MILK INSPECTION

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7110, 23 April 1910, Page 16

MILK INSPECTION

THE ELTHAM SCHEME. The Eltham Co-operative Dairy Company is not to have plain sailing in ! the work of introducing dairy inspection. The chairman of directors, Mr Hodgson, is being assailed by numerous correspondents in the Eltham “Argus," one of his most vigorous critics being a Swiss supplier, who resents Mr Hodgson's statement that the worst suppliers of the company are the Swiss shareholders. He threatens the chairman that the Swiss will retaliate through the ballot 1565. Another correspondent contends that the men who require ‘ the inspection should be made to pay for t it; as it is obviously unfair that suppliers who conduct the business on right lines and deliver sound milk should have to share in the cost of the scheme. It ; s to be hoped that the Eltham 'Company's good scheme will survive its'critics. The scheme has a weakness. The company cannot enforce drastic enough regulations where suppliers absolutely refuse to accept advice. The inspector must solely depend on persuasive tactics, and, where these fail,, must a-UoV the supplier to gang his ain gait. A solution of the difficulty would be for the Department of Agriculture to appoint the inspector and the dairy company his salary, on the same principle under which meat inspectors at freezing works arc working. The inspector would then have the necessary power to enforce decent conditions where expert 1 advice has failed to persuade the dairyman to improve his methods. One such instructor could cover tho territory. of several factories, where these are in close proximity as in Taranaki. It should, surely b© possible for several co-operative dairy companies to come to an agreement on this important matter. ,