TUBERCULOUS COWS A HOSPITAL'S MILK SUPPLY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 78, 2 April 1914, Page 8

TUBERCULOUS COWS A HOSPITAL'S MILK SUPPLY.

(ir TILK2RAPH— SPECIAL TO IH« tast.) CHRISTCHURCH 1 , This Day. Nineteen tuberculous in a herd of I forty-five is a startling percentage. It was found in tho herd of the dairyman supplying the hospital with milk, and the cows were killed. The hospital authorities, in fact, had stipulated in calling for tenders that the herds must be free from tuberculosis. The matter cropped up at a meeting of the Social Democratic Party at ' St. Albans last night, when a gentleman, who stated that he was a dairy expert, said that a dairyman out of whose fortyfive cows nineteen were infected with tuberculosis was still supplying the hospital with milk. This gentleman expressed the_ opinion that 60 per cent, of the cows in the Christchurch district were affected by the disease. Upon these remarks strong comment was passed from tho platform. Mr. H. B. Sorenson, chairman of the Hospital Committee, said that the percentage of cows with tuberculosis was as stated, but the nineteen had all been killed before the hospital v/as supplied. In consideration of this loss the board had agreed to give the dairyman a halfpenny more a gallon than he had tendered for, and the supply had been so satisfactory and the contract kad been renewed for another year. The herd was now perfectly clean. Mr. Sorenson was quite prepared to admit that other dairymen might have a larger proportion of tuberculous cows than nineteen in ■forty-five. He said that as an auctioneer he had only too good reason to know (speaking of a few years ago) that there were any amount of badly infected cows. Parliament had denied the City Council power to supervise the milk trade in the city.

Tender* are invked for tho purchase, as a goin? concern, of 'Pho Colonist Ji&viep&per, Nelson. <iy