THE CITY'S MILK

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 9, 5 October 1917, Page 7

THE CITY'S MILK

WATER AND LOW PAT

STANDARDS

VENDORS BEFORE THE COUNCIL

Milk was a subject that occupied much 'of .the time of the City Council last evening. The vexed subject was introduced in the form of a report. of. the public Health Committee which, reported, throjugh fthe chairman (Councillor J. jGodber)— "That they have called upon the following milk vendors to attend this council meeting to show cause why their 'dicences 6hould not be dealt with on account of the prosecutions, for' breaches 'of the Sale, of .Food and Drugs Act men-. - tioned opposite eocb. licensee; Stavely and■{Weight, 10 per cent, added water, fined A. St. Romain, added water, fined .J315; A. J. Slack, added water, fined £15; . jE. J. Parker,, low milk fat, fined £5; ■' ifarker and Yeats, low Jnilk-fat; fined £5. : "One licensoe who was prosecuted for ' feelling milk containing added water has \ . appealed against the Magistrate's, decision, i " ond consequently, until the appeal is de-.j tided, no action can be taken by the ; <t»uncil. -I . | i "That they have been waited on by a j iHeputation representing the dairy-farmers, j NhvEo supply milk from Miramar, Island,*: .Bay, Karori, Wadestown, Khandallah, I and Jo'hnsonville, asking to be exempted i from bringing their, milk into the muni : ; cipal clearing-house for inspection. The ' deputation said that most of the suburban dairy-farmers retailed their milk in ifhe Kelbura, Northland, Wadestown, Island Bay, and Maranui districts, and they objected to bringing the milk! into •the city and then having to take it. out again, to the suburbs. ■ "The question lias been referred, to the City Solicitor.for a report on the request, and also for a clear interpretation of "the ■■ Wellington'City;'Milk, Supply Act, 1910, and the amendments of 1911 and , 19H. Upon receipt of these reports, the, fcommitoe will submit a further report to the": council."' On tile vendors being called, Mr. Duffy, representing the Karori Milk Company,' eaid that they were to have been represented by Mr. T.' M ■ Wilford, but as he Jiad not been served with a notice that the matter was to be considered that,' evening, he was not present. He asked that 1 the matter be adjourned, until Mr. "Wilford could appear, or that they could '■have the papers in front of them. The Mayor said" that the '.matter was ito have'come before the' council"two' , pleetings ago, and it was on Mr. Wilfcrd's request that the-consideration of „the case was adjourned. Still,he did not . \-want to take' the company a,t a disadvantage, and as the House would rise in jtwo or three weeks he suggested that the matter' should stand down-until next ioneeting.'", ■'"■'".",'■ " , • .' ' Councillor Atkinson" raised a protest .against the business' of the f ; ity being [jield over because counsel' could not at-i-tend or "until the House rose. He for one {'could not.agree to an adjournment. The Mayor said that the council has 'decided to go through with it, but he jdid not'like to take any advantage. ' The council agraed to the admurnf Mr. Stavely said that his case dated fback to February last, when milk was 'very short. It wasmilk distributed from ais"Kilbirnie'6hop,. and. had been _.obJtained from Mungaroa and taken straight ifrom' the: railway station to Kilbirnie. 'Neither he" nor his partner had seen the., inilk. The samnle on which they had foeeri'convicted- was taken from ,*he • driver "of which was dismissed- the f Some c'omment' was made at • the long. prime occupied in.bringing the case before, St. Romain said that he had .been. an business for 25 years, and -.he case on he had been convicted had occurred, when milk was very short in March last. . ■" ••-'* ,' „'',,' 'Mr. Howie, solicitor; aPP B * flialf of Mr. A. J. Slack, and said that C double.of the watered milk was fcausedat Otaki, presumably by a can tog'loft; under a water-spout when it Parker "ahd rt Messrs.. Parker til The former said that lie made no St, as he received his milk from Mr. (Henry Bodley. , M - ..!,„■ Mavor' ■ as a very fS er o«s offence, jfo- sell milk below.the d^ ith ' (was the fat. on winch the hea th or Wny children depended, He ;jn™ ea fthe vendors that when the. -clenringWe was established, the' tended to take a strong stand in regar 'to their regulations. They, were sensible bus n ess men, and he atlvisen Ihe vendors "to take a serious view- oftheir respoiisibiliHes to the community and do: their duty af° rd ' n >fe_ to tho ■ The matter was re ei-red back to the •co-nmittert. for « further renoit-, - Councillor Mlveiwie asked whether it to keep on the —tor after the clearing-house was establisiieu. ' V Mayor said that it vvovdd be a •matter for future consideration. Lc sttod l tha°t after the city hail taken ; up the distribution Of. the city. ™l*j* would then -bea ihVy. should have an inspector to look -after their own mon. . ' Exemption From Clearlnn-Housß • Inspection. i ' The : committee also _ "That representatives of the Welling-

ton Dairy Farmers' Co-operative Association, Limited, waited on the committee for the purpose of obtaining an assurance that all milk going into the City will pass through the municipal milk clearing-house, with the exception of milk specially exempt by, the WeUlingtou City .Milk Supply Act; "The association also asked for permission for one of their employees to remain at the clearing-Uonso each day for the purpose of apportioning a parcel of milk (.usually about 100 to 500 gallons daily), sent into the city by tho association to small vendors, not to one individual vendor, but io a number ol men with small businesses, who require a fluctuating quantity daily. , All that the employee would'do would be to reoeive the milk after it has passed through the test, and then distribute it to the small customers of the associa"The committee have to recommend that an assurance be given to the association that all milk, except where specially exempted by the Wellington City Milk Supply Act, 1910, and its amendment, will be" required to be tested at the clearing-house when established. The question of the permission for the at-sc-ciation's. employes to distribute from the clearing-house the parcel of milk to the association's small customers will bo considered and a. report submitted to Hhe council later." ' In discussing one phase of the municipal milk control the matter was rased of exempting ■ those milk producers at Karori and Miramar who distribute their milk in-their own districts. It was printed out by the chairman of the Public Health Committee (Mr. J. Godber) that the, Act provided for exemptions. Councillor Luckie pointed out that the Act only exempted milk produced in the city. Councillor Hildreth pointed out the hardship that would be entailed r-n milk suppliers in Karori and Miramar if they had to bring all their milk in to the elearing-house at Thorndon, and then take it back again to the districts where it was produced for distribution. The Mayor gave it as his opinion that all milk distributed in the city should be made to pass through the clearinghouse, and that the council would be. stultifying itself by making any exemptions whatsoever. The clause was referred back to the committee.