160 ADMINISTRATIVE SECTION 



Act in Ireland. The Commission will dwell on the impor- 

 tance of local milk depots, and will strongly recommend all 

 doubt being cleared up as to the power of urban authorities 

 in Ireland to maintain such depots, the good results of the 

 few voluntarily conducted milk depots dispensing small 

 quantities of reliable milk to poor customers having been 

 proved. The question in the towns is shown to be largely 

 a question of organization and of bringing the producer and 

 consumer together. The rural problem is much more diffi- 

 cult, and the different causes for scarcity will be reviewed 

 and explained, and various recommendations likely to 

 remove or minimize these difficulties are made. The Com- 

 mission refer to the importance of winter dairying, the 

 keeping of milk records, the improvement of the milk 

 yielding properties of cows, showing how this can with 

 certainty be attained, and how little attention has been paid 

 to the matter. We understand that the use of goats by 

 small-holders and the improvement of the breed for milk- 

 yielding properties is also brought forward. The second 

 part of the report deals with the prevention of the con- 

 tamination of milk. The stamping out of tuberculosis in 

 cattle is dealt with at length, but the recently issued Tuber- 

 culosis Order for the slaughter of tuberculous cattle has 

 gone a long way to carry out the recommendations made. 

 The need of applying the provisions of the existing Dairies, 

 Cowsheds and Milk Shops Order has engaged the attention 

 of the Commission, and the recommendations they hope to 

 make aim at establishing uniform and efficient administration 

 by local authorities under the supervision of inspectors 

 responsible to a central authority. The working out of this 

 part of the question has been found very difficult. The 

 many causes leading to the infection of milk, and thereby to 

 the spread of infectious disease, are laid stress on, and 

 recommendations are made for strengthening the laws 

 relating to the detection and sale of infected milk, and to 

 the precaution to be taken by all those connected with the 

 handling of milk. Sterilization, pasteurization, and the use 

 of dried milk are referred to, and the need of an educational 

 campaign on all these points, as well as on the value of milk 

 as a food, is insisted on. The Women's National Health 

 Association are preparing to do their best to promote such 

 a campaign as soon as the report appears during the autumn. 

 Our branches all through the country hope to organize milk 

 meetings, milk exhibits, milk lantern lectures, demonstra- 

 tion and cinematograph shows, and with the powerful aid 

 of the press and of the interest of you, ladies and gentlemen, 

 and of the public generally, we trust that the labours of this 



