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270
1908]
evidence that eight quarts of separated milk had been added to a churn of
milk, and yet the Public Analyst felt compelled to pass this milk, so far as its
fat content was concerned, because it was only just a decimal point below the
standard of the Board of Agriculture; and had it not been that someone had
added 6 per cent. of water, no prosecution would have occurred, and a serious
fraud would have gone unpunished. The Board of Agriculture minimum of
3 0 per cent. is far too low. No milk vendors in London or indeed elsewhere
would be satisfed with milk showing such a low percentage of fat No
farmers who made butter for commercial purposes would be satisfied with cows
that did not gave milk of a higher quality. No butter manufacturers, unless
they paid by weight of fat, would purchase such milk. The cows that
gave it would hardly pay for their keep. Then why should the public
be compelled to pay for a milk fluid which does not contain a proper proportion
of fat, when the normal proportion, according to the Islington
figures, has been on an average nearly 4 per cent. (actually 3.91) during a period
of ten years, and when the analyses of 200,000 milks received in London also
averaged 3.9 per cent. Some day this standard must be altered, because it is
undoubtedly too low, notwithstanding all that is said to the contrary by
interested persons.
samples Adulterated Per cent.
Examined Adultered.
1st Quarter 153 9 5.9
2nd „ 149 14 9.4
3rd „ 150 22 14.7
4th „ 152 7 4.6
604 52 8.6
These samples were obtained as follows:—
On Sundays 160, of which 15, or 9.4, were adulterated.
On Weekdays 324, of which 35, or 10.8, were adulterated.
At Railway Stations 120, of which 2, or 1.6 were adulterated.
These figures indicate that the percentage of adulteration of milk sold on
Sundays was slightly less than of that sold on week days. At one time this was
not so. Indeed, it was quite the reverse. It is, however, most satisfactory
to find that the regular and systematic sampling of milks on Sundays has had a
very deterrent effect on vendors, who know that more samples are now
obtained in the borough on that day than on any other day of the week. The
quality of the milk is also slightly better than that purchased on week days.