THE MILK INDUSTRY 1 1/ 



other countries, but until recently there have 

 been no imports of milk except in a condensed 

 form, so that the price of milk, as retailed from 

 day to day, has been regulated by home competi- 

 tion. Now, however, winter milk and cream are 

 dispatched from Holland and Scandinavia, and 

 although the quantity sent us is small as com- 

 pared with the quantity we consume, yet it is 

 evident that if a hundred thousand gallons can 

 be sent successfully, it is probable that the trade 

 will rapidly increase, and should this be the case 

 the prosperity of the dairy farmer will decline 

 more rapidly than it has hitherto done. We 

 cannot prevent the importation of food from 

 abroad, but we can control the system under 

 which that food is imported, in order, first, that 

 there may be no unfairness in the competition 

 between our own people and the farmers of 

 other countries ; and second, that the food im- 

 ported shall be pure and wholesome. In 

 regard to the first point there is no fairness. 

 The charges for conveyance of foreign milk 

 and cream are infinitely less than the charges 

 for the conveyance of the same materials 

 at home ; and as regards the wholesome con- 



