CITY MILK SUPPLY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20961, 26 August 1931, Page 12

CITY MILK SUPPLY.

Sir. —In tha controversy over the cleanliness of the city milk supply the only suggestion put forward for any improvement is an increase in the number of inspectors of farm premises. No amount of inspection can ensure a clean supply. The most that can be dons is to see that the cowsheds and surroundingjs are kept in such condition that it is possible to produce clean milk. While it may be impossible to produce clean milk in dirty surroundings, it is easy to produce dirty milk in clean sheds. The fact is that clean milk depends more upon the man who milks the cows than anything else. Dr. Hughes hit the nail on the head when he said he believed, with Dr. Savage, that clean milking is a process and cannot be assured by a set of regulations. Now, I suggest that the Health Department, after taking samples of milk from vendors on their rounds, should notify each one of the results of the analysis of his sample as regards cleanliness, whether it be good, bad or indifferent. Under the present system the inspector takes a sample and that is the last the vendor hears of it, unless it contains added water or fails to reach the standard set for butter-fat content. If notified by the department, the vendor whose sample was unsatisfactory would take whatever steps lay in his power to effect an improvement, while the man whoso milk reached a higher standard would have, tho satisfaction of knowing that he was doing well. As a natural corollary to this the department might issue certificates yearly to those vendors whose milk during the previous 12 months reached a certain standard of cleanliness. This would entail no expense on the department, but such a certificate would be a valuable document to a vendor, and the desire to gain one would be a great incentive to endeavour to bring his milk up to the necessary standard.

J. JOHN'SON