THE DAILY MILK

Evening Star, Issue 21716, 10 May 1934, Page 3

THE DAILY MILK

STEPS TO IMPROVE STANDARD COMMITTEE COLLABORATES WITH MEDICAL MEN REPORT ADOPTED BY CITY COUNCIL The question of improving the city’s milk supply was freely discussed at last night’s meeting of the City Council, the matter having been introduced by consideration of a special report outlining the results of the General Committee’s investigations in collaboration with medical and University authorities. COMMITTEE REPORT, The General Committee reported as follows: For a. considerable time the committee hag been considering the whole subject of the milk supply to the city. Conferences have been held with Dr Kerens, officer in charge of the bacteriological department of the Medical School, Dr Ritchie (medical officer of health for the district). Mr Dayus (district superintendent of the Agricultural Department), and representatives of the Dunedin Milk Producers and Retailers’ Association. The salient features that emerged from its investigations may be stated as follows:—(a) The bacteriological reports on “surprise” samples of milk dealt with, while showing in a number of cases satisfactory results, leave room for improvement in some of the samples submitted to test, (b) The consumption of milk per capita, as near as such consumption can be calculated from the data available, is below the minimum that could be accepted ns sufficient, having regard to the value of pure, wholesome milk as a form of desirable food, (c) The low price of butterfat • now prevailing has induced many producers, who have in the past depended for their income, on the sale of their product to the factories for process purposes, in recent times to turn their attention to the local market by disposing of their milk for consuniption iis liquid milk. ' The,’effect of this competition has so depressed the.price that (so it is alleged) milk is now being sold at a price below cost of production'. . The problem, therefore, with which rhe committee was confronted resolved itself into an attempt _to ensure an improvement in the purity of the supply, to increase the use of pure and wholesome milk as a desirable, if not necessary, article of food, and at the same time to meet the needs of the producer by ensuring to him a price commensurate with the cost of production.

That problem'will at once be recognised as being by no means free from difficulties, and how best to deal with it, without seriously, adding to the cost of productibn has engaged the attention of the committee. The Auckland expedient of the creation of a Milk Board was considered, but such a course was not favoured. On the subject of i improvement in the purity of the supply the committee was forced to the conclusion, from a careful examination of the data, before it, that a great advance was possible_ along these lines, merely by the exercise of greater personal care on 'the part of the persons actually dealing with the milk in the ' several stages of. its transit front the -hb'V .tb -the consumer. - This should be capable of achievement without the least additional cost, i Within the limits of the existing statutory power to deal with the whole subject, the committee therefore recommended that a by-law be made providing for the following matters:— (a) The licensing of all persons engaged in the supply of milk for consumption within the city. (b) The setting, up of a milk committee of the City Council to administer such bylaw, such committee to include coopted members, representing the producers, and, if found possible, representatives of the State departments who at present act under _ statutory power in exercising supervision in one or other branches of the industry, (c) Such by-law to contain provision for the issue of a certificate as an “accredited supplier ” to all licensees who, at the expiry of a. stated period—say six months—had conformed to a fixed standard of ,purity, determined by a bacteriological test of “surprise” takings of samples over the period so fixed. (d) The necessary machinery clauses to give effect to these provisions. By these means it is hoped not only to greatly improve the purity of the supply, but by’ force of circumstances to justify, within reasonable limits, a more adequate price to the producer who exercises due and proper care in the handling of his product. SUPPLY NOT WHAT IT SHOULD BE. In moving the adoption of the report, Cr J. L. M'lndoc (chairman of the General Committee) said the committee was indebted to its three collaborators—Dr Ritchie, Dr Herons, and Mr Dayus—all of whom had given valuable assistance. The report of Dr Hercus was exceedingly illuminating and showed that the city’s milk was not what it ought to be. One or two deputations from the Milk Producers’ Association had been heard, and the question had been asked if the council could raise the price of milk, it being considered that the price was too low. However, the council could never agree to doing anything like that. It was a matter for the Government, not for the council. It was felt that a committee should be appointed to go into the whole question of improving the supply. From samples taken it had been found that the number of bacteria per cubic centimetre varied between 7,000 and as high as 11,000,000. It was considered that a standard of 100,000 bacteria per cubic centimetre should not he a difficult standard to attain, and the committee proposed to issue accredited certificates to those vendors who attained that standard. The tests would be carried out by the University and Dr Hercus. and it was expected " that certificates in two grades, A and B, would be issued. No certificate would be given for milk that was considered unfit for human consumption, as it was thought that the public health must be safeguarded. It was expected also that the suppliers would benefit, for the people should be prepared to pay a little more for the A grade milk. It was anticipated, moreover, that there would be a tendency on the part of the suppliers of poor milk to raise their standard to rhe higher grade. In Gisborne, where [a similar scheme was in operation, it was fennel that this endeavour to raise j the standard was taking place. It would ho necessary to collaborate with the University, which had already advised thorn that 1.000 samples would have to be taken. These, of course, j would ho “surprise” samples, as the I suppliers would not know when the inI specters would drop in. There should

