Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-10-07

MILK CANS AS .swlLL BARRELS
Some of the Evils Of the Creamery
Business In Iowa are Pointed Out
Creamery Men Trying to Secure I'm
proved nditions--Unsanitary Sep
arators a Great Detriment.
to Times Republican.

Special to Tlmes-R Republican.
Des Moines, Oct. I'm all probabll-
ity the pure food law which will be
presented at the next session OF the
Legislature will require creamery men
to put on the packages Of butter
statement as to the nature of the
cream from which the butter is made.
1t seems there has been demand Tor
q law somewhat like the law in Ver-
mont that prohibits the use of milk
cans for anything else but milk and
cream. 1t seems that many patrons
of creameries in Vermont were In the
habit of hauling swill in the cans ana
then again using them for milk ana
cream, and it was necessary to pass
law prohibiting it. The other day there
was meeting of creamery men in this
city and they decided to ask the legis-
lature to compel dairy farms to be
kept in sanitary condition. 1t IS
now learned that part OF what they
want done is that creamery patrons
be forced to use their milk cans for
milk and cream exclusively as they
claim many Of the creamery patrons
are in the habit of hauling swill in
the cans.
Standing on the platform of the de-
pots in this city when the milk trains
begin to come in in the morning the
consumer who eats creamery butter
- nf inform tinn
that will soon convince him that there
should be some legislation in this state
and that Immediately. 1t is claimed
by the creamery men that the condi-
.tions are no worse here than in any
other city where the Capitalization
method Of working the creamery busi-
ness is in vogue. By central1zation
plants is meant the creamery plants
to which cream is shipped by rail.
Any creamery to which cream is haul
ed by wagon is considered a local con-
cern. Every day when the milk trains
come in there are any number of cans
out Of which the cream is foamtng and
the smell is most decidedly unsavory.
The cream is simply spoiled and fer
mented and unfit for use Of any kind
except to be fed to the pigs. And yet
the creameries take this stuff and
make it into butter. The butter from
the good cream that they receive is
shipped to Chicago and New York, and
that which they make from this fer
mented cream is sold to the Iowa con-
sumer. At the same time the cream
cry men pay the same price for this
fermented stuff that they do for the
good cream, and hence there is no in
centive to the farmer to keep his
premises clean. When the centraliza-
ton men decided at their conference
here to stop ruinous warfare they
meant that they would no longer buy
that kind of cream.
An investigation of the creamery
business leads to the information that
the hand separator or machine separa-
tor is the cause of a big part OF the
trouble. 1t takes about half a day to
wash one and for that reason the
creamery patron does not wash them
more frequent than once in several
days and some times not oftener than
once a month Then the cream is
placed in cans that are none too ciean
and the cans allowed to stand for three
or four days i,cfcre being taken to the
creamery. BY that time the cream Is
fermented and spoiled for making good
butter and only the skill of an expert
creamery man is able to manufacture
product that will sell to the unsus-
pecting public. The competition In
the creamery business has been SO Sc
we're in this state, however, that
cramery men have been taking this
fermented and filthy cream at the same
rate they pay for the good cream. 1t is
the belief of some who have investi-
gated the matter, however. that law
to compel the housewives of the dairy
farms to wash their cream separators
and milk cans every day will not stick
as the legislature In such cases would
be invading precinct where it had
no rights. 1t is claimed that the reme-
dy for the entire matter is with the
creamery men; that If they will not
buy such cream the dairy farms and
creamery pa irons will soon stop bring
ing it in. This the creamery men seem
now somewhat inclined to do and to
guard against such conditions in the
future it is proposed to force the
creameries to place on each package of
of cream from which it was made This
is believed will remedy the entire mat
ter as it is claimed the public will stop
buying the butter and the creameries
will then be forced to stop making 1t.
Iowa will not exclude the big insur-
ance companies from doing business In
this state At least not till the inves-
tigation now being conducted by the
New York legislature, District Attor-
ney Jerome and the insurance depart
ments of the western states has been
ended. n is claimed that there is no
question as to the solvency of the big
companies and hence no need for hasty
action. It is pointed out that investi-
cations are now being made and that
there is grave question as to just
what is the best thing to be done. It
is hoped that the investigation will
when completed disclose a course Of