The Washington herald., 1907-06-23
ISSUE MILK WARNING
Officials Announce Result of
the Inquiry.
DECLARE POOR ARE ROBBED
Washington Compares FayOrahly
with Other Cities, According To the
Report-Suggestion Made for Guild
anCp of Communicated of GiOrc
Efficient Laws IL Pointed Out.

Impressed with the manifold dangers
connected with impure milk, the Depart /
ment Of Agriculture has sent ont 30 the
public hundreds Of copies Of the report
of the committee on sanitary relations
Of the conference appointed by the Com
missioners to consider tie local milk sup
ply.
The department feels that the results
Of tie investigation should be given toI
the country at large, particularly as the
Washington market milk compares IA
yorably with the supply Of other cities.
In reference to local conditions. the re-
port says in part:
"The records Of the health department
of the District of Columbia show that
during the past five years 2S.Ej9 samples
of milk were examined, and that Of these
6.S0l. or 23.5 per cent were below the fixed
standard. and In 1855 instances prosecu-
tions for the sale OF aduiterated milk
were presented in the courts.
These robberies. largely made up OF
/ the pennies OF the poor and sickly women
and half-starved children, amount In
money value 20 considerably more each
/ year than the entire cost to the health
/ department.
/ "Dr H. " Wiley, Chief Of the Bureau
/ Of Chemistry. United States Department
/ Of Agriculture. reports that during -he
/ last few months his bureau examined 81
samples Of milk bought In Washington. Of
which IS. OF a little over Il per cent. had
/ been skinned or watered, and of 95 sam
/ pies of cream. s. or 1896 per cent, were
below the standard required by law.
Efficient Laws Needed.
Matters of this kind should not be
Ilart. therefore, 90 the individual dealers
Lut the principles which ought 10 be car
rIed out should be embodied in effective
laws and accepted and enforced .a a prac-
. tcal sense.
Honorable men VIII not object % reg
|uIa-i0us calculated 10 promote the purity
of their product and the health OF their
customers. and as many Of the most
serious faults I'm the milk business are the
result Of ignorance rather than Of inten-
/ u0nal neglect. the difficulties VIII be ma
teriaiy lessened 10y proper education and
trade competition At an events, the
da.rvmsn viii conclude in tho end that it
. IS money in IFS pocket to comply with re-
quireueuts which at present may appear
20 him the outcome Of exaggerated fear oE
extreme sanitary zeal o. theorists.
"Tha committee recomuends the estab-
uzhmeut Of a pasteurizing plant. provided
Ev the District government or. prefer
ably. bv private enterprise which shall be
under the supervision Of the District gov
arnmeut II - also in favor of central
rlaut. within reasonable distance from the
Union Station. where all milk for the city
shall be received and prepared for dis
rubuti0n Milk. il is stated, should never
be sold hv groceries or milk shops unless
il has been delivered 20 such establish
. ments in original sealed bottles and then
only when there is provision TO- E2a'@
, tanning the milk az "a temperature of 9
degrees Fahrenheit
Suggestions TO Dealers.
The following recommendations are
made:
a. DO not patronize a milk dealer al
D. any price whose milk after standing FOL
over two hours reveals visible sedimen
p at the bottom OF the bottle. II is evidenc'
. of dirty habits. extremely suggestive O
/, ! danger. and entirely preyentahle by clean
b. decent methods without greatly increasing
{ the cost
'2. Subject all your milk to hom
pasteur1zation, by simply bringing it Il
b. the boiling point. and after cooling keel
the milk on ice This will destroy germ
, life and reduce the chances Of milb-born
diseases 10 a minimum, and If we can re
, duce our typh0id-feve- rate even only /
per cent by this simple method, not &
mention infanule diarrheas ana other in
fectious diseases. it is clearly our dut,
20 do So
It is also recommended that the labora
, tories OF the Public Health and Marin
. / Hospital Service and the Department o
4. Agriculture be placed at the disposal o
p the Commissioners, which recommends
ton was favorably acted upon at "a con
= ference Of these officials and Commis
sioner Macfarland and Health Oftice
". c. Woodward yesterday.