed samples of the insanitary cans that were in common use in tho old days, and of the hygienic cans now in use. He assured tlie meeting that every can of milk now brfl\»'ht to tht city was inspected and pasteurised. Ho did not believe in pasteurisation, but tho process was necessary ow'ng to the fact that the milk could not bo delivered in Wellington on tho day of production. He mentioned that ttio prico of milk was likely to rise. If the dairy-farmera got a free market for butter and cheese, tho price of but-ter-fat would rise, and then tho city would have to pay mora for milk. The price would he left as low ns possible, and he could assure tho public that the milk as it left tho depot was as pure and germ-free ns it could bo made.