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THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, JULY 30, 1937.
REPORT OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE.
5. The Colonial Secretary laid on the table the Report of the Finance Committee
(No. 4), dated 26th May, 1937, and moved its adoption.
The Colonial Treasurer seconded.
Question-put and agreed to.
QUESTIONS.
6. The Hon. Mr. Lo MAN-KAM, pursuant to notice, asked the following questions:
With reference to the question of compulsory pasteurization of milk :--
1. Has Government's attention been drawn to a debate which took place in the House of Lords on April 27th, as reported by The Times of April 28th, 1937, on the Poole Corporation Bill, which originally contained a clause relating to pasteurization of milk, and in parti- cular to the following observations:-
(Lord Cranworth)—“It was admitted..............that the real reason for including this clause in the Bill was the recent outbreak of typhoid fever at Bournemouth. This appeared to be panic legislation...There might be a case for prohibiting the sale of unclean milk unless it has been pasteurized, but there was an equally good case for saying that if clean milk was available it should not be pasteurized at all. It was nowadays easier to get pasteurized milk than non-pasteu- rized milk."
(Viscount Halifax)-" He agreed that the health of the people must be the first and the last consideration and that the question of vested interests did not arise. But in matters of this sort they must be none the less concerned to see that measures designed to promote health were wisely devised. In 1934 the Economic Advisory Council's Committee on Cattle Diseases, presided over by Sir Frederick Hopkins, referred to this subject of pasteurization in its report......... The Government had reviewed the whole matter, and he was authorised to announce that it was their intention to bring forward long-term legislation dealing with milk policy generally in the near future. In this connection the Govern- ment would examine the question of pasteurization in the light of all the evidence that was available with a view to deciding whether or not it would be in the public interest, with due regard to the interests of the milk industry, to include provisions in regard to it in their legislative pro- posals."
(Viscount Dawson of Penn)--
"He saw no other way
of dealing with this vital health question than by having a properly organised and controlled system of pasteurizing milk.... ..He agreed that it would be a change of practice if producer-retailers had to pasteurize their milk, but they could imitate Denmark and go in for co-operation. Or, if necessary, they could be compensated in some way
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2. Will the Government cbtain copies of the report of the Committee referred to by Viscount Halifax in the above quotations for the consideration of members of this Council before this Council is called upon to pass and confirm the recent amendment of the bye- law made by the Urban Council in regard to compulsory pasteuri- zation?
3. Will Government postpone taking any further steps in regard to compulsory pasteurization of milk pending the decision of Home Government on this question?