XXI 



PROCEDURES TO OBTAIN PURE MILK 41 1 



in the milk trade to supply a purer milk to the public. Large 

 milk companies such as those of Messrs. Welford and Sons, and 

 The Aylesbury Dairy Company in London, or Mr. Sorensen's 

 dairy near York may be mentioned as taking steps to provide 

 a cleaner and purer milk supply. These Companies do not, 

 however, charge more than the usual market price for their 

 milk. The precautions which they take are partly for their 

 own protection, and partly in order that their milk will 

 thereby command a better sale. 



In Appendix VI. particulars are given of the Eeports 

 required from the local medical officer and veterinary inspector 

 before a farmer is accepted as a milk contractor to Messrs. 

 Welford's, also the weekly report required from the farmer, 

 and the medical and sanitary rules which he is required to 

 observe. They show a great advance over the ordinary 

 methods. 



The writer is of opinion that none of the above suggested 

 procedures is in the least likely to obtain a pure milk supply, 

 and reluctantly he has come to the conclusion that the 

 following is the only plan likely to obtain what is required. 

 This may be called : 



(e) Education of the Milk Trade by the Rejection of Dirty 

 Milk. If it is important for the community to have clean 

 milk, the milk trade (using the term to cover all who deal 

 commercially with it) must be made to provide it. It is 

 essentially a question of supply and demand. The only way 

 to ensure its provision is for the consumer to refuse to drink 

 dirty milk. The individual consumer does not and cannot 

 know when and to what extent his milk is manured, but he 

 provides a health department to see to that for him. As 

 McCleary l has pertinently put it, it is not his business to 

 know. " As a ratepayer he may point out that he regards 

 his public health department as a specialised organisation for 

 the protection of his health, and that if we attach so much 

 importance to a pure milk supply, it is our business to get 

 it for him." At present the health department of cities 

 cannot give the consumer pure milk, however much they may 

 realise that he should have it. That power should be given 

 to them. Translated into legal action, if milk comes into the 



1 Public Health, 1905, vol. xvii. p. 421. 



