Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1898-09-14
A LETTER FROM THE
CITY BY THE SEA.
The local milk dealers
overhauled by the
State Inspector.
WILL DENY ADULTERATIHG THE HILk SUPPLY.
THE POLITICAL SITUATION UNCHANGED
ECONOMY IN CONTRAST.

The milk supply of a city is something
that interests. or should interest, every
person who uses drop ofcow juice for
any purpose. 1t is of the utmost i'm
portance that nothing but the pure
article should be sold, and that no
adulterants of any kind should be used.
This is particularly true in reference to
milk furnished to infants and invalids.
For infants, milk is their very life. and
any man that would deliberately aduI-
terate it with hurtful ingredients should
be severely punished. For invalids and
well persons the same remarks apply
Just in proportion to the amount of
injury inflicted. Cows properly fed or
pastured will give supply of the pur-
est milk, and when it is properly handled
it should reach the customer in a pure
state fit for any use for which milk is
required. Until quite recently the
pump is popularity supposed to have
furnished the principal adulterant of the
milk supply-and many are the jokes
that have been cracked at the expense of
''the farmers best cow" Good water,
however, is not poisonous, and may
be drank with safety by all classes
except mad dogs and drunkards. The
chief objection to its use in the milk can
is the expense. AS rule people do not
want to pay six or eight cents 70
water when it can be had for nothing from
pump or faucet. That much "watered"
milk has been sold both here and every
where else is undoubtedly true but it
does not necessarily follow that the
local milk dealer puts in the water.
There are some farmers who would
sell all the water in their wells for milk
if they could do it without detection,
and they would lie the hair off q brass
monkey to shield themselves, and then
go to church the following Sunday and
shout the shingles off the roof. / have
known Just such men and SO have you,
Mr.. Editor, and so has nearly everybody
else who has maintained diplomatic re-
lations with the granger milk -persuader.
The State has very poperly enacted
stringent laws, with heavy penalties,
against those, of any class, who tam
per with the supply of pure milk, for
experience has demonstrated that q
man and COW and pump is an un-
trustworthy combination that needs
legal restraint and supervision. OF late
it is alleged that farmers, or dealers, or
both, have been using certain chemicals
that will keep milk from 'sOuring" for
a week or two, and that these chemi-
Gals are Injurious to health. If such is
the case it ought to be known, and the
guilty parties punished. But even in
such cases it may not be the retail dealer
who is to blame-for the chemicals may
have been put in way down upon the
farm" by the farmer or local buyer in
order to reduce the losses caused by
milk alleged to be "sOured" in transport
ing it to market.
All these possibilities and contengen-
cies are likely to be discussed in Odd
Fellows Hall, next Saturday, when
eleven of our City milk dealers who have
been arrested for alleged violation of
the laws against selling impure milk
will be required to face the charges made
by State Milk Inspector Vandergriff.
This official came here few days ago,
got out on the street very early in the
morning, and ''held up" the milk dealers
long enough to get samples of the fluid
they were dispensing to their customers.
He then hadit analyzsd, and claims to
have found it chemically or otherwise
adulterated. The dealers have engaged
eminent legal talent and we may look
for battle royal over the merits and
deInerits of pure and adulterated COW
juice. What the average citizen wants
| to know is whether he has been buying
| unhealthy milk-and he don't care much
about who it was that made it go. IL
| the farmer did it punish him. Ii the
| dealer did it punish him but at any
rate see that Atlantic City has good
| milk hereafter. 1t is a too important
matter to be trifled with, for it is in
many instances a question of health and
| life.
There is no perceptible change in the
political situation up to date. The De-
mocrats have not yet walked up, and
the Republicans are letting things drift.
The former have not yet agreed upon
| any candidates for Senator and Assem-
blyman, and the race over the Repub-
lican course seems to be between "Sam."
| Kelley and "Lew." Evans for Senator,
| with somebody from, the County for
Assembly. Judging from the inspired
utterances of the ring" newspapers,
here, the Republican managers have,de-
cided to foist Mr.. Ashley upon the party
| for q second term for the Assembly, and
| if they do we may reasonably expect to
see Democratic Assemblyman elected
to the next legislature. have not yet
met Democrat who is not enthusias-
tically in favor of Mr. Ashley's renomina-
ton BY tie Republicans. They believe
and with good reason-that they can
easily defeat him. If the Republi-
Gems will just put him on the ticket once
more they will confer a very great favor
on every Atlantic County Democrat.
The comprehensive system of street
paving which will soon be commenced,
will give Atlantic City what it has long
needed-mile upon mile of substantially
paved streets. We have been plunging
around in muddy sloughs, 10 these many
years, and the prospect of something
different will gladden. the heart of every
citizen who wants to see the City pros
per.
A little bird has whispered to me that
there is some friction in the School
Board over the matter of suppliee-and
that one big firm in Philadelphia il
"torn up" because another one has
offered to put in paper and other arti
cles at fifty per cent of the former cost
Now fifty per cent is big saving. If ii
is to 6n sa0ed, and suggt SITS the inquiry
whether too much has been paid hereto
fore.
The little bird whispers that weigh
and quality may enter into the question
and advises every one interested Il
"watch out" ARGUS.