MILK, MEAT AND BREAD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 8, 28 May 1914, Page 3

MILK, MEAT AND BREAD.

(To the Editor.) Si)',—ln your paper 'of recent date, you referred to tihe shocking condition oif meat supplied in Wellington. Well I ani going to tfhow up the filthy conditions in whi'cih milk, meat an<l bread are delivered in New Plymouth. I will deal with milk first. Nofr n lot of the mi!!.is carried from the' carts to the customers in open vessels. You have only | t« stand in Devon street and see it f.-.V yourself. Two or three measures are I hanging on a rail in the cart; the milki man pulls up at a customer's house and takes down the measure, and turns the tap on until he has sufficient. It is then taken to the customer uncovered. When he eomes out it is hung on the rail, and he drives on to the next customer. Now, Mr. Editor, just imagine horse and dog droppings, people with consumption and bronchial diseases, expectorating about the streets', and the abominable filth ir ground into dust. Given a windy day, the result is too horrible to think of. No wonder Dr. Home is appalled at t.ie number of children who die, as he says, of preventable diseases. Now for the meat. I have been out to the abattoirs both in the morning and afternoon, and. I went nearly all over the building on each visit. I must say 1 was greatly surprised at the extreme cleanliness of the place. There is a good supply of water, and-all objectionable matter is washed away, but what is the good of all (he care by the officials at the abattoirs when tlui meat is driven into the ' town exposed ? A small cover is placed ■ over the meat, but the dust can drive underneath -and settle on the meat. The : meat should be taken charge of by the ■ Borounh Council, placed in a covered ' van, and delivered to the butcher. No meat should be allowed to leave the shop unless covered with clean, white paper. Hawking carts should be done away with. Now for bread. The same applies to that as to itlie other articles. The baker has so many loaves in a basket. The customer takes what is required, and the rest is taken back to the cart. When the cart leaves the bakehouse the loaves are placed in a covered cart. In the case of the covered portion of the cart not holding all til? bread, a lot is placed on the top and held on by an iron-rail that runs round the cart, and a cover put over it, luit <lie bread at the sides is open to the I horrible dust. AH. bread should lie | wrapped in clean paper before it leaves | the shop. I don't know wOiat the

j health officials are doing in allowing such filthy practices. To my mind the be.st way out of this is for the Borough Council to take control and delivery of milk, meat and bread. Some time ago the Council discussed the idea of putting on a cart from the Abattoirs and charging the butchers for the delivery. Occasionally you will sec in the Daily News the opinion of some one as to how superior we are in the Dominion to tne Old Country, but no municipal body in the Dominion gives sueh care for "the betterment of 1 its people as Glasgow. Liverpool is following suit, and 1 see they are treating the milk by electricity. Trusting these few remarks will induce the Council to take the matter up, if only for the sake of the children, —1 am, etc., PROGRESS.