The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-07-10
PURE MILK
SECURED.
Where MOrristown's Milk Sup.
ply Comes From and How
1t IS Safeguarded.
PUBLIC HEALTH PARAMOUNT.


town in these days Of pure food agita-
tion and legislation that a member of
the Board of Health should be refused
a re appointment because of his efforts
in securing the passage of an ordinance
regulating the production and sale Of
milk for use in Morristown AS there
is gross misapprehension on the part
of many persons, and parties with
pecuniary interest in the matter have
inpugned the motives of members of
the health board and made misleading
statements history of the case is in
order.
The milk supply of the town is sup
piled by some twenty odd milkmen,
some of whom produce their own milk
but most Of whom buy their milk from
one Of more farmers, the sources of
supply running out eight or ten miles.
With the exception Of the dealers
whose milk supply is near town, some
of whom deliver milk twice a day and
who are enabled to deliver fresh milk
within an hour or so after milking, the
milk is brought into town the night
before it is delivered, SO that when it
is put out it is from twelve to thirty
six hours old at least. The milkmen
have an association which regulates
the price at which milk shall be sold
and other matters of Importance. The
method of delivering has evolved from
the old plan of the milkman ringing a
| bell in front of the house and the GUS
toner going out to the wagon for
milk to the present system of deliver
| ing in bottles and individual cans. In
cidentally the price of milk has about
doubled in price in the meantime. Un-
til recently there has been no local
Regulation of the milk traffic, every
man doing as he saw fit subject to an
occasional visit of a State milk inspec-
tor who would condemn the milk and
prosecute the offender if the milk was
not up to the standard.
During the prevalence of typhoid
fever last year an expert was brought
to Morristown by the Board of Health
EWho thoroughly went over the field.
While no case of fever was traced to
the milk supply and the general con-
ditions were good there were condi-
tions that needed Improvement. An
ordinance to regulate the milk supply
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| up the matter. Ordinances from a
number of towns were procured and
their best features Incorporated in an
ordinance with two or three addition
al features suggested by local condi-
tions. When the ordinance was in
troduced advertisements that the Or
dinance was pending was inserted in
two local papers in accordance with
the law. No one gave the matter any
attention and the ordinance was pass
ed and published and then the trouble
began.
The ordinance provides for the Ii
censing Of milkmen at a nominal fee,
for the purpose Of control and inspec-
tion; that a statement shall be filed
setting forth the places where the milk
is produced, for the same purpose;
provides that COWS must be kept in
clean, well-ventilated stables, kept in
clean condition, their udders washed
and properly dried before milking and
tested once year with tuberculin;
also provides for proper feeding, with
cleanliness on the part OF mixers and
the cleansing by washing and steriliz-
ing by boiling or steaming Of bottles
and cans used for holding or carrying
milk. These provisions are Substan-
italy the same as those enforced by
the State Board of Health under the
statutes. These very necessary pro-
visions are strennouSly objected TO by
some milk producers who seem to think
they are unnecessary, but the milkmen
generally do not agree with them.
The section that the milkmen object
to is the llth which provides The
said milk shall be delivered in bottles,
unless permission to deliver in another
manner shall be.granted by said Board
and no milk shall be delivered to any
of the inhabitants Of the town OF Nor
riStOWn at a temperature exceeding
fifty degrees Fahrenheit. All BOTTLES
must invariably be steriliZed before
being reflled. The filing OF bottles
on the wagon Is prohibited. Tickets
or coupons shall not be used more than
once in connection with the delivery
of milk.
1t was found by observation that the
milk delivered in bottles, when the
bottles were filled at the dairy, was in
a good sanitary condition, and the bot
ties were in general use 1t was also
found that most milkmen carried milk
in large cans which was dipped out in
vessels provided by the customer and
in frequent cases BOTTLES picked up at
one house were filed ana delivered at
another without proper cleansing.
The measure used for transferring the
milk is long-handled dipper carried
in the can with the milk. The JOLT
ling of the wagon keeps the handle
wet and the hand that handles the
reins, dirty bottles and other articles
grasps the dipper leaving its modicum
Of dirt to be washed off into the milk,
and this is repeated each time the can
| is opened, not to speak OF the street
| dirt that blows into the can when Op-
ened. A few days ago milkman in
| front of this office was adjusting his
cans. He poured milk from one into
another and when the can was nearly
empty swirled about quantity OF
milk and threw 1t out in the street;
this he did with each can emptied. AS
milk is valuable the inference is that
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