MILK CONTAINERS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 67, 22 March 1929, Page 7

MILK CONTAINERS

BOTTLES PREFERABLE

.TJi'SffMilk Committoc reported to.the City' Council last evening tliat they had received a report from the general manager, Mr. E. B. Hcrron, in connection with tho use of paper milk containers in preferenco to glass bottles, and that they are in agreement with the opinion expressed in the report that tho usb of paper containers by, the department would not be justified, for tho following reasons:—(a) Waxed paper is likely to prejudicially affect tho flavour of milk more than would be the case with sterilised glass bottles; (b) the cream-line of the milk could not be seen, nor could the general condition of the milk be judged until its removal from the container, as is the case with milk put up in clear glass bottles; (c) that it would not be an economical proposition in view of the average life of our bottles, the latest return showing 76 trips per bottle, as against 20 in Hew York and London.

The chairman of the Milk Committee (Councillor W. H. Bennett) said that a good deal of interest had been taken in this question, and notes had been compared with American and English statistics, while the matter had been investigated by the general manager to a certain extent while he was away. Tho general manager had come to tho conclusion set out in tho report. It might seem strange that there was such a great difference in th<y life of glass bottles in New Zealand and in New York and London, but it was easily explained. Both in America and England the business was carried on by' private companies, and there was not the same desire to protect opponents' bottles. There was also a bottle exchange which was supposed to deal with the return of bottles to tho various owners. Another factor was that the companies supplied the bottles, and so there was not so much inducement for customers to take caro of them. In Wellington tho council provided the first bottle, and after that all breakages had to be mot by. the householder, with the result that the latter was extremely careful. It was proved by the statistics that the council's bottles had three times the life of those used in America.