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75
From the list of farmers shown on the opposite page it
will be seen that a large proportion of the milk comes from
farms within easy reach of Ilford Railway Station. In that
way, Ilford may consider itself fortunate, for, when one
realises that milk often spends some nine or more hours in
transit from farmer to retailer, in railway trucks with no
special provision for keeping it sweet, the advantage of this
proximity is obvious. The result of the evening milking,
instead of spending the night being shaken up in a railway
train, can be delivered to the dairyman the same evening;
kept cool in his dairy and sent out on the early morning
round. Likewise the morning milking can in a similar way
go direct to the consumer within 3 or 4 hours after leaving
the cow. With such an article as milk, which affords such
an excellent food for all sorts of putrefactive bacteria, this is
a very great advantage.
In June, 1904, there was an outbreak of Diphtheria in
Ilford, probably due to the milk supplied from a particular
farm being infected ; and as a result of the condition of things
found at that farm, I was authorised by the Council, with
the voluntary assistance of the dairymen, to inspect all these
farms supplying Ilford. As a consequence a great many of
them have been inspected; and a regular inspection, by joint
action of the Medical Officer of Health and the dairymen,
would in time result in bringing some of the more backward
farmers up to a better standard.
The care in milking and attending to the dairy, of course
varies greatly. Some leave little to be desired while others
are careless and slovenly.
Ofteu a difficulty in the country districts is the scarcity
of water,