WATER IN MILK.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 141, 17 June 1938, Page 8

WATER IN MILK.

TWO VENDORS FINED.

19 PER CENT IN ONE CASE

MAN BLAMES AN EMPLOYEE.

The Department of Health prosecuted twu milk vi'lidoYs in the J'oliee 'Court to-day lor s-ellinjj milk containing added \v;iter. tho magistrate. Jlr. (.'. 1!. Orr Walker, imposing tines of £10 and £1.

Six breaches of the Sale of Food and Drugs Art were admitted by (ieoige Joseph Pirkens. for whom Mr. .lohn-c-ton appeared. Three of the summons charges related to celling milk containing 1!) per cent, 10 per cent and 4 per cent of added water, the other three alleging a deficiency in the milk. Employee Suspected. Sub-Inspector Fox, who prosecuted, said health inspectors took samples on. the mornings of March 31 and April .">. On the first occasion one sample ehowed on analysis that the j<ercentage of water in the milk, was 19. Three sample* taken on April 5 were found to contain 10 and 4 per cent of water. The othei sample showed that the milk more than complied with the standard.

'•The defendant, in a letter which we have, stated that he eould not a< count for the presence of the water, although he suspected carelessness or something on the part of a man whom he employed as a milker," added Mr. Fox. '•Pickens added that no one deplored it more keenly than he did. The defendant was once previously charged about five year* ago in connection with milk which was deficient in milk solids."

It was submitted by counsel that although Pickens had pleaded guilty to the charges he pereonally knew nothing about it. He was entirely in the hands of his paid men. "The milker agreed he would come here to-day and admit the offence, but he is not here," said Mr. Johnston. "During the short period of three months that the milker was employed by my client there has been some trouble between them.

"Pickene sruggeste three explanations as to why the water pot in the milk: (1) That it was put in by the milker out of spite; (2) that the milker miarht have had trouble with a cow and added water to keep up the supply, and (3) through carelessneee water might have got through from the teat cups to the machine. Immediately Piekens heard of thie matter he dismissed the milker concerned."

Counsel eaid the milk sold liy Pieken' was always up to the required standard, and often above it in the pa«t. Ho was constantly improving hie herd, which consisted of Jersey eows. If he wanted to add water he would have added it to milk he was buying which showed a hiorh test, rather than to milk his own rows were producing. He had since found that the milker he had dismissed was on probation. Pickene was well respected in the borough of Mount Albert, where he took a prominent part in public affairs. Absence of Evidence. Mr. Orr Walker: It may be that the employee did something wrong, as defendant biipgeste, but there ie no evidence of that. On one charge Pickens wae fined £10 and costs, convicted and discharged on two other charges, and on three others he waa ordered to pay costs 13/, plus 10/6 analyst's fee in each instance. The magistrate said he felt quite eure that if there wae anything in what Pickene had stated about his milker, the police v-nuld do everything in their power to cbar up the matter. Frank Walter Reynolde pleaded guilty to a charge of selling milk which contained C per cent of added water. Defendant eaid he had been supplying milk for 20 years, and that the water in the milk wae throurh no fault of hie. He eonM not account for its presence. A fine of £4 and costs was imposr^d.