OUR MILK SUPPLY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 466, 26 March 1909, Page 7

OUR MILK SUPPLY.

THE COUNCIL'S IDEA. A DEPOT TO COST £20,000. ESTIMATED ANNUAL PROFIT, £322. "With the object of securing, as far as possible, a pure milk supply for the city, the Abattoirs, Milk Supply, and Public Health Committee, submitted tho following roport to the City Council last night:— (a) That a municipal milk station be erected on a site to bo selected, haying a railway siding accommodation at which all milk arriving by rail shall be inspected and cooled, and from which only such milk as shall have been "passed" by an officer under Tho Sale of Food and Drugs Act, shall be allowed to bo sold as household mi (bj That all dairies' and herds from which milk is sent into Wellington city shall continue to be inspected by the Agricultural Department, with whom the superintendent of the municipal milk station shall be expected to confer, and to whom ho shall recommend such alterations or improvements as he may deem necessary. All cans aud other receptacles used by suppliers and vendors shall bo subject to the approval of the superintendent. Tests for Herds. (c) That within sis months of tho establishment of the municipal milk station, all;herds from which milk Is supplied to the city, shall undergo tho tuberculin test, and thereafter at least ortflo every year, and no milk shall then be allowed to enter, the city except from such cows as have given a satisfactory negative tuberculin test; (d) That milk brought into the city _ by road need not pass through tho municipal milk station provided it is demonstrable that such milk can be and is being delivered to tho consumer within; four hours from the termination of the time of milkin" at the dairy concerned; provided als<? that vendors of such milk shall undertake to : ascertain by test _with the proper apparatus that the milk is of standard quality, such milk to be subject to inspection by tho council's inspectors, and regulations be framed for tho infliotion of severo penalties for the'sale of milk not coming up to the required standard. The cancellation of suppliers' or vendors' lioense to follow a third conviction within a period of 18 months. (e) That all dairies and vendors supplying milk to the city shall only do so under a license to bo issued by the corporation and subject to regulations to be framed. InfarW Milk. (f) That all milk that has passed through the municipal milk Station for distribution to consumers shall still be subject to street inspectipn, and the vendors of same or their employees ho liable to _ severe penalties ,in the event of a conviction for adulterating the milk after it has left. the municipal station. ' . , . (g) That all mill; that does not reach the New Zealand standard, as defined by the regulations made under the Sale of Food and Drugs Act, 1908, shall not 'be passod. The following is the definition as there laid down:—(i) "Milk is tho fresh, cloan, lacteal secretion obtained by tho complete milking of-ono/or more cows properly fed and kept, excluding that obtained fifteen days before and ten'days _ after calving." (ii) "Milk shall not contain less/than 12 per cent, of total solids, not less than 85 per cent, of solids not .fat. not less than 3} per cent, of fatty solids (milk fats) and not more than 1 per. cent, of ash." (iii) "The addition of water to milk is herebv prohibited." All milk that ia not "passed shall be separated or - otherwise \disposcd of as the inspecting officer shall direct. ■ Bottling, Oannl gi and Delivering* (h) That provision be made at the municipal milk station for the bottling or canning of milk undei: seal, as may be required by vendors! - (i) ,Tliat. all mi|k that_ passes through the. munioipal station be subject to a charge for inspection and treatment. It is estimated that a charge of. 3d. per gallon on milk in bulk, and l}d. per, gallon on bottled milk, would be sufficient to Cover jjermanent charges and the working,expenses of tho depot. (j)'That, in order to cover the cost of inspection of :• milk brought into the • city by road,' and not passed through.tile municipal station, each vendor of such milk be required to make a quarterly statutory! declaration of the quantity of,milk sold, and to pay a charge on same, estimated at Jd. per gallon. . (k) That it be made a condition that milk sent in to the city by rail shall not be delivered at the qOuntry railway station earlier than half an hour before the .scheduled time of the departure of the train,\and not later than four hours from the time of termination of milking.• (1) That in order to ensure as far as possible the proper domestic treatment of the' milk, the council. should subsidise the present visiting nurse system. . (m) That to f.ssist further in the proper feeding of infants, the council should arrange for a certain euantity of milk to be supplied free to mothers in poor circumstances as may ' be, recommended by the visiting nurites. (n) That licensed milk shops should be of two kinds: —(i) Where milk is kept in bulk, and sold for consumption on or off the premises in any quantity, only the following articles may be sold, Or tho milk shall bo stored in specially-ventilated separate com-* partments in which these articles may be stored, and from which they I ' may be sold, viz.,' milk, butter, eggs, cream, and mineral waters. Such miik shop 3 should be allowed to sell on any day of the week; and (ii) Milk shops where other goods than thoso specified above are sold shall only bo allowed to sell milk in properly-scaled bottles Or other approved receptacles.

