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52
MILK PRODUCTION
There are five dairy farms in the district and four of these are producing
tuberculin tested milk. From the fifth the milk is sent to a wholesaler
for processing.
Treatment.
At two dairies in the Borough milk is pasteurised. The two licensed
pasteurised plants being at Braziers, Kenton Lane and at Halls, Pinner
Park Farm. Visits are made to these establishments but the County
Council is the authority responsible for licensing.
Sampling.
Thirteen Samples of milk produced or retailed in the district were
taken and submitted for analysis at Colindale laboratory. It is unusual to
receive an adverse report but during April one of those taken from a local
producer failed to pass the Methylene blue test. Follow up samples
revealed that the cause of the trouble had been removed.
During the year 57 visits were made to dairies and cow sheds by the
Public Health Inspectors.
Milk Complaints.
During the year 15 complaints were lodged with the department
about milk bottles. This is the lowest figure for some years and it will be an
achievement of note if it is improved upon, for as a percentage of the
estimated number of milk bottles in circulation within the Borough,
during the year, it represents 0000035, or a complaint about one in
every three million bottles in use. The objective, however, is freedom from
complaints, and by rinsing and returning bottles as soon as possible to the
roundsmen all householders can help to this end. The enquiries and
investigations that have been made over a number of years reveal it is the
bottle that is either discarded or misused, for example, as a holder for
fireworks on November 5th or as a container for paint that is generally
the cause of the trouble. Occasionally one of these bottles escapes detection
and passes through the dairy plant to the customer. Perhaps the day will
come when all milk is delivered in non returnable containers.
ICE CREAM
There are only two premises in the Borough registered for the
manufacture of ice cream, though 428 premises are registered for the
retailing of this commodity. From the majority of the retailers concerned
the ice cream is sold pre-packed.
The number of vehicles operating in the Borough from which ice
cream is retailed increased slightly and towards the end of the year some
of these commenced retailing what is known as soft ice cream.
During the year 58 samples were taken. Nearly all of these being
reported as satisfactory.