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38
Itinerant Milk Vendors.
In connection with the sale of milk in the Borough by itinerant vendors, it
is our practice, when such milk sellers are not registered by the Council, to
communicate with the Medical Officer of Health of the district in which the
vendor states he is registered, or in which is situated the address appearing on
the barrow, in order to obtain confirmation of registration and ascertain whether
the premises of the milk seller, where the milk is stored, utensils cleansed, etc.,
are in a satisfactory state.
Residue from Milk Clarifiers.
As it would seem probable that pigs have been infected with tuberculosis as
a result of feeding with infected milk and slime from clarifiers, enquiry was made
at the various establishments in the Borough where milk is cleansed by clarifiers
to ascertain what is done with the residue after the milk has been passed through
the cleansers. It was found in one case that this residue is at once destroyed by
burning in a furnace used in connection with a pasteurising plant, in all other cases
it is at once washed down the drains.
Bacteriological Examination of Milk.
Twenty-four samples of milk were examined for the presence of tubercle bacilli; six
of these were also examined to ascertain the number of organisms per cubic centimetre
and the smallest volume containing B. coli.
Examinations for tubercle bacilli were carried out by animal inoculation; one of
the samples examined was found to contain tubercle bacilli.

The cleanliness of the milk thus investigated is more or less satisfactory, but
obviously there is room for improvement. Cleaner methods of milk production
are being promoted by "clean milk competitions," fortunately more of these are
being held and the number of entries are inrceasing. The hygiene of milk premises
is being pulled up in accordance with powers given under the Milk and Dairies
Order, 192G. But at the same time there is much to be said in favour of a
suggestion that the Minister of Health should be asked to define a bacteriological
standard of cleanliness for ordinary (ungraded) milk.