Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1894-09-07

Does Creamery Sewage Poison stockY
A new factor seems about to enter
into the question Of creamery manage
ment. The first suggestion comes
from Ireland, and is thus rep orted by
The Dairy of London:
The Irish butter industry seems TO
be passing through a very critical and
trying period of existence, and the
year 1894 promises to be an eventful
one indeed in the butter world.
Last month it was question
of watery butter; this time it
is question of milky water.
The scene has been changed from
Manchester to Limerick. In the for
mer case, the M Inchester corporation
sought to prove that Irish butter was
adulterated with water; in the latter a
Limerick farmer or cattle dealer has
proved that Irish water has been
adulterated and polluted by creamery
or butter factory sewage to the injury
and loss of those occupying land along
the factory streams The farmer
maintained that cattle which he had
ny bnC Dahhb Vi IuC bbIOah III
question, and into which the sewage
from the factory flowed, had sickened
and in fact, died from the i'll effects
produced by drinking water from said
stream during the warm months OF the
summer of 1893. Chemical and veter-
mary experts of eminence were called
to support this theory, which it APP
10 90 -, ,,,nIinal
science before the present case. The
defense set up by the creamery COM
pany was that the cattle suffered
from totally different and rather
common disease-namely, that OF
"hoose''-and eminent professional
evidence was given 10 this effect II
was proved beyond eye or nay that
choose" did exist in the herd, at least
to some extent; but the jury was evil
IDENTITY satisfied that the other name
less disease existed as we'll, for which
they have asked the defendants May
pole Dairy company TO pay $3.50 and
costs. Now, whether the cattle suf-
fered from "hoose" or from this
strange disease is almost immaterial
TO creamery owners, for Judge Gibson
has made il very clear indeed that
creameries are not legally entitled,
and must not be allowed, TO pollute
running streams. OF course, If the
stream is a very large one the factory
sewage can not pollute the water TO
any perceptible extent; but, uufortu-
nately, not very many of our cream
cries can boast of sufficiently large
stream, and hence herein lies the dan
ger 20 this great Irish industry. This
has been only test case, or,
as Judge Gibson termed it, rio.
neer action" aud as matters at pres
ent stand almost every creamery or
dairy society will be liable for some
sort of law action. Also the local
sanitary authority will have power TO
| prevent this dairy sewage from en-
| tering public water streams. II cattle
are injured, of course stock owners are
quite right in defending themselves.
IL behooves creamery owners, then, to
rise at once to the occasion and pro-
coed to put their house in order"
! They should unite and secure the
best scientific advice on dairy sewage;
remedy for one will be a remedy
for all, and if each dairy subscribed a
nominal amount toward total sum
| to be devoted to scientific research, a
! solution would be soon found to the
| problem which has, up 10 the present,
baflled at least all Irish efforts. Mr..
J. Morley, the chief secretary for Ire
land, is reported as having said that
he would be prepared to consider
favorably any business-like scheme
put forth for the benefit of the Irish
butter trade. Surely there never was
better time for putting his i'''en-
tons to the test. There is moth 20
prevent the government sendins vver
a sewage expert to remedy this one
defect Of creameries. Before allow
ing the law to strangle an industry
which has undoubtedly saved the
| Irish butter trade from ruin, the
government ought assurcdlv to adopt
remedial measures. Streams and
rivers are undoubtedly every day poll
luted in English manufacturing dis
tricts, but so long rs l. is pollution
by industry the Euglishman is not
quick to quarrel about it. The result
Of the case decided in Limerick on the
5th inst is that the Maypole Dairy
company will close, or have already
closed, six of their Irish creameries,
ana transferred their portion of the
industry to England. They intend
to build near Hull and make butter
from imported instead of Irish cream.
Thus Denmark gains at the expense of
Ireland, and the Danes again beat the
Irish on British ground!