H — 81

33

For educative purposes lectures might be undertaken by the Department concerned, and by the establishment of model dairy farms immediately adjoining each of our chief centres. A healthy competition might be engendered by the classification of dairies. For instar.ee dairies might be classified A, B, C, D (according to conditions). A dairy should only receive an "A " certificate when the following had been pronounced as thoroughly satisfactory : (1) The health of the cowsafter testing and examination by a veterinary surgeon ; (2) the condition of the yard, byre, shed, dairy, and utensils ; (3) the operation of milking—cleanliness of milkers (hands washed, clean clothing), grooming of cows, and cleaning of udders ; (4) the water-supply, and means of cooling the milk ; (5) the means of transit —suitable and clean carts. : Railway companies might also do their part : (a.) By erecting special shelters at the stations for milk awaiting trains, so that it would be kept in the cool and out of the dust. Such shelters need only be of the simplest character, (b.) By providing special trains and vans for the carriage of milk only. Such vans to be provided with proper ventilation and cooling arrangement, so that at any rate the temperature of the milk should not be likely to rise when contained therein. The special vans now in use do not keep the milk cool. Municipal authorities might assist by adopting and enforcing by-laws relating to the following matters : (1.) The conduct of dairies, and retailing of milk : Suitable buildings should be insisted on and milk should not be retailed in the same building as other articles of food. (2.) Proper cooling arrangements : small bottles in place of the old-fashioned cans, &c, as already adopted in some parts of the colony. (3.) The establishment of municipal receiving-stations, having in view special arrangements for the cooling, straining,.and bottling of milk ; also for the modification or humanisation of milk to suit infants of varying ages, on the lines suggested by Dr. Holt and Professor Rotch. In connection with the above, it might be as well to say here that little good is likely to result from municipal authorities establishing such receiving-stations unless they have complete control over the farms supplying them. The reason of this is evident. By such means lam confident that the milk-supply—at any rate of our larger towns—can be readily improved, with little hardship to the farmer. Many farmers err only from ignorance and want of capital. No mention has been made of many excellent men who, terribly handicapped by want of capital and opportunity, are nevertheless'doing what they can to improve the present unsatisfactory state of affairs. By efforts such as depicted above, we may hope not only to reduce in some measure the infantile mortality, but also to stem, by early recognition, one of those evils to which observers attribute the physical deterioration of our race. The remedy lies with the public : a demand for a clean article will entail a clean supply. An endeavour has been made to show that the fault is not entirely with the farmer : all concerned in the traffic are more or less to blame, and not the least is the householder. By co-operation farmers may do a great deal, and may yet prove that the milk industry can be conducted under the best possible conditions and at the same time prove a by no means unprofitable trade. BIBLIOGRAPHY. McCleary, Newsholme, Dodd, Holt, Rotch, Bange, Swithinbank, Newman, British Medical Journal Reports, Report of New South Wales Commission on Decline of Birth-rate. Suggestions as to the Feeding of Infants. ■ Statistics as to infantile mortality and its chief causes are discussed in another portion of this report. With a view to checking in some measure deaths from dietetic disease of infants under one year, it was thought advisable to draft some simple suggestions for the guidance of mothers as to the upbringing of their young. It has been recognised by authorities that to be of real value suggestions of such a nature must be plain, and couched in simple language that can be readily understood and followed out by the most ignorant mother. Suggestions were framed accordingly and submitted to general practitioners for comment. With one or two exceptions, the criticisms received were most favourable. The weightiest opponent of the departmental suggestions, however, was of the opinion that in the endeavour to render the suggestions as simple as possible, much detail of vital importance to the infant had been practically ignored. It was strongly urged that some explicit details as to percentage feeding on the lines laid down by Professor Rotch, should be embodied in the pamphlet. With all deference to Dr. Truby King, who it must be admitted has made exhaustive scientific investigations on the subject, and whose opinion therefore is worthy of every consideration, it is very much to be doubted if real good would result from the advocacy of percentage feeding in the proposed pamphlet. Authorities in the United Kingdom, America, and Germany are very much divided as to the real value of percentage feeding, and without more evidence as to its absolute necessity, it might be unwise to advise mothers to adopt a system of feeding their children which would be anything but simple, and which would require an amount of intelligence and time which can hardly be expected of the average mother. It is true that if in the larger centres it were possible to engage specially qualified nurses to give personal demonstrations on percentage feeding, good might result, but short of this a few simple directions as to the preparation and dilution of milk as embodied in the proposed pamphlet are far more likely to be carried out by a mother who has other duties to attend to besides feeding her infant. The pamphlet moreover, distinctly directs that no time should be lost in taking children to the family doctor when they do not seem to thrive on milk diluted according to age.

5—H. 31.