PURE MILK.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 57, 30 November 1907, Page 4

PURE MILK.

The " pure milk" problem, which Dr. Mason has been discussing with Auckland milk vendors, has now been before the public for an unconscionably longer time than should elapse between the raising of any important public question and the settlement of it. Dr. Mason said little that has not been already said over and over again, for there is really nothing left to be said upon the defects of the cities'milk supply and the necessity for providing the public with the pure article. One new tiling Dr. Mason did say, we do not know on what evidence, namely, that the milk supply of' Wellington is "absolutely the worst" in the Dominion. We are all familiar with the

clearing-house" and'the "sealedbottle" proposals, and we would submit that Dr. Mason, having so long dinned .them into the public . ears, should conclude that he had demonstrated the theory of the' matter, so clearly _ as to leave him an opening for turning to the practical considerations that must determine any scheme of improvement. If we assume that the Agricultural Department's patrol of the regions under its charge is efficient, it follows that Wellington's "bad eminence" proceeds from the inability of the Health Department to control the milk in its transit from the milkman's premises to the breakfast table. Contamination may creep in between the milkman's premises and the clearing-house, and between the clearing-house and the consumer. No doubt a clearing-house, with the facilities it would offer for frequent sampling of the contributions of the various, suppliers, would greatly reduce the ®risks 'of contamination in the first stage. But the main causes of .pollution are the methods of the man " on his rounds" and the thought-, lessness of the householder who leaves his jug on the doorstep at the mercy of the dust, the dog, and the cat. A " sealed-bottle" system to supplement the clearing-hpuse: would eliminate all these risks, but it would obviously increase the cost" of "distribution very materially. Dr. Mason seems to meet this point by saying: "liaise the price." By all means let the price be raised, if safety is ensured, .but the price must not be raised too far. We are given no figures to assist. us to any estimate of what the rise would be. That is really our complaint: the lack of anything like a practical suggestion. The partition of control between the Agricultural Department and the Health Department, has' obviously achieved nothing—Wellington's milk supply is .declared. to be yery bad—and it does not seem likely, under present conditions, io achieve anything. Until, therefore,' .the practical brain comes to the aid of theory, the householder had' better scald his milk and put his trust in nothing.