The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-12-30
tK No.
PwRES[RVATVES IN MILK
Some Of the Chemicals Used
Endanger the Health
of Children.
STATE OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES REPORT
The Boards Chemists Found
That a Large Proportion
of Supply is Doctored.
STATE OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES REPORT
Isneclal 10 ..rhe Jersey ely News.'l

Commissioner George w Mcguire, in ms
annual report for the year 1888, says thal
the public demand for milk inspection mas
not been so great in many years IN new
Jersey as it was during the past sum
mer. The inspection of market milk 70
determine its purity and, freedom from
adulteration by water, chemicals or the
abstraction of cream, claimed almost the
entire time of the INSPECTORS and chem
lists. and but few dairy inspections We're
made during the year. In previous years
a large portion of the time of~the depart
ment was devoted to dairy inspeetlohss
and. as is well known, the work resuiteu
in a pretty general eradication OF me
swill diaries in the. northern end q the
state. The work of the year has SHOWN
+ba+ q GREAT deal of the milk, especially
sn the summer MONTHS, has been pres
erved with acids, and il was necessary Iol
tba inspectors to keep the closest KING
Of a watch on dealers, especially those
doing business at the summer resorts.
Thu principal preventative found during
4he wear is known under various names,
such as sFreezine." tCaiarrine, Special
M. etc. and has been found in large
quantities. tt is a remarkably strong
antiseptic, and is Derived from Wood al
cohoL
my attention." says Commissioner Ma
euire. was first called to its use IN
milk by certain milk dealers who COM
nlained that they were c~ontending against
unfair competition, on account of their
business rivals using this chemical 70
preserve their milk, enabling them to dis
pense with the use of ice. My investlga-
ton as to the extent of the use OF TINS
chemical disclosed the fact that It was
becoming almost universal"
The report then shows that several pros
e~eutions were instituted at Asbury Park
and Atlantic City, some of the cases pc
ing still pending. Professor Deschef, Oh
Essex county, and State Chemist Wallace
both went to work on the p~reservatives
found in milk samples collected by the lh-
spectors, and their reports. which are ap-
pended to the report OF the state Dalry
Commissioner, strongly against tae
use of any preservative whatever. lhs
chemists reports are of a technical nature
but both agree that much sickness IS
caused in children by the use OF the pre-
~servatives in the milk. Instances are
cited of persons being killed by the use
of wood alcohol.
Few complaints have reached the de-
psrtrnent during the year as to the duai-
H. of milk which has been produced IN
F.sg Jersey and shipped to New yo8E
CIV. a careful watch was kept on milk
ge.ng into New York, and the knowledse
CT this fact has stimulated dairymen 70
renewed efforts to produce at all times a
clean. high grade article.
Commissioners Mcguire urges that the
melk Of dairy inspection be kept up. THE
49, ~ No. - y - ~ a a NV <fI-
~s7eetien for the last few years" he says,
"s,s borne good fruit. and enough money
ssouId bS appropriated to continue and
expand this work, including the inspection
OF creameries and stations where milk IS
received, SKINNED and stored, pending
shipment. The great necessity for work
of this character is demonstrated nearly
every year, when large numbers of cases
of typhoid and other contagious diseases
have been traced by health officials to the
use of milk coming from infected cream
cries. h serious consequences result
ing from defective sanitary conditions IN
a creamery may be due to carelessness or
Ignorance on the part of the owner of
such creameries and a trained inspector,
making periodical visits. may discover
imperfections that did not exist on prev
aous inspections. and apply the remedy to
prevent serious trouble which otherwise
might ensue.
zone case occurred during the year
where it was claimed that over one hun
bred persons were stricken down with
typhoid fever caused by drinking the
milk shipped from a creamery where the
water supply was found to be contami-
mated. The State Board of Health did not
learn of the trouble until the damage had
been done, but, of course, it then took
active measures to prevent a similar oc-
currences If means were provided to
carry on a regular and systematic inspec-
ton of these places, all such incidents
would cease, and the milk supply of our
State could be placed beyond all criti-
cism."
The report says the requirements OF
the law in reference to oleomargarine has
been carried out in every section of the
State during the year, one thousand three
hundred and twenty-five samples having
been collected for analysis. Fifty-four
causes have been tried, and a number of
cases are still pending. A bold strike for
Illegal business in this line was made
early in the year, when it was discovered
that many store-keepers in the State
were selling o-leomargarine for butter,
most of which was contained in wrap
pers marked Chester County Creamery"
An Investigation disclosed the fact that
the oleomargarine was being sold to 6eal-
ers by John s. Gratz, Of Camden, and the
report contains the following statement
made by one of the dealers to the Dairy
COMMISSIONER -
AFTER the mmenceme of the suit
against me, / went to Gratz at Camden
and demanded an explanation of the man
ner in which the deception had been prac-
ticed. and in the course of the interview
Gratz stated that he had bought the goods
as oleomargarine; tina it had been de-
livered in packages so marked in the
night to his fGratzJ printing establish
menf' in Camden; that. immediately after
it was delivered Gratz took the goods
from the hrkins branded as ole-omargarin
and put them ii unmarked butter tubs.
then asked Cratz what became of the
packages in which the oleomargarfue hae
been delivered to him. and he replied thai
he led burned Them
Suits were instituted against a large
humber OF dealers, including Graft, and
they were all convicted Duting the pro
gross or the proceedings 1t became evideH'