THE MILK QUESTION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 239, 2 July 1908, Page 8

THE MILK QUESTION.

FUN AT A CONFERENCE. DR. MASON AMONG THE MILK VENDORS. A hundred people talked milk in the City Council Chamber last evening. The occasion was a four-sided conference between the City Council, the Public Health Department (which supervises the sale of milk in tho city), tho Agricultural Department (which supervises tho sources of supply), and milk vendors. . His Worship the Mayor (Hon. T. W. Hislop) presided,'and Dr. Mason (Chiof Health Officer), Mr. J. D. Ritchie Agriculture),-Mr. E. Clifton (chief stock and dairy inspector), Dr. Frengley, and Mr. M'Ewan (Mayor of Petono) wero present, besides about twenty,of the new dairy inspectors, and about fifty milk vendors. They were a merry-hearted crowd. Councillor Biss, as the mover of tho resolution which led to tho conference, said milk vendors met him'at his invitation, and they gave him certain facts. There wero the dairy farmers and the consumers also to be considered, and that evening they hoped to get the views of all sides. Tho municipalisatioii of the city supply would seriously affect the livelihood, of many men, and it was only fair to give all a hearing. _ Dr. Mason, beginning to address the meeting, said from' his point of view that the milk* shohld be centralised.

MURMURS OF DISSENT. "We who are,not interested in the sale of milk " continued tho doctor. Cries of "Oh!" Tho Mayor: Order, pleaso. Dr. Mason: We are convinced the present method of distributing milk over Wellington leaves much to bo desired. Dr. Mason referred .to a caso in which a can of milk was left three hours by a roadside with disastrous results, which the doctor detailed.' A Vondor: I don't believe it. Another Vendor: That's one case; you can't take that as aruio. There was general discord. Mr. Tarr: I should think the milk vendors ought to have better sense than that. If not, they-should go outside. Dr. -Mason , continued, and advocated the sale of milk in bottles, properly stariiped, after an inspection' similar to that of meat. A Milk Vendor: Rats! Dr. Mason, in order to give the meeting a start, moved: " That this meeting is of opinion that it is advisablo to set up a depot for the reception of milk to be sold in Wellington." Councillor Shirtcliffe seconded. APPROPRIATE MUSIC. . At this stage; the proceedings wero . delayed for'several minutes by the heating appliance, which, start.ed a noiso like tho. rattling of twenty milk cans. The Town Clerk had considerable difficulty'in stopping the performance. Councillor Luke expressed great respect for tho Health' Department, and pointed out that New Zealand was 110 more advaiiced in the milk question than conservative England. He favoured a receiving depot where all milk - should bo tested and examined, and the empty cans sterilised. Ho did not, however, at present advocato municipal distribution' from house to house.

Mr. Tarr said .thero was a by-law that every can of milk must hi chained. Why did not Dr.' Mason report tho case he had quoted P It left a slur on every milk vendor. (Applause.) , Mr. M'Carry said if all milk had . to go .through a depot, the peoplo could never get fresh milk. REFUSED TO LEAVE THE MILK. Mr. Burns said the microbes wanted intercepting bofore they got into tho milk, in the country. (Hear, hear.) Also the billies on the doorstep wanted attention. Tho other day ho had to leavo a noto: "Dirty billy; refuse' to leave the milk." He bad taken a knife and scraped off tho milk of the previous day inside the billy. Mr. Tarr said ho had a similar experience, and ho got the sack. (Laughter.) Mr. Bodley said a depot would bo an absolute obstruction to fresh milk. 4

/ , A NEW SCIENCE. ' Mr. Bodley gavo some interesting scientilio information concerning mitk, much of which was apparently now to fjlio fifty experts present; Condemning pasteurisation, he asserted that the conversion of the albumen which followed over-heating produced in the body four poisons—" phosphorino, ammonia, formalin " Dr. Mason: Formalin! Mr. Bodley: Yes, formalin. Milk heated ,to 180 degrees . will give formic reaction. Mr. Bodlev proceeded to state that milk was' a living fluid, and anything that destroyed its power to form lactic acid (tho sourness of milk) injured it, rendering it worth not one-third as much as fresh milk, from tho digestive and all important points of view. If the power to produce lactic acid were destroyed, then the putrefactive germs immediately began their work. The lactic acid principle was a germicide. This was proved in ■cheesemaking. . Mr. Diss suggested that Mr. Bodley should speak to tho question at is'suo. Mr. Bodley contended that the point at issue was exactly what he was talking about, (Laughter and applause.), MILK THAT BREATHES. Mr. Bodley proceeded to tell the meeting of. an incident in which Mr. Quinnell (who was present) asked him for some hints to help him to invent a can into which milk could be put without coming into contact with air. He told Mr. Quinnell such an invention, was impracticable, because milk was a living fluid.' It breathed. (Loud laughter.) It breathed just as human beings did. Prciably none of those present had heard' this, before. (Renewed laughter.) His Worship: Aren't you getting a .littlo bit outside the question ? Mr. Bodley: Not tho least bit. (Loud laughter and applause.) Milk, ho continued, drew oxygon from the air, and threw off carbonic acid gas exactly as wo did when we breathed. THEY DIDN'T KNOW. His Worship: Well, you ought to assumo that the meeting knows all this. Mr. Bodley: But I can see that they don't. (Roars of laughter.) His Worship: You ought to assume that we know all these things, and then bring them to boar on the practical side. These well-known theoretical . Mr. Bodley: They are not well, known. (Laughter.) They are in'direct antagonism to everything Dr. Mason has said ever since he has been lecturing on the subject. Therefore I say these principles I have announced are not known. (Hear, hear.) Mr. M'Carry : produced some large photographs of babies reared on milk without depots. ' . . Dr. Frengley spoke in regard to the proposals, and suggested a scheme of several depots so that the milk for Karori, for example, might not have to be taken to the City and carted back to Karori again, Mr.'Tar'r: How long would it take to do all these little things that you are going to do to milk?

