T.B.-TESTED MILK

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 91, 4 May 1937, Page 11

T.B.-TESTED MILK

Value of Recent Court Case Although the Napier Borough Council' B eft'orts to form a by-law ensuring that borough milk consumers liA.e clean and non-tuberculosis supplies was nullified by a Supreme Courfc decision recently, the borough health inspeetor, Mr E. Grant, cbnSidefs that the large amount of work carried out in cbnnection with the by-law has assisted in giving wide publicity to the pUre-mhk campaign — publicity that was much needed. He commented uppn this in his annual report to the eouncil last ttight. "tlnfortunately a large part of the work performed by the milk committ-e in endeavouring to ensure a safe milk supply for the borough has been nullified as a result of thfe recent decision of Justice Ostler in the Supreme Court, but the work carried out to date, although • retarded by this. has not beeii lost as it vhas given wide publicity to the pure milk supply campaign, something that Was much needed." ihe said. "The B. Coli and Plate Count tests have been gone on with, although the trend of opinion in England and America is toward the B. Coli and modiiied Reductase test, the latter being a cheaper and quicker method of arriving at the bacteriologieal content. This latter method is also recommended by the New Zealand Department of Health, "The BUbject of the tests has been very definitely to raise the standard of the milk supply within the borough and. generally speaking, the milkmen have been keen on the resultB and the subsequent betterment of defects and lessening of couttts has amply warranted the time given to this subject. "The Uumber of vendors has dropper slightly, from 33 to 26. "The number of samples taken for the Department of Public Health being 96 with one only slightly deficient in fat contents, no aetion being, taken. "A total of 162 samples of milk were taken for bacteriologieal content and of these 24 failed badly on the B. Coli and 29 on the Plate Count. One prosecution was made and conviction obtained for selling milk contrary to the borough by-laws."