THE MILKY WAY.
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The System of the Express Dairy Co., Ltd., for the Road. Transport -of Milk by Steam Wagons, Petrol Vehicles and Horsed Carts. .
FEW OF the many thousands of customers who purchase milk from or in the 130 depots and refreshment establishments of the Express Dairy Co., Ltd., realize the pains taken and the difficulties which have to be overcome to permit this valuable liquid food to be supplied fresh and free from noxious germs. As a matter of fact, it has required skilful organization and the efticient use of road transport to enable every depot to be supplied daily with its correct quantity.
The difficulties of milk distribution may be judged when we consider that over '70,000 bottles of milk per week are supplied from the dairy farm at Finchlcy alone, and this is only one of the five farms owned by the company, who also purchase milk from all parts of the country. The company have always been ardent, exponents of rapid delivery, and their very name is a permanent record of this fact.
The company was formed in 1864. At that time London's milk supply was obtained from cows housed in sheds within the Metropolis or in its immediate neighbourhood, but the company made an entirely new departure from this system by bringing freak pure milk from the country by express train, from which method they derived their name. The fleet, of motor vehicles employed by the company consists of three Sentinel steam wagons, each with a capacity of 5 tons; one 7-ton Tacker steam wagon; two 5-ton Leylands; four Lacres, each of 2 tons capacity; two 30-cwt. Garfords on giant pneumatic tyres;_ three 1-ton Fords and eight 7-cwt. Ford vans. The Sentinels are mainly employed in drawing milk from the London terroMi of the railwaj.% for delivery to the main pasteurizing centres. The Leylands are also employed in this work, hut they convey the milk to suburban depots to undergo the same process. Of the four Lacre vehicles, only two are employed on milk transport, and these distribute from the pasteurizing centres to the retail branches; the other two are employed on the collection of potatoes from the markets for supplying the refreshment depots. At, this point we would draw attention to the fact that the company have two -distinct businesses in operatien. One of these is the retailing of milk ; the other is the supplying of light refreshments from their many catering establishments. The Garfords, being fast machines, are employed in delivering bottled milk throughout London and the suburbs. The 1-ton Ford vans specialize in the delivery of sterilized milk, for which the cOmpany have a weekly delivery service throughout London. These vehicles are employed every day, deliveries being made in rotation. They also do -a certain amount of work in the distribution of pastries, etc., to the shops.
Much of the work has to be done during the night, and is performed by two of the Sentinels, one Leyland, and the aforementioned Garfords. The radius of. delivery is from Finchley in the north so far as Blackheath and 'Woolwich in the south-east; west, it reaches to Chiswick and Ealing. The company still employ a considerable amount of horsed transport, but this is mainly in the City, where the shops are close together and consequently the vehicles have to make a large number of stops.
At this point it may be of interest to refer to the very effective precautions which are taken to ensure that the milk supplied to all the depots is in its purest possible form. The milk brought to the pasteurizing centres by the lorries is very carefully strained, and. then passed into a large tank containing an agitator, which keeps the milk constantly in motion and ensures an even distribution of the cream. From this the milk passes into a heater, and is raised to a temperature of 90 degrees F. lt then flows to a.centrifugal clarifier, which removes any particles of foreign matter which may still be present.
On leaving this machine it enters the pastemizers, irs which it ,is .heated to 145 degrees F. It is kept at this temperature for 30 mins., which ensures complete freedom from harmful germs. It is then cooled by passing over a series of pipes holdi9 brine, which bring it to 40 degrees ii., after which it flows directly into the bottles, -which are immediately sealed for delivery to the customers. It must be emphasized that the -milk is not, boiled, and nothing is added to or taken away from it.
The greatest care is exercised with the. bottles and other utensils used in connection with the milk. The bottles are first soaked in steam-heated tanks and .then scrubbed inside and out by revolving brushes' after which they are thoroughly rinsed and placed in sterilizing cabinetsfor half an hour.
No expense is Spared in order to deliver the milk at the earliest possible time, but-in spite of this the vehicles are run with great effiCiency.The Garfords average some 4C0 miles per week, and
the inclusive costs for each amount to 1'40. This is below the average figure contained in Tim ClOmmercial Motor lists of Tinning costs. The same rerna4k.
applies to the inclusive costs -of the Ley-. land vehicles, which for a 300-mile week frork out at £15 each.
Very considerable loads are carried
by the vehicles. For instance, a Sentinel wagon and trailer will carry 65 churns, or approximately 6i tons. The Leyiands carry 40 churns on the vehicle and 20 on a trailer, whilst each 30-cwt. Gas-ford can, carry 2,000 bottles of milk._
In the milk business the work of the drivers is very hard, and only strong, healthy men can cope with it. A churn weighs 2 cwt. when full, and, as 40 of these can be carried on one of the heavy lorries the driver has to be strong enough to unload these into the depots.
The system of repairs is unusual and somewhat interesting. There isa local garage at Tavistock Place, London, W.C. 1, where are situatedthe chief offices, but most of the vehicles are stationed at outside branches, and are visited there by a fitting staff. The company are contemplating the bringing of the milk by road from the country depots to London in mechanically propelled, glass-lined tank wagons, and with the present high railway rates they think that there is a lot to be said for this system.
. We must not_ conclude without reference to our indebtedness to 31r. W., A. Nell, one of the directors of the company, and responsible for milk 'supply.