Use More Milk

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21247, 20 August 1934, Page 10

Use More Milk

In his address to trampers at the combined meeting of the Sunlight League and the Vouth Hostel Association his Excellency, Lord Bieciisloc, said some helpful and thoughtful things about the health of New Zealanders. His emphasis on the benefits of drinking more milk is worthy of particular notice for several reasons. It should scarcely be necessary, in a country which is almost literally flowing with milk and honey and which relies for a very large part of its income on the production of both of these nutritious and valuable foods, to suggest that a start in greater consumption could reasonably be made where charity should begin. Nor should it be difficult to persuade New Zealanders, whose interests lie in persuading other peoples to use milk products, to take some of the medicine they so strenuously advocate for the rest of the world. But curiously, that difficulty seems to exist. Although milk, even at tie prices in those places where it is protected by act. of parliament, is cheap enough, considering its food value, New j Zealanders show an astonishing j lack of enthusiasm for using it m anything like the quantities in which it might and should be used. The result is reflected, as his Excellency indicated, in an unwarranted prevalence of diseases of the i teeth, malnutrition and diseases J following malnutrition among ; , children. That this should be so ' : in a country crying out for con- i sumers of milk products is an j absurd reflection upon the intelli- | j gence of New Zealanders and a|; state of affairs of which they I i | should be heartily ashamed. Lord j ( Bledisloe, speaking previously of L ! the problem of milk consumption purely from the point of view of' i material prosperity, has frequently j J emphasised that a first step towards j ] combating the slump in the dairy; industry is to prosecute vigorously 1 the campaign for using more milk j in the Dominion itself. With sufficient enthusiasm and intelligent t salesmanship it should not be hard 1 to double our consumption, thereby i not only helping the depressed j dairy industry, but what is even ( more important, improving the i heal'.h, stamina, and genera] ' physique of our people. His Excel- • lency has given a lead which wisej ] co-operation among those chiefly I 1 concerned, first the dairy farmers j themselves and second the prospec- ' tive consumers, can turn to practical ( advantage. r