CITI MILK SUPPLY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 72, 26 March 1909, Page 2

CITI MILK SUPPLY.

IMPORTANT REPORT. PROPOSALS FOR MUNICIPAL DEPOT. ESTIMATED ANNUAL PROFIT OF £322. An important report cTealing with the milk supply of the city was presented to the City Council last evening by the Milk Supply and Public Health Committee. The committee recommended that for the purpose of securing a pure milk supply for the city a municipal milk station with railway sidings should be erected, where all milk should be inspected and cooled, and such milk only shall be allowed to be sold as household milk. It was also recommended that all dairies, herds, utensils, etc., should be inspected, and all cows subjected to the tuberculin teat. A proviso was included that milk brought into the city by road need not pass through the depot if satisfactory evidence is given that it has been thoroughly tested, and is up to standard, and is delivered to the consumer within four hours of milking. All suppliers are to be licensed and drastic penalties were suggested for adulteration. Milk which does not reach the required standard will not be passed, but shall be disposed of as the inspecting officer shall direct. Provision is to be made at the milk depot for bottling (or canning) milk, and a small charge will be made to cover expenses. A small charge will also b6 j made to cover the cost ot the inspection of milk brought into the city by road. To ensure the proper domestic treatment of milk, the committee recommended the council to subsidise the present visiting nurse system, and that a certain quantity of milk should be supplied free to mothers in poor circumstances. Milk shops are to be of two kinds. Milk can be sold in bulk (1) where butter, eggs, cream, and mineral waters only are sold, and (2) in sealed bottles only where other goods are sold. The committee included in its report a detailed financial statement in which it was estimated that the permanent charges would amount to £1320 per annum and the workng expenses to £5250 per year, a total ot £6550. Receipts from the proposed depot were estimated at £6872 per annum, leaving an estimated profit of £322 per annum. The sugge&ted charge for expenses on milk brought into the city by road was $d per gallon, and on milk brought in by rail, and dealt with at the depot, Jd per gallon. PROPOSALS DISCUSSED. Councilloif Shirtclifi'e said that the committee was indebted to Dr. Frengley for his able and exhaustive report, bufc had not seen its way to go the whole length recommended by the doctor in regard to the council buying the whole of the milk and re-selling it to the vendors. It had made its recommendations in the belief that they would interfere as little as could be (having regard to essential public interests) with the interests of suppiers. A suggestion had been made by the city engineer that a suitable site for the municipal milk depot might be obtained on the reclaimed land near the King' J^ Wharf . It .seemed, \p compel dairymen and milkmen ot Karori arid Miramar to bring their milk to the central station and cart it back again. Special provision had been made to meet their cases. He laid particular stress ' upon the necessity of seeing that infants' food was pure. He believed that the report, if given effect to, would go a long way towards remedying whatever defects there were in the city's present system of milk supply. Councillor Fletcher, who seconded the motion for adoption, said the committee had made art honest attempt to bring before the council a series of suggestions likely to improve present conditions. Councillor Luke complimented the committee on the work it had done. The suggestion for safeguarding the interests of dairy farmers whose places were close to the city met with this speaker's approval. The report should commend itself to both the city and the milk suppliers. j Councillor Biss said the report had many excellent features which eliminated objections to the previous report. It would be better, in his opinion, if the depot was "worked in" with the now railway buildings to be erected, at the Thorndon end of the city by the Government. There was one milk-vend-ing establishment in the city at present that waS up-to-date in every way, and he thought a clause should be introduced all owing the company to handle its own milk. It might be said that the scheme was going to increase the cost of milk, but £d per gallon was a mere bagatelle. He congratulated the committee on its report. Councillor Smith said the only objection he could take to the report was the high price put down for the labour — some of the charges were 25 per cent, higher than the regular fates paid. Councillor M'Laren's only complaint was that the report did not go far enough for him. "flic milk supply of the city was as important as the water supply. He did not think the, matter would ever properly be dealt with until the city had arrived at the stage of buying the whole supply. Councillor Cphen considered the report embodied the best scheme that had yet been put forward. Councillor Fisher endorsed Councillor Cohen's encomiums. It seemed to him linfair to make milk from afar pay ■&" great deal jnore than the milk from close at hand would be required to pay. He did not believe the scheme could be made to pay for itself ; the council should be prepared to pay for the excellent supply system outlined in the report, just as it had to pay for its water supply. The Mayor wanted to know whether it was absolutely necessary to have a railway siding. It was not possible to get one in Wellington city that would be free from the risk of contaminating influences. There were a few cows milked in the city, too, and he believed the report made no provision for them. He wanted to know if the "four hours" mentioned in the report was to commence at the termination of the milking. (Councillor Shirtcliffe : Yes.) He did not wont to be hypercritical, but he did think that a Avider scope should bo given to the action of the scheme outlined, to the end that more expeditious preliminary dealings with the milk would be ensured. Councillor Shirtcliffe, in replying, acknowledged the kind manner in which councillors had received the scheme. He could not agree with the contentious' that exorbitant, charges were to be levied on milk coining by rai' to the city, and he did not think that either the dairy farmers or the public would object to it. There was no intention to mako the venture a commercial enterprise ; personally ho would be averse to municipal distribution of milk. He did not believe any great tax would be put upju the ratepayers by the proposal to supply cheap or free milk to mothers wjio were in necessitous coreumstances, and whose ntiods wero eoi-ttfied_ to by official nurses. .The committeela idea was that it a

suburban man could not deliver his evening's milk within four hours of drawing it from the cow, he would have to bring it in to the city for inspection. He believed the scheme could be made self-supporting, and he did not think there would be much difficulty with the vendors, though they could not be expected to fall into councillors' arms and express their gratitude. The report was adopted unanimously.