MILK SUPPLY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 24, 11 January 1912, Page 6

MILK SUPPLY.

Particular attention lias been directed of recent years to the question of a pure milk supply for cities and towns. Germany lias done a great deal towards solving this important problem. A leailet published by the International Institute of Agriculture, referring to this question, says that one of the most important questions for consumers in large towns is that of the milk supply. Not only does milk, with bread and moat, form the most important food of the whole population, but since it is the principal nutriment of children and of the sick, the possibility of an abundant simply of pure and cheap milk becomes not only an economic, but also a social and sanitary problem deserving of every consideration. Nor need wo mention that, in these days in which

the pricehjf nil foods has risen appreciably, the rise in price of milk, | though perhaps less appreciable than in the case of other articles of foods, lias yet occasioned much discontent and sometimes even strong protest, on the part of the consumers. if tiiis rise in price may be explained by the increased cost of cattle, iorage, labour, etc., and that of carriage, since, as the cities grow, milk _ must lie brought from more and more distant centres of production, yet it must not be forgotten that an important factor of the price is the gain of ‘■lie middlemen. Milk in its journey from the country producer to the town consumer passes generally through the hands of two or three dealers, eacli of whom naturally receives his appreciable profit. So, while the increased price is a burden on the consumer, it does not reach the pockets of the producers, and is no gain to national agriculture. An Economic Gain. It is, therefore, a wise policy of consumption to reduce to a minimum, if not altogether to eliminate, the work of the middlemen, and while this would bo an economic gain, it would ’certainty be no loss from a sanitary point of ..view, as there-would he no more 'superfluous and injurious manipulation of the milk. It is, therefore, interesting to consider what is being done in the matter in Germany, where the problem is considered of such importance that there lias been a agitation for a law to regulate the milk trade in a uniform manner and to guarantee its purity. We are helped in this study by the data given in an article in the August number of the “Bulletin of Economic and Social Intelligence,” published by the International Institute of Agriculture. First of all we must observe that in some German towns the problem was to some extent solved by large establishments like those of Bolle at Berlin and Pfund Bros., at Dresden, whose large trade, immediate contact with the producers, and scientific utilisation of waste products permit of their selling at reasonable prices, while the very importance and the name of the establishments guarantee the purity and genuineness of the nibble. In 1909, .the Bolle dairy alone sold 44 millions of litres of milk at 22 pf. the litre for unsepava.ted milk, delivered at the dairy, and 2-1 pf. if delivered at the customer’s’house, that s 27 to 30 centimes respectively. The work of the Pfnnd dairy is only a little lesS important. But if large establishments are already an appreciable gain, they tend too easily to become mon:polies. Therefore, the cooperative organisations are of special interest, as they take the place of. the middlemen, and in this way the profits are reaped directly by the consumers in the case of co-operative, distributive societies, and by the farmer:; in the case of societies for production. The Co-operative Movement. While forty years ago the .producers were quite isolated, the co-operative movement has made such rapid progress among them that in 1908 there were almost 3000 co-operative dairies in Germany, with about 260,000 members, which povide for the scientific, supervision, preparation, and treatment of the milk. Quite half of these co-operative societies already sell their •milk directly, hut- their action, to be efficacious, must be integrated with that of the central dairies, which .have sufficient means 1 and a large com- : inei’cial , brgan.fesftidn.K. In this way there have arisen central: dairies im Berlin,, .Stuttgart,, and HambnDfg,..and other. German ; totyns.:} ilfousome !of these, and notably the two first, do not answer all the hopes raised by them, they, yet exert a beneficent action in regulating the market, and setting a limit to the growth of monopolies, and some have given really brilliant results. The most imjortant of these associations as yet is that of Hamburg, which includes 23 cooperative societies, with 2800 members,, and can dispose of the ..ilk of. quite 28,000 cows. Not witlißifli Strug-! gle has it succeeded in getting its strong position on < |ho market, by means of a wise system of prices oier.coprhig. the difficulties that opposed its' progress,'; and becoming the chief supplier of the commercial co-operative societies and of the whole city of Hamburg. In this way its annual sales Have risen from 49 millions of litres in 1901-1902 to G 3 millions in 19091910, while the unsold milk, 13 millions of litres in the latter working year, was made into cheese and other produce. The members of the Society are, for the most part, owners of .small or medium sized farms, who therefore directly profit by the economics and improvements of the Association. It has been of appreciable benefit to them not only in respect to the sales, hut also by means of assiduous technical and sanitary supervision, it encourages them to produce a better quality, and, at the same time, i lajger quantity.