The San Francisco call., 1896-03-09
NO BETTER ON EARTH.
A Statement of the Plans That
the Health Board Is Car.
rying Out.
BULLETINS WILL BE ISSUED.
The Scheme Adopted Across the Bay
Has Long Been in Contem.
plation Here.

The Alameda system of announcing IN
public bulletins the results Of the official
milk inspection every month created
great deal of comment among the readers
OF The SUNDAY CALL.
Inspector Maillot's criticisms of the San
Francisco method of inspection also ex-
cited interest, but the local officials say
that in the most important assertions re-
earding this City Mr.. Malllot was misln-
formed.
Inspector Dockery and Veterinary Sur
geon Creely were interviewed yesterday
and they insist that the local system in
cludes every good feature OF the work IN
Alameda, while it has some other features
of the highestipractical importance.
81 think that this Alameda system OF
milk inspection, as l read OF it in The
CALL to-day" said Inspector Dockery, ''is
the finest in existence. The CITY on the
other side of the bay deserves credit. The
plan of posting monthly bulletins OF the
results of the tests made is good. 1t IS to
be adopted here, that very project having
been decided upon some months ago, and
we thought that San Francisco would be
the first to adopt it.
Alameda has had about two years to
perfect its methods, while we have been at
the work only about five months. Yet
San Francisco stands all right in the COM
parison when the full facts are known.
inspector Maillot, who is careful and
efficient officer, as l am informed, spoke
without full knowledge of our work when
he criticized the San Francisco methods,
however. 1t is not strange that he should
not have had knowledge of all the facts,
for much that we have done has not been
publicly mentioned, as partial reports
would not be of any value and might re-
suit in injustice to some of the dairymen.
''In the first place, the Alameda lnspec-
tors have TO deal with about twenty-elght
dairies, while we have to watch fully 600
dairymen and dealers in milk.
Alameda issues bulletins about the
condition of the milk and the dairies.
That is included in our system. The Ala
media officers examine all the cows and in
spect the dairies. We do these things, too,
though the fact did not seem to be under
stood by Inspector Maillot, and some of
the results already obtained would be
startling ii we were ready TO make them
public.
"Our field for dairy inspection extends
over several counties, and the only way
that we can secure compliance with our
instructions to dairymen outside OF this
county is to prevent milk from coming to
this City when the sanitary conditions at
the source of supply are not good.
"We have all the regulations and pre-
cautions adopted in Alameda, and We go
much further. At Alameda the milk Is
occasionally inspected, about as chance
may direct. Here we have inspection sta
tons established, though the inspectors
are not yet appointed, and every dealer
will be compelled to go to one of these sta
tlons and have his stock OF milk inspected
before he can even bring 1t beyond the
station. The inspectors will be assigned
to new stations every night, and there will
be little chance for profitable croohedness.
"This is the main point in the superior
ity of our system over that of Alameda,
and it is about the only thing needed to
perfect the plans across the bay.
Each can OF milk will be properly
stamped or marked at the inspection sta
ton, and it will be against the law for any
dealer to have an unstamped can in his
possession. Besides that, 1-or the Milk
Inspector, whoever he may be-will con-
tinue the general INSPECTIONS about the
City, and the circumstance that a can OF
milk has been tested and stamped at one
of the stations will not prevent a second
test being made.
81 see, by DR.. Carpenters admission,
that the milk ordinance in Alameda is
very defective, as dealer cannot be pun
ished unless caught in the act of deliver
ing adulterated milk. The mere possess
sion of adulterated milk is against the City
laws here, and it is a sufficient evidence OF
fraud anywhere.
"Our new ordinance Is undoubtedly the
best and most complete in the country. 1t
is founded on a careful study of the milk
ordinances in all the other large cities,
and it has many original features that are
specially valuable
THE only effective way of dealing with
the dairy question is through the news
papers, though the milkmen would not
care much about mere arrest It's the
exposure that they are afraid of, for ex-
posure OF fraud in milk dealing means a
ruin OF business. The greatest begging of
the offending dealer is:
"'For Gods sake, Dockery, don't let our
name be published
The proper examin alton of the cows is
OF far greater importance than the inspec-
ton OF the milk. In regard to that | agree
most heartily with Mr.. Maillot. 1t is bet
ter to have fifty per cent of pure water and
no diseased milk than to have no water
and ten per cent of diseased milk. And it
is matter of vital importance, not only
to babies and to invalids, but to every
body.
81 am positive that seventy-five per cent
of the milk now brought to San Francisco
is strictly pure. And that means great
deal, though we have hardly begun our
work. There is very little diseased milk,
and when our plans are put in operation
there will be none at all.
'"The great in San Francisco is
that the Board of Health is greatly ham
pered. Its appropriations are cut down
and there is little money available for the
work, but that is sure to be remedied when
the people understand what the board is
doing. The Board of Health wants to
have every article OF food thoroughly in
spected, and that will be done eventually.
At present there is little encouragement
for man to go out and work night after
night, risking his life, when it is not GER
tain whether the Board of Health will