be no capital expenditure required on the suppliers’ part, for from the evidence all that was required was greater personal cleanliness, involving the washing of the milkers’ hands and the cows’ udders. Cr M’lndoe added that the consumption of milk was lower than it ought to be. It was curious that some people did not seem to want to buy milk in reasonable quantities. Cr Silverstone: They have no money. Cr M’lndoe said that most people should have money to spend in improving their health. To have perfect health children should drink at least one pint of milk a day. Adults could do with it, too. It would be better for them than tea Cr W. H. Shepherd, amid laughter, jocularly remonstrated. Cr M’lndoe finished his remarks by adding coffee and beer to his list, and added, for Cr Shepherd’s benefit, that people could retain their usual tea supply, but should take more milk in it. (Laughter.) He concluded by saying that while pasteurisation did not make bad milk good, .it ensured cleanliness in transit, particularly when bottles were used. The use of bottles would be advocated. USE OF MILK URGED. Cr W. H. Borrie stressed the fact that milk was a necessary, food and said it would be no great injustice to ask suppliers to attain the desired standard. At present there were some, who apart from occasional and slight lapses, already reached it, but quite a number had never reached it. Cr Borrie strongly urged the use of milk in the daily diet, and stated that children’s teeth would no doubt be improved by its increased use. Cr Shepherd said he believed the work would be one of the most important ever undertaken by the council, and the investigations of the committee were undoubtedly a step in the right direction. Cr H. C. Campbell congratulated the committee on its report, and remarked that it was strange that children in the town seemed to drink more milk than those in the country. COMPARISONS WITH WELLINGTON’S SUPPLY. Cr F. Jones agreed with Cr M’lndoe regarding the quality of the milk in Dunedin, and stated that while he did not know how it compared with the standard in Christchurch he did know that the milk was worse here than it was in Wellington. From the sanitary inspector’s report on 466 samples it had been found that thirty-seven samples had failed to attain the standard. Seventeen samples were deficient in milk fat, eleven did not reach the standard in milk solids, and eleven showed evidence of water having been added in quantities ranging from 5 per cent, to 22.7 per cent. It was quite wrong that people should be asked to buy water at 4d a quart. -Dunedin residents would never get a perfect supply until the system of selling and delivering was put on the same basis as that which was in operation in Wellington, where the distribution was much quicker and where the working conditions were better. In answer to a question regarding the price in Wellington, Cr Jones added that it was higher than in Dunedin, varying between 5d and SJd a quart. He thought that householders should be prepared to pay an extra Id and avoid the risks attached to the use of inferior milk. Cr Mimro traced the development of Wellington’s milk supply from an inferior state to its present high standard,, stating that it was now superior to that available in. any other part of the dominion. - He considered that Dunedin should follow the 'Wellington example and have a municipal supply. “STEP TOWARDS MUNICIPALISATION.” Cr Silverstone, said that the report was much better than he had anticipated. He did not expect that the committee would recommend for a moment the municipalising of the milk supply, but this was the first step towards it. It meant that after a year or two’s experience of this method they would have a municipal milk supply. The report was on the right lines. There would be a scrambling among the milk suppliers to get their A grade certifiCr M’lndoe; Too right there will be! The Mayor (Rev. E. T. Cox) said he thought the report had opened up a very profitable discussion, which must bear fruit. At the request of the mayor, Cr Borrie detailed an instance which illustrated the value of milk in the diet. A child six years of age had been taken to a dentist, who reported that he could do nothing with the child’s teeth, as they were so soft. Arrangements were made by the parents to obtain a gallon of milk a day, and the result was that the child had four or five cupfuls of milk a day. A year later the child went back to the dentist, who said that he was surprised at the alteration in the boy’s teeth, which were linn and hard, and he could do anything with them that was necessary. The only difference in the child was the extra milk ho had had. The Mayor said that he had been reading a book by a prominent literary man, who said that his grandfather had been chief rabbi of a small European town. He had received an income of not more than £.'3o a year. He had eight children, and brought them up well, strong and robust in physique. Milk and potatoes had been their staple food, showing, therefore, the food value there was in milk and potatoes. Cr Marlow said that the greater use of milk was stressed, but they must guard against increased cost. He complimented the committee on its report,. Anything that would ensure a good, clean milk supply would have his support In reply, Cr M’Tndoe said they had examined the question of a municipal milk supply. Members of the committee were verv impressed with the Wellington milk supply, but it had taken seventeen years to bring it to its present state of perfection. The Wellington City Council did not plunge into a municipal milk supply overnight, involving an expenditure of over a quarter of a million pounds. The committee was going to explore every possible means of improving the milk supply in Dunedin before involving the city in further loan expenditure. Tf the measures recommended were adopted they could improve Dunedin’s 'supply immeasurably without a groat deal of cost to the city. There were three plants here which already had pasteurisation, and four had bottling, and there was no reason , why they should step in and take from them their business. The council would have to pay compensation, and that would be a load before they started. The report was adopted.