I am sorry to see Mr. Sogaard giving so little*consideration to his fellow tradesman by suggesting cutting down the dairies to ten. To emphasize that if there were but a few large dairies prices could be reduced by 25 per cent. It would be interesting to know what Bie. Sogaard terms a large dairy.
The reduction by 25 per cent. sounds very nice, but looks to me, Tike gaining a monopoly. As a resident of Shanghai for 25 years Thave heard the same thing preached by our Telephone Ca., that with more subscribers the cheaper we were to have our telephone rates. Tam, however, still looking forward, but up to the present the per cent, subscription has been the other way. Our Electricity Department preach-el the same doctrine for years, and only recently did we have a reduction.
Oh no, thank you, competition is the life of trade, so if there be 100 dairies in Shanghai, let us look forward to another.
'The actual number of licensed] dairies in Shanghai at the' end of ast year was 38, but many of these dairies have an out-shed, or termed as a dry shed, which ranks a3 an unlicensed dairy, mostly situated outside Settlement limits, and it is these dairies that are the greatest source of trouble to our Health Officers.
To the remainder of Mr. Sop ards letter, as I have already star ed, I am not shaping in the way of advertising, so will leave it Tass without comment, further that, to congratulate him on his early success. My method however is to live and let live.
Tam, ete.
J. Nowe. Shanghai, Sept, 8.
S—If the dairymen were ts put their heads together and engage their own veterinary surgeon, pay him Tls. 1,000 per month ' they would save' Tis, 8,592 per annum compulsory examinations To the Editor of the "NonrH-Cuina Datty News."
Sit,—Referring to Mr. Sogaard's letter of the 3rd instant, it would be interesting to know if condit she described regarding ordinary dairy" still exist, and, if 20, why does not Mr. Soganrd force the Council's Health Department to cancel the licences of this class of dairies or have them graded "Z," tion can be made between such dairies and those that endeavour to take special cares to have milk produced under sanitary conditions, though machinery has. not been installed, due to the cost, is prohibitive to the small and dairyman, all very' well for Mr.
and his kind to say that machinery must be installed in order. to produce grade "A" milk, that is to say pasteurized milk, but does the average resident want pas-tourized milk. I have spoken to several of my customers, and they all emphatically man generally boils or sterilizes his milk at home, and I feel certain that at least 80 por cent. of the residents of Shanghai do the same, therefore where "is the necessity' of pas-tourized milk?
Another point for consideration in that Mr. Sogaard's and other large dairies have the backing of influential men, therefore they can raise the funds required to put in expensive machinery, while the ordi dairyman' has no such facilities, and has therefore to 0 slow, however good his intentions, may' be.
In the United States, a dairyman can obtain loans from agricultural] banks on their herds, and I presume the same can be done in England, but here no bank of any standing will do business on this basis, and unless. you have influential backing no bank will think of even accepting property on mortgage, with the result that the ordinary man must out and borrow money at a higher rate of interest than the bank's.
As to his statement that Shang has 90 per cent. too many dairy suppose he would like to be in the position of being able to monopolize the dairy business in Shanghai. I feel certain, however, that should he ever find himself in this enviable position he will not. be able reduce his cost; ax a matter of fact, it will probably be the other way, (see Mr. Noble's letter to you today). Remember that rinderpest is an annual event and this curse of Shanghai dairymen is more to be feared than tuberculosis, and. when attacks herds as it has attacked during the past few months, dairies graded "A" or "B" had to go. out and their milk from anybody to be she to make u for their daty requirements, and at one time milk could not be had for love or merey. Therefore his contention that Shanghai has 90 per cent, too many dairies in my opinion, alls to the; ground.
My final plea is therefore that if Grading Isto be done fairly and cor.
ty, let there be grade "A" for Pasteurized milk; grade "B" for raw milk produced' "under conditions approved by the Coat cil's Health Department; an for those described by Mr. So if allowed to exist. This system grading if adopted should aatisty the majority of dairymen.
Yours truly, Damyman.
Shanghai, Sent. 0, 1926.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.