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the Board dated the 23rd May and signed mothers they find it profitable to hire by Dr. Stedman. It is as follows: The themselves out as wet nurses in well-to Board is agreed that machine-skimmed do families, and therefore as they cannot milk is not suitable for the feeding of in- feed their own babies at their breast they fants under one year of age. The Board are obliged to give them condensed milk considers that it is necessary to insert words instead. I have no doubt that my hon. friends who represent the Chinese Com- to that effect on the label. They recom mend that the words inserted should be as munity in this Council will be able to
corroborate Dr. Sibrou's follows: Machine-skimmed milk should not be used for feeling chlidren under one With regard to the question of dilution, year of age. The Board recommends that I will only say that according to expert these words should be printed in large and medical opinion full cream condensed milk legible type, in English and Chinese, both would have to be diluted in the proportion of one volume of milk to three of water in on the outer wrapping and on the label on
for bulk to the tin. The Board recommends that the order to restore it bulk above should only apply to tins of milk sold the same nutritive value as cow's milk. for local consumption. This opinion of But in order to make condensed milk pot- the Medical Foard corroborates the advice able the dilution instructions on full cream given to the Government by the Sanitary tins usually prescribe six or seven volumes Now on machine Board upon a recommendation made by of water to one of milk. Dr. Clark, the Medical Officer of Health, skimmed milk tins, e.g., Volunteer Braud, which appears on the first page of the the prescription is, "For infauts mix four- sessional paper. Dr. Clark then wrote: teen parts of water with one of condensed "I am told that this cheap condensed milk milk." No wonder, then, that many medical is being largely taken into use to feed
men pronounce the resulting liquid to be Chinese infants, and in view of the already starvation to infants." Sir Henry Berkeley I regret enormously high mortality among such referred to legislation elsewhere. infants I think that the Government should that I cannot follow him in his reference to Africa. But it is definite be asked to introduce further legislation | South
has beon legislation to prevent the sale of such skimmed milk fact that there
in Jamaica u the lines which we now except under very strict regulations in re-
in this Colony, gard to the labelling of the tins, not merely propose to introduce to the effect that it is "skimmed milk Apparently also in Trinidad legislation is & term which the Chinese purchaser would pending which will enact a prohibitive probably not understand but also to the tariff on milks containing less than a certain effect, in Chinese, that such milk is quite percentage of fat; while as regards the unsuitable for the feeding of infants." Dr. United Kingdom, I venture to suggest that Clark's information on this subject has been one of the reasons why the legislation recom- derived partly from the Sanitary Inspec-mended has not yet been enacted may tors whose duty it is to frequently enter perhaps be that the House of Commons has Chinese tenement houses, and who have no- of recent years been so hard pressed that ticed that the use of skimmed milk has there has been no time to take the matter up. recently increased very considerably. As Tu conclusion, with regard to the sugges- Chinese adults rarely, if ever, drink milk, it tion that the date when this Bill takes effect is clear that the consumers of the skimmed should be postponed, I submit that, if there
sufficient milk must be infauts. The evidence of the is
reason for passing the Sanitary Inspectors is confirmed by Dr. Bill, it should be brought into operation Alice Sibres, lately in charge of the Mater-with as little delay as possible. It is a matter nity Hospital and now in private practice. affecting the health of many infants in the Dr. Sibree was good enough to place her Colony, and the reason for passing the Bill knowledge of this subject at my disposal, is that the Chinese are being misled by and she has told me that, in her experience, fraudulent. labels, and that therefore condensed milk is almost exclusively used steps must be taken to warn them that by Chinese women of the poorer classes for if they give condensed skimmed milk feeding their infants, the reason being to their children they do it at their own that when such Chinese women become risk.
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Hos. MR. HEWETT--Sir, this is rather densed milks which have not less than 9 a difficult question for me to deal with. I
per cent. to 9 per cent. of fat are sold. am like a certain historical character, whose Costa Rica also discriminates against place of residence was supposed to be in skimmed milk. I have here a copy of a Japan, where he combined in his one person report dated Calcutta, 23rd November, 1908, many different posts. I am a member of the on certain tinned milks signed by Major Sanitary Board, a member of the Medical J. A. Black, L.M.S. Chemical Examiner to Board, representative of the Chamber of the Government of Bengal, dealing with Commerce, and 1 also represent a big ship- three different milks-two full creain and ping Company, several of whose valuable one skimmed. The two first are largely constituents import large quantities of both sold in the Colony and contain respectively the classes of tinned milk now under dis- 11 per cent. and 11.64 of fat. The third cussion. Both sides have approached me contains only 0.35 per cent. of fat.
"n the on the subject. Cousequently, whatever minute relating to condensed skimmed milk way I vote I must go very hard one way or laid on the table at our last meeting the the other against some one of my friends. analysis of one brand of milk shows as low However, that has nothing to do with it. I a percentage as 0.22 per cent. of fat. The merely mention the fact in order to show honourable the senior unofficial member that I have done everything I possibly informs me that a Chinese mother when could to gather full information on the sub- feeding her child on tinned milk makes use ject, and having done this propose to do any of the ordinary European feeding bottle. duty and vote in the direction I consider Skimmed tinued milk is of so thick a con- right. The Colonial Secretary said he could sistency as to require to be diluted with not follow Sir Henry Berkeley as to the about four parts of water to one of railk. South Africa legislation, but I am fortun- An unfortunate child which is thus fed on ately able to throw some light on this point, skimmed condensed milk is receiving only as I have before tue an extract from the
some .04 per cent. of fat, und is practically South African Customs Convention. Sir consuming nothing but sugar and water. Heary suggested that skimmed milk was Two days ago I had the advantage of hear- axed not because it was skimmed milk, ing this question fully discussed at the but to protect home industries. If he had Medical Board, at which were present the seen the Customs Convention which I have P.C.M.O., the senior unofficial member, here he would not, I think. have made that a well-known doctor in private practice, and statement Pure milk fresh from the cow the senior Naval and Military surgeons. should show about 3 per cent, to 34 per cent. The Colonial Secretary has already inform of fat. Thus a one-pound tin of condensed ed the Committee of our decision, in which milk should contain some 12 per cent. to 13 we were unanimous. At Home a mother of per cent, of fat. The import duty on tiuned the lower classes can readily learn the milk in South Africa is 5e. 2d. per relative values of full cream and skimmed 100 lbs. ou full cream milk and 6d. milk, but Chinese women, even if you tell per Ib. (equal to 50/- per 100 them, would not know what skimmed milk lbs.) on skimmed or separated milk, or nieant. The translation before the Com- practically ten times the duty on full unittee as to the wording in Chinese describ cream milk. I gather from these figures ing skimmed milk is absolutely misleading, that South Africa wishes to check the con- and would lead the uninitiated to heliere sumption of skimmed or separated milk, that the milk was full cream and not If the duty were levied for the purpose of skimmed. It is very desirable that noth- protecting home industries. as Sir Henry ing should be done hastily with a view to says, I think we may presume South Africa checking trade, but this proposed legis- would have made the import duty on full lation only deals with milk retailed for cream milk at least as high as that on consumption in the Colony, There is an skimmed milk. With regard to Jamaica, enormous trade in condensed milk here in Sir Henry found fault with what he called transit to surrounding ports, but that will hasty legislation, but Trinidad is, I believe, not he in any way affected by this legisla shortly to introduce legislation on the sub- tion. ject. In Cuba the sale of tinned skimmed milk is absolutely prohibited, and only con-
I have given this matter my most ernest attention, and I confess, particularly after our meeting of the Medical Board,
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