Cost of the Scheme. 'Appended to the report was the folfowing estimate of tho probable expenditure and < receipts:— ■Permanent Charges—lnterest on estimated cost of land, building, and plant, £20,000, at 4 per cent., £800; 1 per cent, sinking fund, £200; depreciation on building, £12,000, at 1 per cent., £120; and on plant, £4000, at 5 per cent., £200; total, £1320. Working Expenses.—Superintendent, £400; tTiree inspectors, £600 ;• two engineers at £250, £500; two assistant ditto, at £200, £400; four bottlers at £150, £600; four cool chamber men at £150, £600; six cleaners at £130, £730; one accountant £250; one Clerk, £150; inspection of dairies', £250; maintenance and contingencies, £700total, £6550. ' Receipts.—Estimated 1000 gallons "bottled daily, fit id. per gallon extra, £760; estimated 1750 gallons daily by road, at jcl., £664; estimated. 4250 gallons daily by rail, •at 3d., £4847; cleaning cans, Say, 400 daily, a< Id. each, £601—£6872. 'Estimated profit. £322. Vtews o? Councillors. . In moving the adoption of the report, Counoillor Shirtcliffe said that tho comniit'tee had not scon its way to redommend tho council to undertake tha Said of milk as suggested by Dr. Ffengloy, _ but every possible precaution to ensure purity should be taken without interfering unduly with tho vendors. Dr. Frengley recommended a site hoar the power house, but the city engineer was opposed to this on the score of dust. Possibly a site could be selected on the reclamation. Heavy penalties should bo inflicted when cases of adulteration Were sheeted homo. It might be said that it would bo difilciilt to obtain the money, but lie did not think the ratepayers wo'iJd' decline to sanction the raising of £20aXiO for tho station for such a purpose. Councillor Fletcher, who Seconded the ndoptlo.i of the report, referred lit terms of high praise to the efforts of Dr. Frengley and the committco in connection' witli tho matter. .

Councillor Luke said , that ho thought the report would commend itself not only to the citizerls but also to, the milk Suppliers. Couhcillor Biss said that the objectionable features in a previous report had been eliminated, from tho report now before the council, He thought the proposed milk depot should be located at the northern end of the town.

Councillor Smith thought that the cost of

labour was put at 25 per cent, above what need' be paid. No provision was made for boy labour, which would bo very ncccssary. He gave his hearty support to the report. Councillor M'Laren hold that tho milk supply of k city was of as much importance as its water supply, Tho defects in the present system Would never bo remedied until tho city acquired tho whole of tho milk supply ana vended it itselfCouncillor Cohen was of opinion that tho report under discussion was tho best that had ever been brought down on the subject. Councillor Fisher pointed out that owing to additional charges there Would be much loss profit on milk that camo by rail. He thought a very Wich-larger sum would havo to bo expended to make tho scheme efficient than tho sum stated. Ho did not belicvo tho scheme could over bo worked at a profit, and, if they wanted puro milk they would havo to pay for it. The Mayor remarked that tho proper place for tho depot was outside the city. It was apparent that there would be a considerable amount of taxation, and ho asked whether they would get such a consideration for it as justified it. Replying, Councillor Shirtcliffe said the committee's idea was to open negotiations with tho Harbour Board, for a site near tho King's Wharf. He did 'not think any exception could bo made in tho charges for milk coming in by train. 'He for one would be opposed to tho city undertaking the distribution of tho milk. To 1 do so, would be to interfero with established business. It had not been thought necessary to include in tho estimato tho quantity of milk to be given away. Vendors should bo compelled to. take to the depot milk which they could not _ dispose of within four hours of time of milking. Ho felt certain that the scheme would be self-supporting. No good would bo dono by again asking vendors for their views. i The report was unanimously adopted.