QUALITY OF MILK

Waikato Times, Volume 87, Issue 13294, 25 September 1916, Page 2

QUALITY OF MILK

VENDOR AND FARMER. WHOSE TO BLAME ? The Minister of Public Health (Hon. G. W. Russell), replying to a deputation of Wellington milk vendors, who urged that they were not always to blame for the low grade of milk, and sought for closer supervision of the milk at rarms, stated that he knew that during the early part of the spring, when the feed was soft and washy, there was a tendency tor the milk to be of low grade. The first point made by the deputation Has that there was no warranty given by the farmers. He would go into that question with the Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. W. D. S. MaeDoiiald). He himself thought that, in the interests of fair dealing, there should be some method devised by which, if the farmer was supplying milk below standard, he should bear the responsibility, and not the man who purchased the milk and sold it to the public. For his own part he was prepared to exercise all the powers he possessed in that respect. As to all the "strippings" being put into one can, that might be dealt with by regulations, but it wouid have to be done by the Agricultural Department. As to the carriage of milk, as far back as July 26 that question was reported on by one of the officers of the Health Department, and the proposals then made had been submitted to the Chief Health Officers in the other centres for report. When Jhose reports were received he would consider how far they could be given effect to. He could not accede to the suggestion that pending prosecutions should be delayed. He was there to administer the law, and until the law was altered he had no alternative, when the officers of the Department recommended a prosecution, but to authorise it to proceed. He did not think that any reasonable case had been made out for the setting up of a Royal Commission, as suggested. He believed the Agricultural Department and the Health Department were already in possession of all the necessary information. As to the suggestion that no prosecution should follow when it was proved that milk was sold as it came from the cow, he pointed out that while .they could tell at once whether water had been added, they could not tell whether Cieam had been taken from the milk. They therefore had to rely on the standard which had boon set up as to the quality of milk. A special report had been prepared within the last few days by one of the responsible officers of the Department, in eonsequence of a memorandum which he had sent out. It showed that during August ond September 302 samples of milk were taken in Wellington and 150 til other pa.ts of the Wellington Health District, which included Marlborough, NHson, Hawke's Bay, Gisbome, and VVairarapa. Out of the AYellington number only 12 were recommended for prosecution, and four in the rest of the district. The report said it was significant that out of the 12 samples below the standard in Wellington five were ironi one firm. If other people could supply milk up to standard, the minority i-.no had not been able to do so would •have to find it somehow or other. As ■ro the quality of milk as it came from the cow, he pointed out that that was a matter of feeding and the selection of suitable dairy stock. /