Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-06
"|CE FOR THE bAb|ESP
Chief Demand of Health Depart
nnent at Present.
TO PRESERVE MILK SUPPLY
DR.. Woodward Suggests That Dealers
Favor Dairymen.
CORPORATION C0UNSEL'S VIEWS
Offer of Christian Heurich to Supply
Poor With Limited Quantity
Of Commodity.
TO PRESERVE MILK SUPPLY
CORPORATION C0UNsEL's VIEWS

| shortage in the citys Ice supply the au-
| thorities of the health department today
| were discussing one very serious phase of
| the situation, and although no formal ac-
| ton of the department or the Commission
| ers seems possible, considerable thought
was given to the probable advisability OF
unofficially seeking the end desired by sug-
| gestion. Tee for the babies is the cry of
the health department. and 1t is pointed
| out that unless Ice is available all the time
for preserving the city's milk supply the
thousands of little ones under two years of
age must be deprived of the major portion
of their daily food. Milk will not keep
without Ice, and at the present time the
scarcity of that commodity affects not OILY
the homes of rich and poor the latter more
severely, of course. as regards keeping the
milk sweet and At for use, but the dairies,
too. are not receiving sufficient ice for their
daily use.
The suggestion desired to be made in this
connection by the health department is that
the ice dealers favor the local dairymen IN
doing out the available ice, rather than the
Ice cream manufacturers soda water foun-
tains and saloon proprietors. as 1t Is alleged
is the case.
Must Have Cows Milk.
DR.. Woodward. the health officer, today
IN the District of Columbia under two years
of age, a great majority of whom must
have cows milk fresh and sweet each day
for the major portion of their diet The
health and even life of scores of babies will
inevitably be sacrificed by the indirect blow
struck at their sustaining fluid by the lack
OF sufficient ice.
During the past week or two the death
rate among very young children has been
particularly high on account OF the wide
prevalence of diarrhoea dysentery and kin
dred diseases common to hot weather and
II the food supply continues to be as seri.
ously affected by lack OF ice as 1t is now
the death rate will be even higher. The
health officer today corroborated this state
ment of fact, and his prediction was that
there would be ar unusually large number
of deaths among children during the time In
te1vening before a remedy is found for the
existing situation.
Corporation Counse1's Report.
Corporation Counsel Thomas made YER
bal report to Commissioner West today con-
corning the legal points which would prob
ably be involved in any prosecution of the
local Ice dealers Mr.. West had Instructed
the corporation counsel to make an investi-
cation and determine whether proceedings
against the Ice dealers under the antitrust
or any other statute which might be ap-
plicable should originate with the munich
pal authorities or with the United States.
The statement made by Mr.. Thomas was
that he believed the Commissioners were
not clothed with power to enforce any laws
or regulations except such as were pro-
mulgated by them or, In other words that
1t would not be possible for the District TO
institute prosecution for any alleged yio-
lation of the laws of the United States His
verbal report, the corporation counsel add
ed, will be supplemented by a comprehen-
sive written statement covering the situa-
ton IN this city with regard to the handling
and sale OF Ice IL PXSiSfS "a nf
time.
Offer of Mr. Heurich.
Another development of the ice question
in far as it affects the District was an
nounced by Commissioner West today when
he stated that Christian Heurich had vol
unteered to run the Heurich Ice manufac-
tory overtime to the extent necessary to
freeze ten tons of Ice per week. This ice
Mr.. Heurich offers free to the very poor of
the city, with the provision that the District
find some means for operating dlstribut-
ing station or otherwise placing the ice
where It will do the most good. Commits
soner West referred the matter 10 Secre-
instruction to report upon the best means
to make use of Mr.. Heurichs offer. It was
found however, that the District could not
undertake the task Of distribution because
Congress had not seen fit to provide an ap-
preparation for such a purpose.
Commissioner West will notify those In
charge at Camp Good WIZ that free Ice
may be secured al the Heurich plant in
blocks OF three hundred pounds each, II
the camp wagon Is sent after 1t. Secretary
Wilson will confer with the officers of the
Associated Charities to learn what uses can
best be made Of the ice thus made avail
able.
Arrival Of Ice-Laden Schooner.
The shortage in the local Ice supply was
relieved yesterday afternoon about o'clock
by the arrival Of the four-masted schooner
Alice Holbrook. Capt. Ellis, from the Ken
nebec river with cargo of $50 tons of nat
ural ice aboard. A large throng was on the
pier to welcome her as the tug brought her
into the dock.
The schooner lie lying at the 9th street
wharf of the American Ice Company un-
loading. The cargo, as fast as taken from
the hold of the vessel, is loaded on wagons
and sent about the city to fill orders. AS
yet not a pound of 1t has gone in the ice
storage houses and the prospects are that
little, If any, will be stored. 1t will be used
about as fast as 1t can be taken from the
vessel to aid In making up the deficiency
between the quantity of ice turned out by
the factories and that used In the city each
day.
each cake being about fifteen inches thick
It is not. 1t Is stated. last winters ice, but
comes from the crop cut in the winter of
1906, some little of which, II is stated
aboard the schooner, is still to be found in
the big ice houses on the Kennsbec river.
Capt. Ellis, the master OF the Holbrook,
stated today that he could not say how
much ice is In storage in the ice houses on
the Maine rivers While lying in the KEN
nebec this trip he had not gone to the ice
houses and had made no inquiries. Members
of the crew of the vessel stated that they
understood the supply on hand in the Ken
-nebec was small, and that the ice cut las.
winter was thin and OF inferior quality.
The impression aboard the schooner was
that the bulk of the Ice In storage In the