THE GLOBE. SATURDAY, JULY 23, 1881. IMPURE MILK.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2280, 23 July 1881, Page 2

THE GLOBE. SATURDAY, JULY 23, 1881. IMPURE MILK.

The question of the power of the Board of Health, under their present Act, to take precautionary measures by way of inspection, seems now to be settled in the affirmative. This being so, we are at a loss to understand why a special meeting of the Board has not been called, or that the chairman has not, on his own reponsibility, taken the course of instructing the inspector to visit the various dairies. It may bo—though we trust it is not so—that there are numbers of other dairies in and around Christchurch in a similar condition to that so graphically described by the Health Officer. So far as the Beard of Health is concerned, they have no means of knowing whether this is the ease or not. Hence the germs of disease may be daily, nay almost honrly, scattered amongst the weaker portion of the population. So far as we understood the position of affairs, the Board felt themselves unable, for want of sufficient legislation on the point, to grapple with the difficulty, and, therefore, the matter was referred to the Government, to assist them. But this difficulty is now shown, on the authority of the Law Officer of the Crown, never to have existed. Therefore the Board have the power—a power which, for the safety of the public, should bo exercised at once—ot ordering a complete, thorough, and searching investigation of the various dairies. This should at onco ho done, and we trust that at the meeting on Monday next the Board of Health will issue instructions to that effect. The case is one of extreme urgency. There is no knowing where tho disease may break out. It may eomo in the thickly populated portions of the city, and decimate the infant and female population. It is, therefore, tho duty cf those charged witli the conservation of tho public health to immediately and rigorously sot about tho adoption of such measures as will stamp out, so far as is possible, any chance of the evil making headway. The events which have taken place recently, and tho apparent utter disregard to public safety evinced by tho dairymen, seems to us to point to tho desirableness of considering whether it would not ho a good thing, in iho interests of the public, to project a company such as exists at homo under ' the name of Tho Milk Supply Association. This company, managed by a competent man and directed by men of standing and position in the place, could offer an almost absolute guarantee of the purity of tho milk vended. Tho business done would bo large and profitable, and tho company would bo enabled not only to introduce on their dairy farm what may be called all the necessary conve-

niences, but also—if wo may übo tho word—luxuries in tho matter of provision for scrupulous cleanliness, tho supply of pure milk, and other points. In view of lato events, it seems to ns that some such project is worth considering. However this may bo, it is clear that it is tho duty of tho Board of Health to at once order a rigid inspection of all dairies.

THE “STAR” ON THE STUMP,

Ouii contemporary tho “ Star,” in its article of last night, most forcibly illustrates the truth of the proverb with reference to counting one’s chickens. It . indulges in a wild war whoop of triumph over the defeat of tho Government, and as a matter of course, a return to power of tho “ grand old man.” It is very sad to see so much fiery eloquence and fine ■writing thrown away, but if our friend had waited a few hours before sounding this tarantara of triumph it would have soon cause to alter the note. So far as can be seen, there is but little chance of Sir George Grey and his party having an opportunity once more of squandering the money of the colony and plunging us into the abyss of financial ruin, on the brink of which the present Government has succeeded in saving tho colony. Members are beginning to sea that to countenance Mr. Ormond’s breach of political faith will be to once more place the reins of power in tho hands of such men as Sir George Grey, Mr. Sheehan, and Mr. Macandrew, and this they positively decline to do. All the fine frenzy of tho “ Star” is, therefore, thrown away; and perhaps this will teach it a useful lesson, also a proverbial one, viz., never to crow till it is out of the wood. The cold shades of Opposition are not, we know, congenial to the “ Star,” and therefore the wish that the present Ministry may bo defeated is father to the thought. However, the end is not yet, and therefore our friend will have to sigh and long awhile yet.