PURE MILK.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2016, 25 March 1914, Page 8

PURE MILK.

INTERESTED PARTIES CONFER. IS A CLEARING-HOUSE NEEDED? +1 At A t i he t ? ,<!Wll '?,'?, l , l . vesterd ay afternoon tlio Abattoirs, Milk Supply and Public Health Committee of tlio City Council received a deputation from the Wellington Milk Vendors' Association, which was accompKiied by Mr. M. Myers, who as Sl sted them in expressing their views on the subject of the proposed clearinghouse in Wellington for milk. Some time ago tho City Council, on the recommendation of tho committee named, affirmed tho principle that the erection ot such a house was desirable, and that tho building should be erected in close proximity to the railway station. The Milk Vendors' Association has declared itself against the proposal, and through Mr. Myors stated so yesterday. Mr Myers pointed out that in tho interests ot the public two things should be seriously considered. Theso were—(l) That tho erection of a clearing-houso would involve considerable delay in the delivery of milk to tho consumers, inasmuch as it would mean that the milk bow delivered in tho mornings in amplo time tor use at the midday meal would not be delivered until the afternoon; and (2) that the establishment of a clearinghouse would mean considerable expense and would mean the raising of the price of milk to the consumer, and, furthermore, it would not do away with the necessity for inspection between the tinio the'milk left tho clearing-house and was delivered to the consumer. Mr. Myers went on to eay that the milk vendors, or the majority of them, were just as anxious that the milk supply should bo pure as were the City Council or tho public. . The complaint the vendors made was that tho adulteration, when it did take place, occurred before the milk reached the city,, and that tho trouble could be largely overcome if the Agricultural or the Public Health Departments were to inspect the milk at tho farms, between the farms andthe railway stations, and at the railway stations, such inspection to be-made at unexpected times, and prosecute in all cases where adulteration was found. If this were done, he urged that the existing evil would no longer exist. If that were done, and lie maintained that it should be done, the erection of a clear-ing-house would not he necessary. ■• It was work that should be dono not by tho City Council, but by the Government Departments. Such- an inspection, together with the taking of samples from milk vendors (as well as farmers) should'prove a sufficient deterrent to any possibility of adulteration. Another point Mr. Myers 'made was that drivers of milk carts should be licensed as well 'as vendors, so that if milk wero found to be adulterated when the driver was responsible, his license could _be cancelled. Then, again, the council issued licenses to persons to sell milk who should not be allowed to do so, as they had not tho, places to etore tho milk or the facilities for keeping it under proper conditions. This was the. direction in which tho remedy lay, and if those . suggestions wore adopted it would not bo long before the city was given a puro milk supply, and that without tho expense of erecting a clearingrhouse. ' Councillor J. Godber (chairman of the committee) said that the council had really done nothing definite in tho matter, that tha'question was still 'open, and the committee would give full consideration to the arguments Mr. Myors had put forward on behalf of the milk vendors." •