OUR DAILY MILK SUPPLY

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 2338, 7 January 1926, Page 9

OUR DAILY MILK SUPPLY

In a series of articles, “Kristicus” intends to deal with the question of fluid milk consumption, milk supply, and the basis of payin'? for milk, as applicable to New Zealand conditions. The per capita consumption of milk in New Zealand is one of the smallest in the world. What Is the reason? Why do we, with a cow for every man. wqmnn and child, drink loss than other nations? Is it due to tlie quality of our mtlk? The inefficiency of the producer? Or the ignorance of the consumer? By showing what other countries are doing, “RnsUcns” will endeavour, to answer these questions. As the premier dairy country in the World, we have no cause to take any particular prido, either in the per capita consumption of milk or the effl ciency and quality of our local supplies. As a matter of fact, the consumption of milk in New Zealand per capita of population Is one of the lowest of al! dairying countries, a fact which is highly deplorable. On llk other hand, our,methods of handling and distribution are antiquated, inefficient and very Often unsanitary and are a generation behind many other countries. 'These are two undeniab'e facts and well worthy of the attention of New Zealand producers, for here lies an unexplored field waiting for th.. enterprise, and energy of sound and scientific commercial meHhodsi To double our present milk consumption lies within the compass of such methods, a quantum which even then would leave us woll behind countries such as America, etc. As every cause has Its effect, so may it reasonably bo argued that the reason for our low ednsumption may. to a great extent, bo found in the quality and efficiency of our supply. It is unvcrsally recognised to-day, that milk is nature’s most perfect food containing in an almost perfect balance, the whole of the requirements of the human body. But it is not only file most "perfect” food. Comparing values calorlfically, it is also the cheapest food and holds a unique place among the various food values. Tlie Munlclpallsntlon of Mills.

To bring tho milk supply of a town the size of Palmerston North to a state of perfection may not be an easy matter, but it will nevertheless be of interest to some of our readers to learn what is being done in other countries. The pioneer in this direction is, of course, America with Britain and other countries following closely its example. Underlying the whole scheme is, what we would call the "municlpalisaft-ion” of the milk .supply. It must not be thought that in every instance th e supply of milk Is owned and carried on by the city authorities. Where this, however, is not the case, the powers and authority of the. City Health Department are so comprehensive, and the regulations so exp icit, that nothing is lost by not actually handling the milk itself. The two main factors underlying these systems is the paying for milk on a basis of quality and cleanliness. By quality is meant the percentage content of butter-fat, and by cleanliness, tho bacteria content as shown by regular and various tests. To many people even to-day, milk is milk. They may like it or dislike it without being able to Indicate any particular reasons, but almost invariably tho quantity consumed is a r»flex of their likes or dislikes. Almost invariably also is the inclination for or against milk dominated by the quality of the milk itself. Very few people indeed and certainly no children evince a dislike for really good milk, for milk ig a natural congenital, rather than an acquired taste. This fact has long been recognised by producers and business men in other countries and has been successfully commercialised, resulting in doubling and tripling the consumption of fluid milk. 1

Paying for Quality. It must not b e thought, however, that it is so easy to find a satisfactory method of paying for raw milk on the basis of its real quality and cleanliness. If this was so, the problems of milk control would have been solved long before this. Kven as far back as 1912, have American cities given up the practice of paying for milk morel} on the basis of weight or measuresIt was found, as is being experienced everywhere else, that such a method laid itself open to no end of abuses and misuses and was not in the bes' interest of either the producer or consumer. Neither was it found satisfactory to merely provide for a “minimum” or “standard” fat content, for such a system still contained many of the weaknesses inherent to the practice of selling milk by weight or measure. There* is really no need to elaborate this point, as the almost daily experiences and court proceedings in New Zealand provide full confirmation in this direction.

The practice adopted, therefore, was to base the price upon milk of a given richness and this richness was calculated by the fat contained therein. Although the prices paid may vary in different districts, the usual practice is to increase the price paid for milk between 3 and 4 per cent, of butter.fat by 2d for every 0.1 per cent, of fat contained in 100 pounds of milk. It will be noticed that such a basis of value is calculated on 1/8 per lb. butter-fat To rnak e the matter perhaps more clear to th e uninitiated it may be as well to more fully explain the system. The price is fixed at a 3 per cent, butter-fat standard. As already explained this price may vary in different districts. Any butter-fat in excess of 3 per cent, is paid for in addition to the standard price at the rate of 2d per 0.1 per cent. fat. Assuming, for Instance, the wholesale standard price lor lOOlbs, or milk with 3 per cent, of fat is S/- per lOOlbs. Milk with a 3.5 per cent, fat content would be worth 8/10 and with 4 per cent, fat 9/8 per lOOlbs. Such a method eliminates, as far as is humanly possible, all temptation' to increase the volume of milk by adding water or skim milk and encourages the production of milk of high fat content. The testing of milk for fat has, of course, become such a simple matter, that there is no need to deal with it Is tills article. The Babcock and Gerber testers are recognised, all th e world over, as a satisfactory basis of Jasdortaining the butter fat contents of milk and their universal use has been established for many years.

(In the next article “Rusticus” will deal with the “cleanliness” of milk from a bacterial point oS viewi*