MASTERTON'S MILK SUPPLY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8874, 7 November 1907, Page 5

MASTERTON'S MILK SUPPLY.

DR. A. HOSKING'S ALLEGATIONS. PARTIALLY SUBSTANTIATED BY MILK VENDORS. The serious charges levelled against the milk supply of Masterton by Dr. Archer Hosking have caused a good deal of discussion among the milk vendors of the town, and it was with the object of learning whether there was anything to be said in answer to the allegations that a Wairarapa Age reporter visited several dairies yesterday. Mr F. J. Staples, who was first waited upon, said that some parts of Dr. Hosking's remarks were true. To a certain extent impurities were to be found in the milk in Masterton, but whether that was the fault of tha vendor or the consumer was another question. In his opinion the householders were greatly to blame for the sediment in the milk and the fact that milk often turned sour. "If you only saw tsome of the jugs into which we have to put the milk at some houses it would surprise you," said Mr Staples. "Sometimes when we call the jugs have not been washed since they received the previous morning's milk. Then they are rinsed in cold water and the new milk goes into them; and can you wonder that the liquid turns sour or contains particles of dirt?" Mr Staples went on to say that, the appearance of dirt, such as cowhair in milk, was largely due to the person milking the cow. A good milker never allowed any impure matter to get into the milk, and if the fluid were carefully strained after being taken from the cow, there could be no chance of any dirt. As an instance of this the speaker emptied a can of milk which was ready to be placed on the cart for the afternoon delivery, and neither in the milk nor at the bottom of the can could any dirt be seen. Turning to the question of milk inspection, Mr Staples went on to say that the Stock Department was not consistent. Some vendors were made to keep their dairies up-to-date, while others seemed to be allowed to milk where and as they liked. With regard to a milk depot, he considered that the establishment of su"h an institution would raise the price of milk. The vendors would be put to more expense, and of course the consumers would have to pay for that. He did not believe in the system of supplying milk in bottles. These were used on one milk round in Napier, and he knew of Masterton people who had been to Napier, and who preferred the milk supplied in this town. The bottle system also raised the price of milk, as in Napier it was 2d per pint all the year round, while in Masterton ljd per pint was the ruling price. "It's a bit rough on the milk vend- t ors, but the position is not quite so bad as Dr. Hosking makes out," was the opinion of Mr R. Aplin. Continuing, he said that if Dr. Hosking had found dirty milk in the borough he should have named the vendor who supplied it, and thus absolved the others. All the suppliers of milk seemed to suffer through the carelessness of the less scrupulous ones. Like the previous speaker he believed that a gcocl milker could prevent any .impurities from getting into the milk. The weather such as has been experienced recently had a lot to do with turning milk sour, but the biggest trouble was that the jugs which received the milk from the vendors at some houses were anything but clean, and the suppliers suffered for the resultant impurities. Another thing was that the milk, after beiDg taken by the householder, was placed in all manner of places, and what else could be expected than to see liquid turn sour or get a good deal of the dirt that was flving about in the air. If Dr. Hosking's statement with regard to finding cowhair, dung, dirt and scales from unwashed udders, in the milk, were correct, then it was certain that such milk could not have been strained. Mr Aplin did not believe in the system of supplying milk in bottles, and the quality of milk was no better for the extra cost and trouble entailed. Two other vendors were also interviewed, but they did not wish to say anything. All they asked was that the inspector would do his duty, and find out the persons who were supplying impure milk. They contended that it was unfair to the conscientious suppliers that some vendors should be allowed to palm off anything as milk and escape free. One of the vendors added that some months ago an inspector came to Masterton from Wellington and took samples ol the milk sold in the town for analysis. Nothing has yet been heard as to the result of the inspection. This was by no means satisfactory, as the milk vendors should have been acquainted with the result of the analysis, so that they might know who had supplied the milk that was reported to be impure.