Lyttelton Milkman’s Round Extends To The Antarctic

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28179, 18 January 1957, Page 8

Lyttelton Milkman’s Round Extends To The Antarctic

The usually humdrum work of a “milk-o,” rattling bottles from door to door on seven mornings a week, is not the lot of a Lyttelton dairyman. Mr J. F. (“Tim”) May. True. Mr May. who works single-handed, has a auite large domestic and shop delivery, but it is in supplying shipping that he finds much variation and interest. Ships of many countries call at Lyttelton and all require milk. Tn many cases orders are radioed in advance to the agents, who pass them on to Mr May. Mr May’s largest customers in recent times have been ships of the United States Navy. When the Americans want milk they want it good—and in bis quantities. Mr May says. With the co-operation of the Christchurch Milk Company he has been able to supoly their wants. When the U.S.S. Curtiss arrived at Lyttelton last week, she took aboard 200 gallons. That was just for immediate needs. The day the Curtiss sailed she took aboard another 1400 gallons, the largest single order ever taken by a ship from Lyttelton. So far this season, the Americans have taken approximately 4500 gallons of milk. To facilitate handling and storing, the Americans wanted the milk in four-gallon cans. Mr May has had several hundred of these cans made. They are similar in

size, shape and weight to an ordinary kerosene tin. except that they are fitted with a push-in sea l plug, instead of a screw top. The cans were delivered to the Christchurch Milk Company’s depot as required. There, they were steam-sterilised and then filled with pasteurised milk. Mr May’s contract a!so provides for the delivery of milk to Harewood airport for transport by air to the Antarctic. A Globemaster would take up to 100 gallons, he said.

He had had nothing but favourable comment from officers of the expedition on the quality of the milk, said Mr May. Chilled, not frozen, thev tcrld him. it would keep for up to five weeks.