DAIRYMAN FINED

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21534, 25 July 1935, Page 9

DAIRYMAN FINED

# * MILK SOLD WITH WATER ADDED "The court takes a serious view of adulteration, especially in a city like this, and such offence:; must not bo allowed," said the„ magistrate, Mr E. C. Levvey, in the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning. He convicted and fined Walter Baker, the owner of a Tai Tapu dairy farm, £2, and ordered him to pay costs on each of two charges of unlawfully .selling milk containing added water. Baker pleaded guilty to both charges. Mr Alan Brown, who prosecuted, said that defendant was a dairy farmer who sold milk in fairly large quantities. On June G, the inspector took a sample from a Christchurch vendor, who was supplied by defendant, and on analysis, it was found to contain 10 per cent, of water. The inspector afterwards waited at the vendor's dairy, and when the milk was delivered. took samples from a number of cans. Each was found to contain a high percentage of water, ranging from 10.9 to 4.7 per cent. On the whole, no less than six gallons of water were found in 52 gallons of milk. Mr Brown said that the milk had an extraordinarily high butter-fat content, which, notwithstanding the amount of water added, was well above standard. He said that he understood the defendant had a good reputation,, and had offered a satisfactory explanation when he was questioned about a similar offence previously. The defence would probably point out that it was . extraordinary that anyone should try to sell milk which contained so high a percentage of water, ho added.

Mr C. G. Penlfngton, who appeared for defendant, said that Baker employed a man and a boy on his farm, and had nothing to do with milking the cows. On the day in question, the boy, contrary to his usual practice, had washed out the milking machine but had omitted to remove a small can. into which the water consequently ran. When he saw what had happened, he decided to "top oft" the other cans by pouring the contents of the small can into them. The boy had recently come from Little River, he added, where dairymen ■wers paid only by the butterfat. content of their milk.

Both man and boy were paid good wages, and neither could gain any advantage from deliberately adding water to the milk, Mr Penlington said. Baker had beer, selling milk for 15 years, and wa«j always most careful. He was involved in a similar case in 1932, but this was explained by a defect in his rnr.chlne, which allowed water to collect in one of the pipes. In fbdng the penalty, the magistrate said that, in view of the statement of counsel corroborated by the prosecution, he would not treat the r-harges as seriously as he might.