H.—29a

15 to 60 minutes, 12 in from 61 to 120 minutes, 4 in from 121 to 160 minutes, 2 in 175 minutes, and lin 190 minutes. The plate count ranged from 110,000 to 1,600,000. One was uncountable. Four only were below 200,000. The milk supplied by this particular group of suppliers was probably well below the standard «f that received from suppliers to factories generally, but it serves to show what may happen when recourse is had to suppliers from outside the ordered and regulated farm dairies licensed for town supply. The condition of the milk brought in from dairy-factory suppliers in the winter period does not reflect the normal quality of the factory-supply milk. Winter milk from such suppliers is mainly milk from late calvers or aborted cows and strippers, and this accounts for its lower quality. Distribution Vendors The greater part of Auckland's milk-supply is handled by five largo companies. There are some fifty-one producer-vendors, or dairymen-vendors as they are called in Auckland. These represent a reduction of sixty-two in the number engaged in 1937, and the reduction has gone on from year to year, though the annual rate of decline is decreasing. The figures for the years are as follows : 1937. 1938. 1939. 1940. 1941. 1942. 1943. Producer-vendors .. .. 113 90 79 71 59 52 51 Vendors .. .. .. 120 108 95 85 85 88 88 During 1942 producer-vendors sold on an average 3,721 gallons of milk per day. They produced 2,521 gallons and purchased 1,427 gallons on an average per day, leaving a small surplus in the flush season. The five large companies treated and sold to the public or to other vendors practically all the milk outside that produced by the producer-vendors. The average daily gallonage sold in the area under the jurisdiction of the Council during the twelve months ending 31st March, 1943, exceeded 22,600 gallons. In addition to this supply, 590 gallons are sold daily in the Otahuhu area and 550 in the western suburbs. In the case of Otahuhu 450 gallons and in the case of western suburbs 135 gallons per day are purchased from one or other of the largo companies. Classification of Quantities distributed It is not possible to state accurately the exact amounts sold during any one year to any particular class, but a return received from the Milk Council shows sales by the companies, vendors, and producers during the year ended 31st March, 1943, in the area under its control as follows : Milk (Gallons). Cream (Pints). To Milk-shops .. .. .. .. 782,440 335,042 Restaurants .. .. .. .. 1,085,711 251,112 Ice-cream manufacturers .. .. .. 31,065 87,452 Ice-cream mix .. .. .. .. 351,206 Shipping .. .. .. .. .. 32,029 4,969 Hospitals .. .. .. .. .. 148,348 13,045 Schools .. .. .. .. .. 310,068 2,740,867 691,620 Translating cream into milk at 10 gallons of milk for every gallon of cream, we have a total of sales in these forms of 3,605,392. To reach total distribution, sales to retail customers, to the Armed Forces, and to outside areas must be added. The distribution of the quantities quoted above was effected by the companies (3,111,152 gallons), individual vendors (120,499 gallons), and producervendors (373,741 gallons). Shop Dairies and other Agencies Reference to the figures quoted above show that milk-shops, milk-bars, and restaurants are the agencies by which a considerable portion of the milk supplied in the area is distributed to consumer. Tests are made by the Health Department and the Milk Council of samples taken from a number of the agencies. An examination of a series of tests made on samples taken during the year ending 31st December, 1942, by the Health Department on the south shore shows the following results : Percentage not com--r, , , Number of plying with Requirements Kestaurants Samples. of Pood and Drugs Act. Pasteurized . . . . .. . . . . 36 30-55 Raw .. .. .. .. .. ..20 25-00 Shops and milk-bars— Pasteurized .. .. .. .. .. 463 8• 64 Raw .. .. .. .. .. ..311 11-25 The results may be compared with the results obtained during the same year by tests on official samples taken on the rounds from the same area Percentage not com--r. , . . . Number of plying with Requirements Pasteurizing companies— Samples. of F6od and Drugs Act. Pasteurized .. .. .. .. .. 207 0-48 Raw .. .. .. .. .. 15 Vendors supplied by pasteurizing companies— Pasteurized .. .. .. .. .. 161 0-62 Raw .. .. .. .. ..73 2-74 Vendors supplied by dairy-farmers— Pasteurized .. .. .. .. .. Nil Raw .. .. .. .. .. .. 124 4-03 Producer-vendors— Pasteurized .. .. .. .. .. Nil Raw .. .. .. .. .. ..403 14-39 It is obvious that the results from restaurants, from farmer-vendors, and from milk-shops and milk-bars are much below the average in respect of the condition of the milk sampled and that the conditions under which milk is held and sold in these three classes requires searching examination and correction.

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