7 6 A NEW AGRICULTURAL POLICY 



only a question of insufficiency, but there is, in 

 addition, the question of cleanliness. It has 

 been stated that 10 per cent, of our cows are 

 tubercular. I should put the proportion much 

 higher, and it should be borne in mind that the 

 milk from tubercular udders gets mixed with 

 other milk, thereby increasing the quantity 

 that is tainted. It is not only milk from 

 tubercular cows which endangers the health 

 of the community, but also milk which is 

 tainted by the unclean hands of milkmen, and 

 by the hairs and worse solid substances which 

 drop from the hides of cows, into milk pails. 

 Those of us who have bent our necks under 

 the dirty flanks of cows, and have had our 

 faces lashed by the ends of tails saturated in 

 urine, can speak from unpleasant personal ex- 

 periences. 



It is here where farming by inspectorship 

 breaks down most completely, and if we have 

 a case for nationalisation of agriculture in the 

 matter of the production of corn, we have an 

 overwhelming case in the production and dis- 

 tribution of milk. Cowsheds are supposed to be 

 inspected ; but I wonder how many ever receive 

 even an occasional visit from an inspector? In 

 my limited experience I have known several that 

 have never been inspected at all. And what 

 is more, how many inspectors visit the cow- 

 sheds at milking-time ? Milking processes on 

 farms are enough to make the most hide-bound 



