Sunday 15 July 2007

Mancunian Milk




History series continues with an advert for M&S (Manchester & Salford) Co-op Milk from around 1940, sent in by reader Michael. Also a report of a speech made by local Co-op Party member & co-operator, Edgar Whiteley in 1921 advocating a monopoly for milk distribution in Manchester. "Ten Milkmen down one street, some of the follies we have to pay for". Supplying clean pure milk was a bit of an issue back then. Cllr. Ernest Simon (Liberal, later MP for Withington) was advocating a municipal pure milk supply using the local Co-operative Societies to run the scheme. Nowadays milk to the doorstep has nearly disappeared, and it is safe to drink, though it bears no resemblance to what comes out of a bovine udder.