1910.] The Organisation of the Milk Supply. 8ii 



cattle, proper feeding, sanitary cow-sheds, clean milking, the 

 filtration, aeration and cooling of the milk, and its mainten- 

 ance at a low temperature until it reaches the consumer; and 

 it is by co-operation between the producers that they can be 

 most economically and satisfactorily carried out. 



It would be necessary in the first place that the farmers in 

 a milk-producing district should agree to a systematic inspec- 

 tion of their herds and dairies so as to secure clean pro- 

 duction, and then combine in establishing, near a railway 

 station, a milk collecting depot, equipped with a refrigerating 

 plant, at which all the milk produced would be collected, 

 refrigerated, and tested. Thence it would be forwarded to 

 a town receiving depot, properly equipped with the necessary 

 plant to deal with the milk on its arrival, and then supplied 

 to retail shops or "rounds-men" in the ordinary way. Such 

 a scheme would solve the surplus milk problem, as, the milk 

 output being under the control of the organisation, the 

 surplus would be dealt with either by selling it as raw milk 

 or by converting it into cheese, cream, or other milk products. 



That there is nothing impossible in such a scheme is proved 

 by the success which has attended its adoption in Denmark, 

 where the farmers have voluntarily combined to secure the 

 delivery of fresh milk to the town of Copenhagen under 

 conditions of the utmost stringency. Fortunately, we need 

 not now go to Denmark for examples, as the principle in- 

 volved has been adopted and is working successfully in a 

 number of districts in this country. 



The Wensleydale Pure Milk Society may be chosen as the 

 first example because it combines the producer, the distri- 

 butor, and the consumer in its operations. The formation 

 of the Society came about in the following way : Mr. Philip 

 Burtt of York, and Dr. Moore Ede of Newcastle, were 

 members of a party who visited Denmark in 1904, They 

 were impressed by the methods of work carried out by the 

 Copenhagen Pure Milk Company, and, as a result, undertook 

 the establishment of the Wensleydale Society, which has its 

 headquarters and dairy at Northallerton, and supplies large 

 quantities of pure milk to the principal towns in the North 

 of England. The Society aims at securing (1) healthy and 

 clean cows, (2) sanitary buildings, (3) clean milking, (4) 



3 L 2 



