, 1908-06-20

prices so reasonable as to put them where
they rightly belong, among the necessaries.
Nature has been prodigal in her gifts to
Copenhagen, and her people deserve no par
ticular credit because they are born gracious
and hospitable; but to turn the attention to
the prosy and difficult problem of furnish
ing a prime necessity in a fresh and pure
state, at a price so low as to put it within
reach of all, is a work of deliberate will, is
the work of the good citizen part of us, if
you please; and that Copenhagen has done
this is, in my opinion, u greater distinction
than anything else she can boast. If one will
visit the central plant OF the pioneer of this
good work, Kobenhavns Melkeforsyning
(The Copenhagen Milk Supply Association
and some of the diaries which furnish it, he
will understand why the milk supply of
Copenhagen is acknowledged to be the best
in the world, and has been adopted as @
model by many other cities of Europe.
Thirty years ago the milk supply of
Copenhagen was as bad as it could be.
Thousands of COWS were kept in filthy
city stalls, and were fed the year round
on the offal from breweries. Nor was
the milk from the country Immediately
around the city much better; barns were
filthy, and the COWS were diseased and oddly
fed. Inspection there was none, and milk
was adalterated beyond recognition. The
railways refused to transport it, and the area
which could be drawn on was so restricted
that milk was dear as well as poor. Since
that time Copenhagen's population has
doubled but it's milk consumption has in
creased ivefoid, until now every ma,
WON IN, and child consumes, on aa average,
four-tenths of u quart (%nearly q pint) daily.
A striking contrast is afforded by Manch4s-
ter, where the daily milk consump ion per
porGDn ia only n littla nvnr ~ IN, nj ~ Of al
pint. We'll doe an English writer say that,
as there must be many people in Manchester
who Fuse much more than half of half % PINT
for each member Of their families and
"would give mpre than that to the cat, there
must be many children who go without
this almost necessary food"-a fair deduc-
ton.
Pie story is told, md it is q true story,
that one morning in 1878 Hr. Bu8ck, an ell
terprising business man of Copenhagen,
noticed that one Of his workmen looked
down hearted. On being questioned, the
mau replied that his baby, always delicate,
was very sick. with truly good milk"
he added, Il think we could manage to raise
him; but where is one to find it in Copen-
hagen? This morning the liquor dealer who
has been letting me have milk refused to
sell it to me any longer because | buy no
liquor" Moved by this narrowing tale, Hr.
Busck wrote n letter the next morning to
some of the leading non of Copenhog N.
telling them the workman's story, and ask
ing them to meet to TUX over ways AMI
means 10 overcome the evils it had so wildly
brought homo to him. The Outcome of this
appeal was the formation in April, 1873, of
KobenhAvns M@lkeforsyning. I'll new So
ciety took for its motto, "Ren Melk af sunde
Koer" pure milk from healthy cows). It
announced at the outset that all profits
above five per cent should be devoted to i'm
proving the supply and reducing the price of
milk.
1t had already obtained the co oper-
alton OF the physicians, the scientists, aud
many other leading citizens it now
proceeded to enlist those on whom the real
success of the undertaking must ultimately
rest-the farmers of the surrounding coun-
try. The society began operations in a
cellar with a small quantity of milk at it's
disposal. The railways were soon persuad-
ed that it was for their interest to trans
port milk, and farmers were slowly brought
to realize that they could put their milk
business on a better-paying basis by bocom-
ing suppliers to the society. A better price of
milk was promised them but, on the other
hand, it's production was to be placed under
the absolute control of tn society. That
the cooioty hoe oroooaloJ 10 olorr. H.. ~.