THE CITY MILK SUPPLY AND QUICKER TRANSPORT

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 228, 21 June 1920, Page 5

THE CITY MILK SUPPLY AND QUICKER TRANSPORT

(To tho Editor.) Sir—Now that the city's milk supply has fallen 30 per cent, the wisdom of what i told the Mayor and Mr. Alorfcon two 'or threo years ago should strike Jiome to the council. I urged (1) Thut the wholo question was one of quick transport; 0) that the deviation of tho Eimutaka railway should at once bo made via Wainui-o-mata; and (8) that the oity should acquire sufficient level land in the Lower Wairarapa to establish four or five winter dairies of 200 cows apiece (6eejng that it had mistakenly interfered in tho. business), foi the winter's supply of milk. At that time, the land I wished to see acquired could have beeu cheaply bought. Since then .it has been cut up and sold..

Slowly and surely since then the city, having no idea or what it was doing, has been steadily drying up its winter's supply of milk, by forcing the adjacent dairy farmers out of the business, The remarks of Mr. W. Barton, of Featherston, and Mr. Bennett (chairman of tha City Milk Committee) amply prove that. Absurd' haggling has taken place over a few pence a gallon for winter's milk, when it was drying up aa fast as it possibly could. Whateyer price Mr. Barton arid the Fcathorston dairy factory osked should have been granted, as labour is altogether too independent and costly now for cheap winter milking. It pays farmers much better to 6upply the dairy factories, and do summer milking. Until the price, too, of butter and cheese in England drops, the Milk Committee cannot possibly expect the farmers near tho city to accept a low rate per gallon for their winter's milk, when they can get so good a summer's price. The city, of course, could set about establishing its winter dairies in Lower Wairnrapa at onco, but it would havo to construct the 8$ miles of roadway round the Mukamuka Tocks at Palliser Bay, separating Mr. Riddiford's homestead at Orongorongo from that of Mr. Matthews, jun.'s, homestead at Western Lake; to both of which points motor traffic now regularly runs. This is estimated to cost ,£50,000. I am asking the Wuirarnpa local bodies directly to contribute ,£25,000 of that amount. The city should contribute a similar sum. -A little improvement of the Wainui Hill, and the city would then have an excellent motor lorry road from its farms into town for its milk. This would not be as quiok a route as the rail deviation, aa that would bring the milk easily into town in three-quarters of an hour. The wholo secret of a sweet milk supply in quick dispatch from tho- dairy to the consumer, especially in summer, when of course 10,000 gallons of milk a day could easily be run into town from Lower Wairarapa. Winter's milk is always rich, and if carried too far it churns into butter. Wellington can got an ample supply (no city in New Zealand moro so) of milk, water and hydroelectricity directly it wakes up to its real requirements, My wish has been to see that it gets them, and that i 9 why I have battled so long for road and rail transport to be improved.-I am. ctCt, COLEMAN PHILLIPS. fMr. Coleman Phillips's letter has been abridged in consequence of the pressure on our space.—Editor, Dominion.]

The ostrich has long been accused of burying its-head in the sand to escape its onomils, thinking to render itself invleiblo by'bo doing. As a matter of fact what' it really does is this: It. lowers its head along tho ground, and eittinff upon tho sand, with its long neck inviaiW it looks like the surroundings, and is not easily discernible. This is merely an attempt at camouflage! Tho rfttoablo value of London has ]u»t been quoted <£45,6«1,<51,