Dr. Frengley said that on tho spur of tlie moment he could not say. Mr. Bodley: It would take 24 hours, Mr. Catlicart approved of tho bottle system, provided tho bottles never camo back. If the bottles came back, then tho cure would be worse than the disease. Ho believed the Wellington milk supply could be improved, but he believed ,tlio worst damage was dono at.the source of supply. There should bo antiseptics used for washing tho milkers' hand and tho udders. Messrs. Tarr and Burns defended tho dairy end, which they .said was now up to date. ONE COW'S FOR THE BABY. A facetious vendor confided to'the meeting that ho told soma of his customers they got milk from ono cow, but they didn't. (Laughtor.) Mr. Tarr; You'ro giving yourself away.

The facetious vendor: Well, tho reason is this. If they got milk froni one cow, and tho cow dies, and you have to give them milk from another cow, why, the baby gets ill. (Laughter.) Ilis practice was to give them always fresh mill:. Tho real trouble in Wellington was that tho children didn't get half enough milk. (Applause.) SOME FIGURES. Mr. Burns said milk now cost 10jd. per gallon landed in Wellington from Makarri. Councillor Fisher: We thought that by giving you Bd. per gallon we would savo you the cost of distributing. , Mr. Burns: It costs me 9Jd. to produce tho milk and deliver it. It cost £8 or £9 a ton for pollard to feed the cows on. A farmer must live, you know. Yet, when we ask a living price for milk, the people say, " There's milk up again." (Hear, hear.) Councillor Fisher: What do'you consider a fair price? Mr. Burns: Fourpenco or fivepenco per quart to tho consumers. Councillor.Fisher: What would be a fair price for lis to pay the farmers? Wo] thought Bd. as an average. Mr. Burns: A fair price would be Bd. a gallon in the summer and lOd. for seven months in the winter. OVER-MEASURE AND BAD, DEBTS. A Vendor: That is not allowing for overmeasure. ; Mr. Tarr moved an amendment—" That the City Council provides a depot, and buys up all our farms." Ho had had enough of it. (Laughter.) Another vendor: What about bad debts? Mr. Tarr: We leave that to the City Council. Mr. Bodley: There are 2000 removals in Wellington per month. A Councillor: You should issue coupons. Mr. Bodley: I did that eight years ago, and 1 could tell you tho results. DR. MASON CORNERED. Concerning tho extra price chargeable for bottles, Dr. Mason said bottled -milk was now being sold at the same price as milk from tho cans. He was getting it at tho same price. ' . Mr. Tarr (excitedly): You're hot, because I serve you. (Loud laughter.) . Dr. Mason: I only pay fivepence. What is tho price of milk from tho cans? . Mr Tarr: Fourpence. A Vendor: You'll got the sack now. (Laughter.) Mr. Tarr: No, I won't. 'My milk is too good. • THINGS INTOLERABLE., Dr. Mason said the bottlo system was in vogue in Glasgow, Huddorsfield, and many other places all over tho world. Although he favoured pasteurisation, there was notliing of that kind in tho resolution. All that, was there proposed was a depot. Milk vendors had come to . him and urged him to help them to get a depot near Thorndonstation, and ho was trying to help them. A vendor opposite him offered, tho other day, to pay £1 a week for uso of a depot, but tho railway authorities would not provide it. His Department had photographs of the sort of vessels nut out by iiousoholders, and they had photographs of dogs fouling the cans. Was that condition of things to bo tolerated? It did not matter to him if milk breathed or not, so long 'as it was good. No one but a milk vendor could prefer the can to the bottle.

A LITTLE DIFFICULTY. Mr. Burns asked how Dr. Mason would deliver milk in a bottlo to a man who took four gallons r. day. ! This was cheered as a poser. . Dr. Mason said in such a caso a f.ourgallon can would answer the purpose as long as it was not interfered with till it reached tho consumer. It could bo scaled if necessary, and tho customer's name stamped 011 it. ' DR. MASON HOOTED. Mr. Tarr: What is going to bo the price of this bottled milk to tho vendors? Dr. Mason: I can toll you that, too.' I can get a company—Cries of " Oil,"' and hooting. Dr. Mason :'l can assuro you I have no monetary interest in any milk concern in tho Dominion. \ Mr. Tarr: AVo don't want to hear that, Doctor. Wo can quite believe it. (Hear, hear.) But what will bo tho cost? • Dr. Mason: A penny' a gallon, to bottle it and find tho bottles. Mr. Clifton, in reply to the Mayor, said the dairy farmers were meeting him well in respect to the regulations, and he believed ho could guarantee a, satisfactory supply of milk from tho farms. Finally, Mr. Tarr's amendment was not seconded, and tho original motion was rejected. A vote of thanks to the Mayor and others closed tho discussion. MR., BODLEY WILL WRITE A PAMPHLET. ; Mr. Bodley: Seeing the conflict of opinion' between Dr. Mason and myself, I am prepared to argue the question with him. (Laughtor.) And if he doesn't accept my challenge I shall write a pamphlet. (Loucl laughter.) ' t 1 . .