THE MORNING'S MILK.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 3, 28 September 1907, Page 7

THE MORNING'S MILK.

a plea for rotn.s.w " DOMINION'S ",,,PRIZE., SCHEME,. FOR.,THE, Sfp;'..OF THE J. -^f Tlio proprietors of. TnE Dominion Nowspapep. a pjan with tho object of encouraging cleanliness t'rccdoni from diseaso in tho milk sup* plied to the residents of Wellington.. Tho dangers which exist in the milk, we drink havo been emphasised in many trustworthy qiiarterWf"iCce'iit 0 yoars, and whilo wo havo reason to boliove that the milk supplied to this, city is as wholesome as that supplied to any city in the dominion, it would be fqolislf indeed "to imagine, that wo 1 arc entirely? free;from' dangers' which. are rampant' 'elsewhere.-.'nJSyeri; if ,- wo assumo that tho Wellington milk supply is tho purest in the wholo world,,, there is ample reason for desiring every possible further improvement, .•(•i '.:''■ i-: Effect on Child-Life, „, fii Facts which are now generally known concerning the world's milk supply, and its effect on child-life must niako every parent deeply anxious to see the source of danger attacked and the " poison " eliminated.- It is found that 60,000 infants jdie in .England every 'year undd'r^h'e^igo'-'-uf%elvo ; m6nths, .-. that.the chief bailments ;arei those connected .with, tho ; digestive..system, such as had'm!lk-Sybuld'producb'. "In his latest annual report Dr. Mason records a statement of tho Health Officer for Liverpool as to tlio effect of cow's milk on the'death: rate,. "That officer states that an enquiry spread over several, years and [checked by experienced •members! of <the Liverpool Medical -Institution showed that, in three months of 'July, August, and I September, for every death of an infant undor three months of ago, fed 'entirely at the mothor's breast, therewore fifteen deaths of infants among an equal number fed at the breast with cow's milk;;and ;other; artificial foods' added. The' deatlirrates' under three months of age were as, follows:— Per 1000 fed on breast-milk alone ... 20 Per 1000 led on breast-milk (with oow's milk and-artificial-foods added) ...-300 Per 1000 fed entirely on cow's milk and artificial food ... 440 Thus, inHlireo months; nearly half tho young infants';were sapriliced'tpoauses that seemed to-brigihateun the milk. Dr. Masonls comment on this state of affairs is that in New Zeal: and —

" Great care,--:energy,- and- skill' are l exercised in seeing that our customers over-, sea get nothing but the best butter and cliese: little, if any, is expended upon the milk consumed by our own people. . . When Pne contrasts the manner in which a small country like Denmark manages such things with what obtains in Mew Zealand, ono'.feels -'ashamed. The ideal conditions would.embrace some of the following:—Healthy .cows, sanitary byres, clean milkers, suitable dairies; proper pans, insulated cool railway carriers, expeditious 'delivery;' storage (where ncces--sary) in cool; chamber, and dcliveryto the householder iu'clean' glass bottles! Alasl nearly. every one-of-these i(T wanting in. many instances. . . .To see, as can be seen any day..at,iThorridon7Staton; milk being transferred.from oan to can, open to all the'dust rlnd'Sir't-'that-blbw's about, to witness the.feeble-enbrtsimade to>wash the cans .with.„a ;! tflua|'t,-:.or,;Bo,,of\,water tumbled from'' pu'e can to another,' Ought to be enough'to .t-ouch'-the hear rof every father and mother," /,:-iv ,\..-.i- .-.-..,■„:- :

Our medical officer further • points' out .thai' ifi'"ftew"Zealand' lastTyoa'r one infant bov 'died in every fourteen born, and ym infant girl in every eighteen, 'B'efofo twelve months;.! /(Although-.this .'pro-', portion - -the; deaths in 'Europe", "the cause's of 589 of\our deaths.-.were.such.that. '.'most, of them " could have been proventeel by attention to the milk supply. Infected Milk. l "5«-?.|'- :: - • ■-v- (.^i.. l In the report of the New.'Zealaiid' Department for Agriculture'fori 190Gis an article of Mr. Gilruth, veterinary surgeon and Government pathologist, giving overwhelming- evidcnc'iv of'tho* coiitractingf/qf i tuberculosis- i.fronVi infected miWtlpM/kfak .■J&U'.', !!-, " Abdominal tuberculosis/' he.: says, "occurs chiefly in cliildjcn.'.The gccm'SUndubitably gain access ""to" tlio"' tissues through the! intestines; uu cbhtra": distinction to the lung form of tuberculosis, in which the disease"geriiis are irilialcd In a dry state along with i particles of dust, etc." p W'J i!'-'-''- •'<•'■-■" rt-.-\— When on| remembbrs'tiiat fJiq' germs of some diseases'aro "so' nn'riut'o that, a .bf ithem?; could "bo 1 , contained in'side' :l 'so !,r gm'all" an"*object 1 hs"' the egg off'a tide',-'one-can ''•cohje'eturd tho number of ':>tu.ber<;-le|'; bacilli "-atr tached to,t-hcdust^af.puijjstreets that might be biowh'iiito'the'uncovefecl milk referred to.by. Dr.....Mason.'at.Thonidph Station. "That' N6V" Zealand's "niilk; 1 even when. it;Mv,e&. tho uddtrs 'oft thp • cows, is in viow of the"veterinary; r.e i p''orts' , '6n' our meat slaughtered for export. In the annual""report'for 1906' it is stated' that 3.7 o|.jthp. " apparoijtly bullocks and hciferis fot food are fouiid'to be' tuber,culoi!s, and that of cqwsj 10 per .c,pnt-.i',are\tuberculous'.;: ; ,;- 4 V;Is it not a faiiv.c6'pp|usi.pn,,]tiiatjO;Per-:Rent,. of the living cow'sjwhoso niilkiiwe and! our, children drink are also tuberculous ? A circumstanap,"hbw!e'veri ! tliat. scorns .mo'rT r thaii''a'nythmg.iels : e' to;.bo conclusive on this point is" the : fact that of the-yoiiHg-pigs-tliat-are-fed,.. on skimmed milk in dairies no less than 4 per cont.-'co'iitra'ct tiiberculosis while young. '

