66 



reason for a large Government dairy in Lahore as in any can- 

 tonment. 



The establishment of dairy farms on European lines cannot 

 be regarded as a remedy for the present unsatisfactory state 

 of the milk supplies to cities and towns. The demands of the 

 Indian population are for pure milk and pure ghi. Only a 

 very small proportion of the Indian community consume butter 

 of the kind which is prepared in European dairies. It would no 

 doubt be possible to manufacture ghi in large factories. But 

 there would be no advantage in starting competition of this kind 

 with a prosperous home industry. 



The worst features of the present conditions are the insani- 

 tary conditions under which the milk trade is carried on, the 

 extent to which both milk and ghi are adulterated, and the pro- 

 fit which the zamindar loses from want of co-operation in the 

 production and sale of ghi. For the first defect unfortunately no 

 remedy by import from any considerable distance can be hoped 

 for. The supply of milk from any distance above 10 or 15 

 miles on a scale large enough to provide for the wants of Lahore 

 or Amritsar would be a most hazardous operation especially in the 

 hot weather. Even were it possible to place the milk on the railway 

 no facilities are at present afforded by the Railway adminis- 

 trations in the shape of trains specially fitted for milk traffic. 



It remains, therefore, to encourage a supply of pure milk 

 produced under sanitary conditions in the neighbourhood of, but 

 outside cities and towns. It is believed that the Deputy Com- 

 missioner of Lahore has endeavoured to start model milk shops 

 in Lahore, and the idea is worthy of all encouragement. If small 

 capitalists can be found willing to start milk shops and to take 

 this supply only from dairy men who are prepared to supply 

 milk produced under sanitary conditions so much the better. 

 The chief difficulty which will present itself is the uncertainty 

 of a demand for pure milk at a somewhat higher price. To meet 

 this Government might assist by inducing Government institutions 

 such as jails and hospitals (in default of a Civil Dairy farm) to 

 obtain their supplies from those shops which were prepared to 

 deal in unadulterated and uncontaminated dairy produce. The 

 ordinary custom might be expected to follow in course of time. 

 The Railway authorities might help by granting favourable 

 rates to those dairymen whose premises and methods had been 

 approved by the sanitary authorities of the Municipality, and 

 the Municipality might remit the octroi dues in the case of such 

 persons. 



