The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1895-05-21
MILK IN LONDON.


Twice o Day
What may be called the milk radius
extends, roughly speaking, go miles
from Charing Cross Outside this circle
certain. amount Of milk is sent to
town. It can be carried 100 miles and
yet make profit, but considerations Of
time as well as money enter into the
question, and for all practical purposes
it may be said that two hours railway
journey is the most the milk has to I'M
dergo before arriving at It's destination.
The milk train is familiar sight at
most of the main line stations In the
metropolis, and its unloading. oontriyed
In an amazingly short space Of time by
porters whom much practice has made
skillful In handling the heavy cans, is
well worth watching. There are two
deliveries every day. The evening milk
ing appears at our breakfast tables; the
morning milking dilutes our afternoon
tea. tits supposed to be refrigerated be-
fore 1t starts on its journey for better
keeping. but In good many cases this
formality is dispensed with. and 1t Is
poured straight from the milking pail
into the can without being treated in
any way. According to all accounts,
there is very little treating Of another
sort at the fountain head. Whatever
adulteration there may be, and 1t is
matter for congratulation that 1t grows
less day by day, is done after the milk
arrives In town. It does not, as rule.
pass through the hands Of only one man
before It gets to the customer. There is
the eternal middleman to be reckoned
with. Unless dairyman is doing,
say, 30 cans a day he will have a
difficulty in making contract with the
producer, 50 he must buy his. milk In
London from one of the wholesale deal
ers. None of these, and there are good
many companies among them, are whole
sale dealers only. They all have milk
walks" of their own, and most of
them possess farms, from which their
customers fondly imagine, if they know
no better. that their private supplies
come. It is safe to say that In scarce
single instance is this the case. They
are merely m iddlemen and can no more
guarantee the excellence of the milk
they sell than the man with one cart,
who very likely obtains his supplies
from one or other of them.
OF course the middleman here, in milk,
as in everything else, gets the lions
share of the profits The consumer pays
just twice as much as It costs to lay
down at London railway station.
Eightpence gallon is the average figure
which the farmer receives for the car
riage paid milk; fourpence quart e
oents) is the average price which the
consumer pays to his milkman--a price
which allows him very substantial
margin for expenses-tha Is, assuming
he is content to leave it in the state Of
virgin purity in which it quilted Its ma
tive meads. If not, there is quite a sim
pie way of increasing the bulk Of the
milk and the profits He does not add
water to 1t; that is method absolutely
out of date. not because the conscience
of the milkman has grown more tender,
but because it is q hazardous proceed
ing, which, sooner or later. ends In the
police court and grieyous fines. The en-
terprising milkman who would satisfy
the inspector and impose on his GUS
toners merely adds separated milk to
the genuine article, and provided he is
not too grasping the lactometer will
hold him guiltless. Sunday is the occa-
sion when most adulteration takes place,
partly because more milk is required on
that day, while COWS are not more kind.
and partly no doubt because the inquisi-
tive inspector is less abroad. Apropos of
this, there can be no doubt that the le-
gal standard is at present far too low,
and it is to be hoped that the commit
tee which lately sat to consider the
question Of food adulteration, and which
will doubtless be reappointed next ses-
sion, will recommend the adoption of
higher standard. If this be done. farmer
as well as consumer will benefit Pail
Mall Budget.