Correspondence.

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume IV, Issue 1149, 19 November 1904, Page 3

Correspondence.

TO TUB KDIWB Sin,—Permit mo to again bring to your readota' attention a muniotpal neglect which Waihi shares with all towns in the colony, but it is none tho less discreditable, to our so called civilisation. On page 18 ol the Health Department roport (H.-31) for 1903-4, tho Chief Health Officer, whoso work and advice afe fully endorsod by iho Cabinet and Parliament, 'says iu lealing with the question of milksupply, ''. . , I am convincod that until tho sitlo of milk in towns is placod under the control of the municipalities, the presont unsatisfactory and unwholesome condition of thiußs will obtain. Were all milk sold by or through a department of the Council, it would bo possible to insist on efficient pasteurisation of every pint consumed. Fdstourisation, while it alters the ' tasto and appoaranco of tho mi'k but little, has boen shown to effactually destroy those many organisms which tend to set up diarrhoea in children. If, say, every town with four thousand or above of it population had a one-portal system through which all milk had to pass, such as is tho law with respeot to our meat, a marked decr'easo in our infantile mortality and preventive diseaso would result." You have drawn attention to this beforo, but it should be repeated till it is clearly understood lhat by lepving tho milk supply to private enterpriso illness may be propagated and infant constitutions sapped. If any dealor chooses to add water or injurious preservatives' to bis milk there are no applioncos for detecting it in the hands of either tho inspector, the injured traderivals, or tho publio who drink in blind j faith whatever anyono may sell them as milk at five timos factory rates, If the Borough Council would, in placo of dooiding whether tho Premier or the district member is the most suitable for deal ing with undiluted water—a very dclicato question—take steps to protect local purveyors of sound milk, and tho public against unscrupulous competition, they would establish a now kind of record for New Zealand, though it is oommon enough in G'eat Britain, 1 would outline a schema thus. A milk' inspector at i' 3or £3los a week, with a Babcock tester, pasteuriser, and cooler (say Humble and Sons) would be wanted, capital outlay &000 to £ISOO, with an oye to future oxpntision, Prohibit all privato salo of milk cr cream, Pay local milkmon the average net price thoy now get, according to richness of milk (the Milk Adulteration Act, which allows addition of one part of wator in throo to averago milk, is a farce). Buy, say, from Paeroa, or by rail, as much more as averago daily orders run to: inspecting local dailies at intervals and taking dairy companies' certificates of inspection for milk bought, Givo local milkmen who have the distributing plant first option to take round milk on fair wages to areas most convenient, The cost of pasteurising, oliilling, and distribution would be tho merest triilo per gallon in largo lots, and bad debts, with tho united oxporioneo of the Council and its professional empires, should bo vory slight The inspector would havo all tho afternoons to write up accounts and collect, say, weekly under peinl'v of cutting off supply, With elin". : : -i of loss by competition, and the i ti.j-'v i icreascd consumption whioh would foll-.w unlimited milk of the best possible qnal.ty.it is my opinion that one half ol the present rates, or 8d per gallon, would pay all expenses, with a decided margin; but tho selling prieo, if it just covers expenses under such ut system, will be as low as it honestly can be, and that is all people have a right to oxpect, Trusting this very important matter will rouse somo publ'io intjießtI am etc, Mkrvyn James Stewart. Athcnree, Nov. 16.