IMPURE MILK.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 108, 8 May 1909, Page 9

IMPURE MILK.

o AND INFANT MORTALITY. WELLINGTON'S SUPPLY. VARIOUS VIEWS. Impure milk and its effect on nurture of infants was the chief topic of discussion at the annual meeting of the Society for the Promotion of the Health of Women and Children yesterday afternoon. The question of the milk supply bulk ed large in the annual-report, which expressly states : "The greatest difficulty the society has to contend with is the poverty of the milk supply - ..." It adds that a centralised depot where fresh milk from properly inspected dairies only was received and properly humanised would be an incalculable boon to Wellington. Dr. Agnes Bennett said there was no thing harder to fight than a bad milk supply. She hoped the society would endeayour to secure the centralisation of the milk supply of Wellington, and prevent in future the sale of poor and often stale milk. . Mr. A. R. Atkinson promised to do something to work out some satisfac tory escape from the wretched system of milk supply existing at the present time, but was not quite sure whethet he could support the centralisation scheme now before the City Council. Some strict form of inspection was, however, undoubtedly necessary. The Mayor, Dr. A. K. Newman, who presided, pointed out the serious difficulties in the way of a scheme of inspection of dairies. It was not always the farmers' fault. The milk came from as far away as Palmerston, on the one sidej and beyond Masterton, on the other, and it was a considerable time before it reached the public. In the warm weather it was not &o fresh as it should be. The council -would do its best to improve the milk supply of the city. Whatever scheme was adopted, it must include the installation of cooling machinery to keep the milk cool. In America, he had been informed, it vwis possible to keep milk sweet and fresh for over three weeks by their cooling methods. At the same time, he hai-dly agreed that milk was so bad on delivery as had been stated. People let it _go bad in their own homes, putting it into dirty bottles or in stale cupboards, or leaving cans without a lid on. Utensils for holding the milk were not properly washed. There was one great good the society could do, and that was by teaching these people to value cleanliness. He had seen milk drawn out of a bottle that was absolut3ly putrid and evilsmelling. And that poured into a child's stomach meant disaster. He had no doubt that in the course of a few months the council would achieve something in the solution of the milk question, both practical and feasible. If they could only ensure pure milk for babies it would be a great stride forward. He was quite sure that a large number of deaths were due to impure milk. With a pure, fresh supply in the city they would not only save lives, but mothers and children would be Healthier. Many diseases in later life were due to imperfect nurture in infancy. "Feed a foal or a lamb badly," said his Worshio, "and they are never any good the rest of their days." Miss M. E. .Richmond said she had been assured that the evil of the milk supply 'had becony? much greater since dairy experts came in. (Laughter.) In the old days the milkmen used to eke out a scanty' supply with pure water, and in a drought the milk , supply ceased. Pure water was very much safer than at present, when they put so very many other thinss into the milk. She hoped they would be able to change all that, and get a pure supply that might be an example to other towns of New Zealand.