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32
INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION OF FOOD.
Milk Supply.—In the Borough of Hammersmith, very
large quantities of milk arrive daily at the L. M. & S. railway
station at Willesden Junction, from farms in all parts
of the country. Much of this milk is transferred by trains
to other parts of London and the suburbs. The remainder
is conveyed by motor lorries to the premises of local dairymen
and wholesale dealers.
Periodical inspections are made at the station to ensure,
as far as possible, that the milk is not unnecessarily exposed
to contamination.
The new design of churn which is coming largely into use
is helping to this end, and the provisions of the Milk and
Dairies Order, 1926, prohibiting the opening of any churn
or vessel in any railway van or on any railway station,
should further safeguard the milk at this stage of its journey
from the cow to the consumer.
The majority of small traders in this Borough obtain their
supplies of milk from wholesale dealers, who deliver by lorry
to the traders' premises. The greater part of the milk is
delivered in closed churns, but when small quantities are
required, the milk is measured out of a churn on the lorry
into hand cans. The opening of the churns in the streets
renders the milk liable to contamination by dirt and dust
from the roadway. The hands of the carmen who have to
measure out the supplies are often far from clean, due to the
handling of the churns, &c., and often come into actual contact
with the milk.
In some towns in the North of England, regulations are
in force to prohibit the transfer of milk from one vessel to
another in the open streets. Similar regulations applied to
London would be of assistance.
One of the big difficulties with regard to a clean milk
supply in London has been with regard to the premises of the
small trader.
A few years ago a systematic investigation was made in
the Borough of Hammersmith, as a result of which, fifty-four
premises were removed from the register of milkshops. From
many "general" or chandlers' shops at which milk was
retailed, coal or coal blocks, firewood, hearthstone, soap,
greengrocery (potatoes, onions, &c.), paraffin oil, pickles,
vinegar and other dirty, dusty and strong-smelling goods
were sold. Many of the shops were in a dirty condition, and
even when the shopkeeper was a clean and careful person, the
crowded condition of the shop, and the fact of the floor being
permanently lumbered up with boxes, barrels, firewood, &c.,
effectually prevented proper cleanliness.