WASTE OF MILK.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXIX, Issue 9657, 14 July 1919, Page 7

WASTE OF MILK.

SCENES IN LANCASHIRE,

Discharged sailors and soldiers in the Clitheroe district are openly threatening to burn the homestead of every farmer who withholds milk in order to compel the Food Controller to raise the maximum price of summer milk. Clitheroe is the largest milk distributing centre in East Lancashire, and normally 30,000 gallons of- milk are despatched daily. The farmers, however, are picketing the station to see that not a pint leaves, and in consequence the lack of milk is being acutely felt in the poorer districts of Manchester, Bolton, and Blackburn. The small villages in the valley of the Ribble have abundant supplies. It is either given away or sold at 2d a bucketful. The farmers, after extracting the fats (says a, "Daily Express" correspondent), are swilling down .their drains with skim milk or feeding it to cattle. Some have found it profitable to purchase- pigs and feed thorn on milk.

It is veritably a land flowing with, milk, cream, and butter. Pendleton, a little village near by, has been without milk for four days, but the inhabitants are living on cream. Requests for butter in those parts are met with the query: "Could you do with 141b, sir ? 1' The farmers have agreed to deliver milk in Clotheroo for one week, pending the decision of the Food Controller, but in remoter places not so fortunately situated drovers who arc taking cattle to market are being stopped and, despite all protests, their beasts are being forcibly milked. Apart from the milk dispute, there is a certain amount of indignation against the farmers on account of the large profits they have made out _of the war and the easy manner in which their sons have evaded military service. \ The vicar of Clitheroo, the Rev. J. H. Wrigley,,! has taken a- vigorous public stand against the farmers, who have adopted the immediate reprisal of making his household the only one in Clitheroe to be without milk.