"The spread of the disease jin^pigs,"says Mr. Gilruth, is undoubtedly due to milk containing the tubercle.gepni. .„. , v This is supported by the regions of-the body affected, showing clearly, in the majority o fcases, transmission by food."

■\Yhon we k'i'uds., of infectious diseases may bo spread in milk, and that milk is such a favourable medium for gorm-increase "that" it is used by bacteriologists as que of their mediums for artificially;: .propagating disease germs, ; .'it, }v'ill! ; 'rjoe'd 'i)Q further words of ours/to, convince all that there is good fiß' l b'o'.yo'nG'%' ; a'riy scheme that will cleanse our milk supply. . LofcfuVJsfiep it in our memories that, of tho families resident in New Zealand 589 were bereft year of. some little one who might' have' been saved if tho .rtiijk suppjy .had. beeu.i purer .• {'■ $'". l.\ ii\ jj (. '.'' : r v ; •''■;! THE PROPOSED COMPETITION, j It is our intention to invito all who who are concerned with tho supply of milk to the city—in its passage from the dairyMSowd t6?^the''hott,sehoklcpisTmilk jug—and'Tjwh'oA.nrQ doiijg" thqir best to ensuro thopurity.iof their .milk, to enter thelr'naines for this competition. The details of the contest aro not yet filially cpmple.ted, v but the pre?, sont proposal'is''t6yii'ido'it ; into" thre'o 1 sections and appoint a set of judges for each section. One set will be asked to examine tho.cows for signs of discaso; another set will bo the methods employed at the dairy; vid tho third set will see to. the; distribution of the milk in town'. Tho judges will be.asked to consider only those tiling's'that effect the quality'of the milk, and to give no preference W'fho'i.wciiltliy dairyman, for' costly appliances and buildings exfept so far as tlicv.beat: on,tlip.,r l ital points at issue. Wltuii the details are settled wo will announce the number of prizes to be .wur.led, and invite entrios. > The i.'l:k'f winiiiT ivill r.-i-'i'.-c ;: chnmpion:;iiiij cup, and each winner will receive

money and a certificate. Wo anticipate that the value of tho cup and tooijey ;givpn-swill-bo found.to'be insignificant' in comparison with the business value which the more fact of will, carry with it. It is .Obvious..that '.evoryf householder will prefer to drink the milk from the herd of tho champion or other winner, i or at least from one whoso methods havo been so open to inspection'as to encourage him to place them uiider tho eyo of tho judges and bocomo a competitor. The competition will ho carried on for twelve months, and from time to time a list will be published of those competitors who occupy'good positions'.'in the opinions of tho judges. In view of tho importance of the matter, we intend to. endeavour . to secure the assistance of tho best- ! judges ,! 'obtainable. Yi'e purpose to ask the following gentlemen if they W,i|l to adjudicate:— Judges' of' health and condition of dairy animals—Mr. Gilruth and Mr. i.Jleakes, the Government's chief veterinary surgeons. Judges of dairy methods, appliances, v buildings, : etc.. — Mr.., Chiton (chief .iiispeotpr of' stock' and: dairies) and Mr. 'G.uddie. ;'(pairy,'-:Coiiimis-'.-sionpr),.^..^;'.,-;;.'.'; -w- ; ; ;\.-' '!. Judges of "distribution methods— Dr. Mason (Public Health Depart-Wilt)'-'and Dr. Valintine. • Wo purpose also to ask the following t geutloinon to kindly consent to, 'attach'th'eir signatures to the certificates: — , -TheJlpiv. R. McNab and Mr. J. D. "Ritchie"'(Minister and Secretary repectivoly for Agriculture)., iThedJonJ'Geo. Fowlds (Minister for Public Health. ' His Worship the Mayor of Wellington, the Hon. T. W. Hislop. In addition to the editor of Tot posiiNioN. , |y ..., T ; ~v , n „,.. ."Further particular's' will bo''pub 'lished'inltluo'oriur'se; but in tho.mean.time suggestions;will.he.cordially.wol c0rned,';,,".,,';,''',.!!.'"...',.'"',:..;