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50 j
In recent years the milk industry of this country has undergone
very material changes, both from the legislative, the producers'
and the distributors' aspect. It is common knowledge that
the conditions under which milk is produced have immensely improved
; 30 years ago the conditions of milk production were such
as to render it difficult to describe them in moderate language;
to-day a large quantity of the milk is produced under reasonable
conditions of cleanliness, and we are approaching a period when it
will be possible to exclude, at any rate, raw milk from tubercular
cows. Many factors have been in operation to bring about this improvement.
Over a great number of years, the medical profession has
been impelled to impugn the safety of the milk supply, but the efforts
of its members were of little avail.
In the early years of this century, the plea of both producers
and distributors was that they could not produce clean milk economically
and that the public would not pay the enhanced price
which a clean milk would entail. In those days of unlimited
petition there was no inducement to produce better milk.
The introduction of dried milk through the infant welfare
centres was one of the first causes which disturbed the apathy of
the distributors, and as far as cleanliness was concerned, an improvement
became apparent, but those who produced cleaner
. milk suffered under the handicap that no monetary advantage
accrued ; the public were unaware which milk was produced under
clean conditions and which under filthy conditions.
In 1923 the Milk Special Designation order was issued, and
if the public wished to pay more money, they could be guaranteed
a pure milk free of tubercular disease. Contrary to expectations
the demand for Certified and Grade A Tuberculin Tested milk
was not very encouraging.
On May 1st 1935 the Milk Marketing Board put into opention
a scheme known as the " Rollof Accredited Producers of the Milk
Marketing Board." The intention was to produce a healthier ard
cleaner milk for human consumption, and under the scheme fin
ancial aid was given to those producers who complied with the requirements
as laid down in the Milk Special Designations Order
of 1923 for the production of " Grade A " milk.