CORRESPONDENCE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLVII, Issue 12272, 5 September 1904, Page 8

CORRESPONDENCE.

IS. "PASTEiTJRTSED MILK"

NUTRITIOUS?

To.-tin© Editor.

Sir, —As on 3of many consumers of Pasteurised' anilk,_ I 1 should like to feep«a rinitrtfed to ask' tKrooigli your columns, ■in--1 tM ri-atei'€^^f i mj^elf- vatoid^ofehM%' the '■£ oilowing qu'ektlons^^f W'Ha-t aig'ihel mod© of treatment to wMeh t'fri§%Mlk; is subjected?. (2) How^are,,.t.h.e ., bottles cleansed'?' and :ioan 'consumers'' be. ©Srfrain that they are thoroughly and really cleansed at 'the depot, with, clean /water and by competent hands, and sent out in a thoroughly aseptic condition, and not left to 'the consciences of individual consumers? (£•) Could it not be managed that tale bottled be carried and delivered in some, other manner; titan, by being handled by thfe delivery man, Jiands cannot,be clean, consid-ering tliat he has-to handle 'his ihorsa Jand perform otlier duties not ealculat&d :to keep them is o ? I. would "euggeSfc,., af, cheap' pap c r ■mrapper. (4)—^and this ;isi ;Stni-imj)ortaii'ti question: Is ;the milk passed'through a separator? .and"if, as lam informed upon very reliable authority, it is, what giiar;aiatee has the consumer .that the cream 19 all returned? Xs only that amount returned which is, reqwrediKfey.-.tlie Act? I would l>lie, by the :~ffiy,Mo'&M^ what is the standard test?- ,C^fiajfeTy ;tii-eam does not rise from this? jhi'iis:v.i:n "miything like tlie quantities which -arise from ordinary good milk-. Wliav,..is' tlie reason? One teaspoonfiil froni-'a quart bottle is little enough. I noticed in. Prof. MeLauren'K repoi*t of tests of foods, etc., that of the six samples of milk submitted to him •for testing, fire out of that number were below the standard. This .. may well make us open7 onj eyes—.an 3 our mouths too, —for the. suffering puWic is entirely at the mercy of vendors, and1 has no alternative but to take what is given. him on faith, orjgo witliout. ■■ It is high time, in my opinion, "that active and persistent measures be takeir to have all milk systematically tested—not at regular intervals, but let atf inspector be appointed whose duty shall be- to stick

up a milk cart, at any time.or place and' lake therefrom a 'portion, for to&ting; and if the milk thus tested be found to ba , below the standard, the offender should bo heavily-punitshed. While upon the milk qusetion, it may not bo out oi place to mention dairies. The average milk vendor seems to be absolutely ignorant, with a few exceptions, of the affinity which milk possesses for poisonous gases, etc. In the matter of some city dairies, the total disregard of cleanliness is appalling, and.t^e stench arising from their drains and: surroundings i.3 sometimes a little bit overpowering. There is an old adage that "where much smoko i$J there must be some fire," and it would seem to be. equally true that where much stench is them must be some ifilth. I know from, personal observation that tobacco-smoking is, or lias been, habitually practised in a certain dairy in this town' by one of the hands employed. Imagine the effect of this upon milk, from fingers, too, which are .saturated from constantly handling a cigarette while attending to customers! I -have also noticed, more than once, milk being conveyed by means of open cans through the streets while a high wind has been "blowing and it has been necessary to close one's eyes in. order to exclude dusts and pulverised horsemanure. It's nasty, is it not?—but it is true. Small wonder that milk served from such' a source will not keep sweet. I was horrified at reading in a leade: of yours on© clay 'this week- of the -very high rate of infantile mortality in the colony, said to be due to impure milk, mid I feel sure that many a sickly child owes its pale face and1 rickety body to either impure miik or to milk ■robbed of its nutriment by nieatis of the separator. This machine is like the' telephone —not an unriflxtd blessing. My object in asking these- question© and drawing attentioin to what I feel to! be a very serious subject is a desire for knowledge upon a queitt'dn affecting so closely the health of children .and the community at large, and also in. the hope that consumers will make themselves heard and iusis'fr upon cleanliness with, regard to delivery' oi all kinds of foods. I hope t&wvf some one. bee* able to do so will answer my questions) and thus merit the thanks of many interested ones. Apologising for trespassing so far upon your space, 1 am, etc., HOUSEHOLDER AND PARENT.