The London Milk Trade, 1860-1900
he history of the liquid milk trade in the fifty years before the First World War is an interesting example of the effect of transport costs upon the structure of an industry handling a bulky and highly perishable commodity. The trade grew in these years both in importance and in complexity, as a result, firstly, of the growing demand from urban consumers for liquid milk, and secondly, of the steadily increasing size of London. As bricks and paving stones covered more of the grazing grounds of Middlesex and Surrey, more milk had to be transported over longer distances; problems of deterioration in transit became worse; more intermediaries were required; each additional function added to the markets in which prices reflected the strength of competition or the power of monopoly elements. A further complication in this period was the growing public concern over the quality of the milk supplied. To discourage adulteration was the object of the first legislation dealing with milk; as 'the germ theory' of disease became generally accepted, public health authorities sought, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, to enforce minimum standards of cleanliness and hygiene in cowsheds, dairies and milk-shops.