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milk is sold in Battersea. This satisfactory state of affairs has
only been attained by constant effort of the Council's officers
to rigidly enforce the Regulations of the London County
Council and the provisions of the Public Health Act. Much
more requires to be done before the conditions under which
milk is sold in the Borough can be said to be satisfactory. The
new sanitary powers which are sought in the London County
Council (General Powers) Bill, 1908, in which a clause is
provided to enable sanitary authorities " to refuse to register,
or to remove from the register," milk vendors, will be of great
assistance in controlling the conditions under which milk is
sold in London. This is a most important advance, and,
while I am of opinion that the annual licensing of milk vendors
would have been more useful, the new clause, which, it is to
hoped, will soon become law, must be considered a step in the
right direction.
The problem of the milk supply of the Metropolis can never,
however, be considered satisfactory until sanitary authorities
can control the source of the supply. Most of the milk supply
of London comes from long distances, Wiltshire, Dorsetshire,
Somersetshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire
contributing the greater portion of the supply. This
means that the milk does not reach the milk-shop from the farm
until twelve hours or more have elapsed. Before it reaches the
consumer it passes through the hands of the contractor to the
retail milk vendor, and he in turn frequently supplies small
general shops, wherein all sorts of commodities are sold, such
as pickles, kippers, soaps, candles, &c., as well as milk.
The conditions under which the milk trade of the country
is carried on require careful consideration by the Legislature.
In England and Wales it is computed that the milk trade represents
a sum of over £15,000,000 annually. It is, therefore, a
very important industry, and, apart from its importance from
the public health standpoint, it should receive greater attention
than it seems to do as a commercial asset of the country.
It is, however, with the public health aspect of the