MILK SUPPLY.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19032, 21 June 1927, Page 12

MILK SUPPLY.

report to city council. MANY RECOMMENDATIONS. The report on th© City s milk supply, which was investigated by a special committee set up for the purpose, consisting of Drs. T. Fletcher Telford (chairman), G. J. Blackmore, and Albert J3. Pearson, and Mr F. J.'l. Grigg, was presented at last night's meeting oi the City Council. With the report was an analytical report submitted by Mr F. J. T. Grigg, M.Sc., A.1.C., F.C.S., Government Analyst, which stated inter alia:— During the period December 14th, 1926-March 31st, 1927 a special series of milk samples from L-hristchurcli milk vendors was taken for the purpose of investigating the condition ot tho supply over a period of approximately three months. The samples were taken by five inspectors, four of whom are omcers ot Uio Department of Health, and the remainder by a special inspector of the City Council staff specially appointed for the purpose of the- investigation. No sample examined was found to be naturally deficient in solids other than fat, though, of course, practically all the samples adulterated with added water contained less than the required percentage. Seven samples contained less than the minimum amount of fat. In tour of tlieso cases the deficiency was due to the addition of water to the milk, and in two of the remaining cases the sample was found to represent only portion of the herd concerned, the mixed milk of the whole herd being quite satisfactory. Adulteration and Sediment. The results indicated that the milks supplied by the Christchurch herds are very satisfactory from the point of view of food constituents, deficiencies being due almost wholly to adulteration. Some of the samples received contained appreciable amounts of sediment, though on the whole the_ conditions were not very bad, and iu no case was if; considered necessary to take action against the vendor. In about 10 per cent, of th© samples there was room for marked improvement in this respect. No evidence of the use of preservatives or of abstraction of fat was obtained. The amount of adulteration by the addition of water was, however, exceptionally high, 5.0 per cent, of the samples containing added water, in amounts ranging from 5 to 30 per cent., and prosecutions followed ,in all these cases. . The percentage of watered milks indicates' that the Christchurcli public during the period under consideration purchased a very considerable amount of water in lieu of milk. Eesults Summarised. The results show that the Christchurch milk supply is satisfactory in some respects, and unsatisfactory in others. ' Hie values obtained for fab and other solids .indicate that the milks supplied by the herds are very satisfactory from the point of view of food constituents. The absence of very excessive amounts of sediment also indicates that the supply is not very unsatisfactory in this respect. From the two renaming aspects, however, the conditions must be regarded as unsatisfactory, viz.. the bacteriological condition of the milk as indicated by the test,_ and the prevalence of adulteration with respect to added -water. The absence of tubercle baccili iu the samples is highly satisfactory; but it must be remembered that the number of specimens is a small of the total milks coming into the City. It was suggested: (1) That routine bacteriological examinations of the City milk supply should be carried out.

