A PLEA FOR PURITY. INFANT LIFE PRESERVATION.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 35, 11 February 1908, Page 2

A PLEA FOR PURITY. INFANT LIFE PRESERVATION.

[Br Telegraph. — Special to The Post.] 1 AUCKLAND, This Day. Dr, Stopford, a member of the Auckland City Council, in the course of an address on infant life preservation, spoke strongly ia favour of the municipality taking charge of the supply of humanised milk. Deferring to statements made at the recent Government House meeting, he said it was not right to place the onus on the motherhood of New Zealand. There was not a woman in the Dominion who would not give her child proper nourishment if she but knew how. (Applause.) There had been talk of the need of a hospital for children that are "not wanted." He said fearlessly that they could count on the fingers of their hands the children, either illegitimate or otherwise, that were "not wanted, 1 ' and that there was absolutely no reason to revile the women of New Zealand. In his opinion there was no question that it was tho duty of the City Council to assume the responsibility for the preservation of infant life. For the welfare of all concerned, he held that it was imperative that the whole of the milk supply should be under the direct control of the municipality ; it must be a municipal business, and that was the only way to successfully safeguard the health of the populace. It was essential that in the interests of public health, the cows from which the milk supply came should be healthy. Every three months the tuberculino tost should be applied. He would like to know if this v/as done in Auckland? Next came the question of water supply.and tho facilities for washi ing down. Cows, utensils, and all con- ' cernod must be scrupulously clean for the preservation of the milk purity. Again, the milkers must be healthy and ulso thece engaged in tending to the milk cupply. The whole system from beginning to end necessitates rigid inspection. Recently he made an analysis n_f milk intended" for human consumption, and found unmistakable traces of cow manure, yet on milk of this kind children were supposed to thrive and grow into hoaltln boys and gills.