DUNEDIN’S MILK

Evening Star, Issue 22032, 18 May 1935, Page 14

DUNEDIN’S MILK

SOME STARTLING FACTS POORNESS AND UN6IEAHLINESS DISCLOSED EFFORTS TO OBTAIN BETTER SUPPLIES A survey of the bacteriological tests of milk supplied to Dunedin citizens reveals staggering evidence of unclean milk. While many of the samples were proved to be of an exceptionally high standard, an unduly, large proportion contained contamination. It was with the purpose of ensuring an adequate and good supply to the city that the City Council six months ago introduced a by-law which, when it is fully operative, will guarantee purchasers that the milk is both pure and rich. Accredited suppliers’ certificates are to be issued only to those producers and suppliers whose milk is proved to be of the required standard of the bacteriological tests. So far 238 applications for licenses have been approved. A circular advising all milk retailers and producers to apply for certificates is ready for distribution, ' Unless the newly constituted City Council makes drastic alterations to-the scheme —and that is an extremely remote contingency—the time has now arrived when the scheme can be properly launched. After applications have been considered for accredited supply certificates, the City Council will'advertise the names' of the firms and producers who have been successful. Of 327 samples taken and submitted to bacteriological test, the comparatively small number of 143 complied with the standard prescribed by the bylaw for the certificate. In 129 samples the bacteria present in ;che milk exceeded 200,000 per cubic centimetre, and in 137 samples coliform. organisms ■—the main cause of bad milk—were present in one-hundredth of a cubic centimetre or less. The tests were most illuminating, and 99 samples failed in both counts. The wide margin between clean and unclean milk was illustrated. In 62 samples the number of bacteria exceeded 1,000,000, and in 47 samples the number was fewer than 20,000. There was also a wide margin in the number of coliform organisms present. In 25 samples bacteria coli were present in onetenthousandths.cubic centimetre or less. On the other hand, no bacteria coliform organisms were present in one cubic centimetre. Coliform organisms cause milk to have a bad smell and to turn rapidly, and their presence is inimical to health. They indicate dirt in the milk. Where does this contamination of milk start? That is the problem that will have to be solved when the CityCouncil launches its _ campaign in earnest. Does the dirty milk como from unhygienic farmyards, or is the product contaminated during its handling between producer and consumer? To carry out tho by-law a thorough examination of all dairy farms will require to be carried out. Many of the farms, it is stated, are not properly equipped'. Cow byres are not concreted, and the milking is done under conditions which would offend the consumer were he given an opportunity of seeing the places whence the milk conies. During the depression the dairy farmer has not been able to carry out: improvements which he himself realises should be adopted; and in exercising the new ” by-law the authorities will doubtless be careful that no struggling farmer is unnecessarily harassed. Simple scientific methods have been adopted by a North Island producing firm to improve the qualify of its milk. It was found that when the cows were being fed in the byre the fragments of hay were blown into the milk buckets. To prevent this the company simply damped the hay, and the nuisance has now disappeared. All plant is strictly sterilised, and the men who do tho milking are forbidden to assist in the bailing and leg-roping of the cows. Possible contamination is reduced to the very minimum- , An expert on the milk question pointed out to a reporter that the Act stipulated that all bo'ttles in which milk was supplied should be sterilised by steam at 212 deg for 20 minutes, and he was satisfied that the law was not being complied with in Dunedin. Pasteurisation would not make bad milk clean, although it would minimise the dangers. The object of the by-law adopted by tho City Council should be the removal of the causes of bad milk. It was a big subject and one of great moment to the whole community, particularly as the tests so far carried out made it very clear that Dunedin’s milk supply was not at present as desirable as the citizens expected it to be. As a councillor who had done most of the ground work on the scheme for a better milk supply for the city, Mr John L. MTndoe was asked to-day by a ‘ Star ’ reporter for any suggestions which he considered might be helpful to the incoming council, and his ready response left no doubt of the great interest which he had taken, and will continue to take, in this important svibjeet. “My o\yu opinion is that the council should employ an inspector, whose sole duty ■ would be to look after the'milk supply of the city,-carry out tests, and,, in collaboration with the Health and Agricultural Departments, take every possible measure to ensure that the causes of bad milk, which are sometimes very obscure to the uninformed producer, are removed or remedied,” said Mr MTndoe. “It seems to me that, considering the-number of producers and-suppliers in. Dunedin, there would be ample work for an inspector devoting his whole energies to this very important matter of public health. 1 have been privileged to • see figures of laboratory tests which have consistently shown a very high standard of purity in the milk produced by, a company outside Wellington. They show what can be done by the application of scientific knowledge in the ordinary business of bailing and milking a cow. The city’s- inspector would be required to work with the Agricultural and Health Departments. The tion of approach would be a most important one. The attitude of the man appointed to the position should be one of helpfulness towards the producer, rather than an attitude of trying to catch him out. In other words, the attitude should be one of co-operation, rather than an endeavour to obtain .convictions. His experience with the milk suppliers was that they bad indicated at every turn that they, were willing to assist the council in giving the citizens an adequate and clean supply. In the preliminary work the General Committee had had the fullest co-operation from the milk producers and supplying companies.