QUALITY OF MILK FOR TOWN DELIVERY

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5329, 15 February 1947, Page 5

QUALITY OF MILK FOR TOWN DELIVERY

SUPPLY PROBLEMS some unsatisfactory aspects revealed i Following yesterday's announcement by Mr. J. Waters, manager of the Rotorua milktreating house, that he intended to cease deliveries to vschools until the quality of the mijk improved considerably, a meeting was held yesterday of Rotorua and district milk producers. The meeting lasted over two hours and. the question whether the producers, the treating-house, or both were to blame for the poor quality of the milk was discussed at length. Among those present at the meeting were two officials cf the Dairy Division in • Hamilton, the district Stock Inspeetor, Mr. N. M. McKenzie,» and the district Inspeetor of Health, Mr. P. A. Wallwork. In opening the meeting, the convenor, Mr. K. R. Welch, secretary of the Milk Producers' Association, said that Mr. Waters' action in stopping the milk to schools and the reasons given for that action, had cast an aspersicn on the dairy producers as ?. whole. Mr. Welch said that although he was prepared to concede that the producers were not entirely blameless, he wished to make it quite clear that dairymen in the district were n5t ready to sit back and take 11- e whole blame for the present quality of the milk. "It is quite obvious from tests that have been made in the past few days," he said, "that the milk which is going out to the consumers has not been up to standard, but I wish to say that in mv opinion, a large quantity cf that milk is stale. I have proof that in a number of cases milk is not being collected from the producers from anything up to 18 hours after milking time.. Naturally enough it will notgStand up to the reductase test as well as fresh milk, especially in this hot weather. Tests Not SatisfactoCy^ "I also want to state my onini'cn," eontinued Mr. Welch, "that Mr. Waters is not able to devote the proper time to making his tests because of pressure of other work in ihe faetory. Unless the chemical processes of the reductase tests are watched^continuc'usly and kept under thermostatically-controlled conditions the results are likely to be afltected."Mr. Welch stressed,- the point that the milk was not, in the majority of cases, being collected early in the morning, as had been agreed hetween Mr. Waters and the producers. He ouoted a case of a farmer who placed his milk cut on the stand one evening, only to find that it was still there at mid-day the following day. Mr. Wallwork said that the matter had passed out of his sphefe. There had. been iomplaints ahout the milk ever since the weather had become so humid and he had passed the case on to the Dairy Division, which was now controlling the treatinghouses at the faetory. "No milk can he exepcted to keep up for an indefinite period in this -weather. * I can quote cases of raw milk, supplied to consumers straight from the sheds, which has also deteriorated within 18 houf's.

"It is generally accepted that pasteurisation of milk is the only way to ensure that the consumer gets the purest possible product. It Ifes always provecl satisfactoi'y in the past. On the other Land, pasteurisation will not turn bad milk into good. If poor milk is going- into the faetory, poor milk aomes out. "I feel that Mr. Waters did 'the' right thing in taking action. He has broken a contract to supply the schools, which can only be to his financial loss, because of his belief that the milk is not pure enough for tlie children. He has reported the matter to the department and has only done what he considers right."

At this point, Mr. Welch interceded that the meeting had beren called expressly for 'the purpose of finding out what the trouble was, and if the producers were at fault, to pinpoint the causes and remedv them. Dairy Division Inquiries A Dairy Division official from Hamilton who was asked to give his views on the matter, said that conditions in the past fortnight had been ahnormally hot. Rotorua was not the only district' that was suffering from poor milk, he said. He and another officer had come to Rotorua to inquire into tlie present trouble and tests had been. made of various saniples of both nig-ht and morning milk at the faetory. The tests had been made by the better-known methelyne blue metliod, and also by the niore reliable and faster-working Resazurin test. The results had not been good. In two of the 12 cases, the milk had gonc out in the methelyne blue test in an liour and a-half, whereas it should stand for five hours to comply witli the Department of Health speeifications. Another test of morning's milk made only an liour or so- after receipt at the faetory revealed a breaking down in two and ahalf hours and a third test of night and morning milk mixed, showed detei'ioration in two and a-quarter hours. None of the results, he said, showed any hatches of outstanding milk. The doctor who had earried out these tests with his own equipment stYessed the lieed for absolute cleanliness in the milking equipment in sheds. Nifietv-njne per cent of infection in milk, he said, canie from poorly-cleaned equipment. He realised that fanners in this district were faced with difficulties insofar that none of the electric heaters they used gave them hoiling watqr. They must see'k some other means of obtaining it. He also said that there was no i

lieed for the strong prejudice that some f'armers held against the use of c-austic soda, wliich, if used in the prescribed quantity — one teaspoonful to four gallons of water — -could not in any way harm tlie milk. If the plant were swillcd down immediately after rinsing with the caustic solution, there should he no fear of the tinning being corroded. . Labels for Cans • Mr. C.-B. F. Parkinson, a farmer in the district, said he wanted to he sure that the milk tested at tlie. faetory was fresh milk and not milk that had been on tlie stand for 18 hours There was no way of identifying tlie cans wlien they reached the faetory as night or morning milk. Mr. C. F. Doggett> another pro--ducer, also wanted to know whether stale night's milk, mixed witli fresh, would cause a deterioration of the whole batcli. He was informed that this would he the case, Mr. Doggett then suggested that the tests be made in the farmer's own dairy, when there would he no question that fresh milk was undergc-ing test. This, he was informed, was not prac-ticable, nor likely to be. It was then suggested and approved hy tlie meeting that a label be attached to the can, so that there could be an assurance that the right milk was being tested. The Dairy Division officials also undertook to see that tlie matter of late deliveries would be inquired into. The officials stressed the point that tliere was no question that the milk was poor, but they conceded that the fault did not lie with the producers alone. Shortages of stnff at the faetory and the occasional breaking down of the plant had not helped. They emphasised that it was ihe responsibility cf both the fanners and the faetory workers thoroughly to clean all cans arid scald them. No milk, however fresh, would remain untainted in an unclean can. There had been evidence that cans were being used that were by 110 means sanitary.

Ffti-mers must also undertake to see that their milk was kept properly cooled. They must do this by ensuring that the water was kept running at a sufficieutly higli pressure. Mr. Welch reminded the officials tliat it would no£ be much good earefully cooling tho milk if it were going to be allowed to stand in tlie hot sun for several hours before the lorry arrived to colleet it. Some Sheds Not Ideal Mr. N. M. McKenzie said that lie was continually making tours of tlie sheds in the district. On the whole, he said, liiost of these were in good condition. There were cases, however, where conditions were not ideal. He had pointed these out to.the fanners concerned, and they had undertaken to remedy them. There was still room for improvement. It was deeided, after a good deal more discussion, that Dairy Division test? be made approximately every month. In the meantime, faetory tests would continue daily. The results of the tests that had already been taken had been made known to the fanners cc-ncerned, so that they could, if possible, improve matters. No milk supplies were delivered to the Rotorua Primary School yesterday.