WANGANUI CITY MILK SUPPLY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 51, 2 March 1939, Page 3

WANGANUI CITY MILK SUPPLY

SUBMISSIONS OF VENDORS MUNICIPAL SCHEME NOT WARRANTED Milk vendors in Wanganui have made submissions to the City Council bearing on the city supply. They are of opinion that a municipal venture is not practical, nor is it warranted under present circumstances. Recently a deputation from the Wanganui Milk Vendors’ Association waited on the council’s Milk Supply Committee.

“It would appear from Inspector Eear's report that a suggestion is made that the council consider the matter of either inaugurating a municipal milk supply or of passing regulations stipulating that only bottled pasteurised milk be sold in Wanganui," the deputation stated.

“Were either of these proposals given effect to, it would vitally affect the livelihood of some forty milk vendors operating in this city. In the latter case (bottled pasteurised milk) no individual vendor has sufficient turnover to warrant the necessary investment of capital in plant, etc., and a living could not be made; nor is the city turnover sufficient to warrant a capital outlay which a municipal supply would call for. Nearby Farmer Would Compete “As in the case of Wellington, the question of the nearby farmer would crop up and probably it would be found that no regulations for any monopoly, municipal or otherwise, could be enforced. In Wellington farmers within a certain radius of the city retained their rights to sell milk in the city, and in Wellington there are not many farms within this radius, and the competition with the council is not perhaps very great. In Wanganui, however, there are sufficient to supply the whole city with milk, and the council would be in competition with them.

“Bottled pasteurised milk has been tried out in Wanganui and it did not find favour with the public. It is significant that at present in Wanganui there is a firm bottling and pasteurising milk, but the milk delivered by this firm to householders on its round is neither bottled nor pasteurised. People prefer the fresh raw milk, and now that an increasing number of farms are supplying fresh brine cooled milk, the quality of the milk supplied to the people of this city has greatly improved during the last three or four years. “The vendors have invested their all in plant, etc., wherewith to carry on their trade, and naturally any proposals to interfere with their business and their livelihood is viewed with great alarm. Also, unless proof can be given that they are not vending a food of pure and wholesome quality, they can see no reason for any interference with them in their legitimate business.

“Some six years ago the whole question of the city milk supply was gone into by your council and regulations were framed which assured for the city a perfectly good and clean milk supply. These regulations provided for a high' standard in milk supplied in the city by requiring it to conform to a butterfat test, reductase test, solids test and other qualities. Should a vendor be found to be supplying milk which failed to pass any of these tests, then the council had its remedy and the vendor’s licence was in jeopardy. The council also had its inspectors to see that the regulations were enforced. Inspectors Have Been Active Since these regulations were passed the council’s inspectors have been active and were instrumental in bringing about a great improvement. The number of vendors operating in the city has decreased by about 20 since these regulations were framed and in many cases this reduction was cilice ci by the vigilance of the inspectors, who warned many that they were not satisfied that the regulations were being complied with. During this period the city inspectors have also been very active on checking up on the sources of supply from which vendors receive their milk and great improvements have been effected there. “We submit then:— 1. That the Wanganui city is at present adequately supplied by vendors in business with a milk supply which, by reason of the City Council's own regulations, must be a pure and a good supply. 2. That the whole of Wanganui can be supplied with a grade A

fresh raw milk from farms within a small radius from its centre, and there is not the need for pasteurisation that there might be in a large city where fresh, raw milk could not be delivered. As one English medical authority puts it—‘The only advantage in pasteurised milk is that it can be sold even when three or four days old.’ 3. That the question of a municipal venture is not practical either from a financial or an economical viewpoint, nor do circumstances warrant it in view of the fact that the public are quite satisfied with the services anil with the milk supplied by their vendors. “Zoning: The position as regards economic waste as far as overlap in delivering is concerned, has been receiving the attention of the vendors themselves for the last two years, and we have arranged for many transfers of customers and a gradual zoning system has been voluntarily entered into. It will be found, if the matter be gone into, that there is not the overlapping one might imagine.

Public Must be Given a Choice. “The public must be given a choice as many have their likes and dislikes, quite apart from the milk quality point of view. The question of the hour of delivery is a difficulty too. Many people require a very early delivery, and, of course, the man who can get there has the business. “The question of vendors delivering both in Gonville and Wanganui East has been raised and quoted as economic waste. Gonville produces no milk, but Wanganui East produces a great deal. Vendors with perhaps the major portion of their rounds in Gonville, draw their supply from Wanganui East, and naturally if they can deliver milk en route from the farm to Gonville, they will do so and have customers in both areas.

“We can assure you that the vendors. under present overhead charges, are wide awake to the advantags of

zoning and with the exception of one or two of their number who have acted on the principle 'What we have we hold’ have done all they can to bring into effect without upsetting the public. We can safely say that any further zoning of the trade would not result in such an economic saving as would permit of a reduction in the present price of milk, and this would seem the only possible advantage it would be supposed to bring." The council approved of a decision of its committee to adjourn the matter for the time being.