(2) That every endeavour should be mnde to speed up the delivery of the milk. (3) That evening milk, if sold on the following morning, should be pasteurised. Careful Supervision.'The committee's report stated, inter alia:— _ • After considering the submitted, the committee is of opinion that if all the measures employed in tlie production, storage, carnage, and distribution of the milk are carefully supervised, and a high standard insisted upon, there is no reason why Christchurch should not have a thoroughly satisfactory milk supply. Many of the dairymen supplying ir.ilk to the City are apparently doing their best to supply good, pure, unadulterated milk, but ihere are others who are undoubtedly not doing this, and they should either lie eliminated altogether, ( or dealt with in such a drastic fashion that thev will find it advisable to try and emulate tlheir better-disposed fellow-dairymen. With a view to assisting in bringing the milk. supply generally to a higher standard, the committee recommends:— 1. That the use of clarifiers should be prohibited, as, wliile they remove visible dirt, they fail _to prevent the passage of harmful microbes into the milk. The remedy for dirt in milk is not to remove it by strainers, but to prevent it from entering the milk. 2.- Every endeavour should be made to prevent the entrance of dirt and germs into milk, by ensuring cleanliness of the cows and their surroundings, of the milkers and others handling milk, and of the utensils and apparatus used. To obtain this result education is obviously often necessary, and the committee recommends the appointment of a thoroughly qualified instructor whose duty it shall be to instruct dairymen in the latest approved methods of obtaining a pure and clean milk supply Tn this connexion, the committee desires to record its conviction that for tlv3 sterilising of milk utensils and apparatus the only satisfactory method is by the use of steam, and that t/0 inhibit the frowth of germs tli© milk should b© cooled immediately after it has been procured from the cow. 3. The adding of water to milk will probably be continued by some vendors until it is made unprofitable for them to do so, by the imposition of boavy fines when the offence is proved in Court, and by giving full publicity to the Court proceedings In investigating outbreaks of disease due to milk, the "problem becomes very complicated when the land of water with which milk has been _ adulterated has I o be taken into consideration as well as the source of the milk itself. The person who will stoop to th© practice of adding water to milk is not likely to be particular as to the source or the water supply, and consequently harmful bacteria may be > introduced into the milk which previously was free from them. . 4. As a means of preventing bovine tuberculosis in human beings, the committee recommends that the testing of all milch cows with tuberculin Bhould be made compulsory; that the sale of j milch cows which' have not been so. tested should be prohibited; that tor a period of. say, fire years compensation in full should be paid for any »tow which has to be destroyed as the result of reacting to the tuberculin test: but that after that time no compensation whatever should be paid to the owner of a cow which has to be killed througS being. infected with tuberculosis, as within that period careful dairymen, by means of routine

±iit> lUULiuu »aa lUOI. . , tuberculin testing, should be able to build up a tuberculosis-free herd. 5. As it is impossible to ensure that the consumer gets a pure supply when f rriilk from different sources is mixed, together, and ; t becomes more than difficult to trace ; the source of contamination when it occurs, the committee considers that this practice 'should be prohibited and that the clause should be introduced into the Municipal Corporations Act relative to dairies giving local authorities the power to refuse a license to dairymen who will not undertake to deliver inilk obtained onlv from their own cow*. , 6. AH milk intended for human consumption should be; under the control of the Health Departfiient from the time of its collection. The Discussion. Cr. Q. Carr moved the adoption of the report. ' Cr. M. E.' Lyons said that all experts were. against pasteurisation, because it had the effect of destroying mius. The examination was made at the flush of the season, and showed a surprisingly good fat content. Regarding the germ content, it had to be remembered that the report covered the warm period of the year, when the growth of bacteria was aided most. Cr. H. T Armstrong said that he was in favour of the Council having control of the milk supply,-but ho would not be a party to any halfmeasures. Despite what was said- to the contrary, he maintained that the milk supply of Wellington was not the success it was thought to be, although it had been proved to be beneficial to the Wellington people. From 5 per cent of the total milk supplied ,to Wellington a few years ago, outside dairymen were responsible to-day for one-third of the whole. He would like to see a depot established where all the milk could be treated, so that nothing but pure milk could be supplied to consumers. Cr. J. W. Roberts said that he was of the opinion that without further delay estimates should be prepared for the setting up of a depot in Christcburch. An Amendment. Ci'. E. H. Andrews moved as an amendment that the adoption of the report be held over for one month, and that In the meantime it be .released for publication. The Mayor (Mr J. K. Archer) said he wished to second the amendment, if Andrews would add to it-an. instruction to the committee to investigate the cost of establishing a municipal supply, and report later. He was convinced that the only way to deal with the milk supply of the City was to municipalise it. He was pleased to see that the butter-fat content was so satisfactory. He eulogised the Wellington municipal supply, and stated that he had been assured that a method of pasteurisation had been invented which, while it would destroy disease germs, would not affect the food qualities. He hoped the Council would "take the bull by the horns" and settle the question in the only way it could be settled. _ Cr, E._ McCombs said that the municipalisation of the Wellington milk supply had given that city clean milk. She hoped that the Council would aim at giving the children of Christchurch cheap, clean, and good milk. The amendment was carried.