Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-08
HOW TO KEEP MILK
New York Much Exercised Over
Its Supply.
DR.. MAGILL HAS A PLAN
Urges Pasteurization and Declares the
Expense is Small.
MIR. STRAUS GIVES HIS VIEW
Philanthropist Quotes Specialist and
is Followed by Other Speakers,
Who Call for Action.
MIR. sTRAUs GIVES HIS VIEW

NEW YORK, March S.-ArgumentS in IA
vor of purifying New York's milk supply
through pasteuriZation were made at the
hearing before the aldermanic committee on
public health in the city hall yesterday
afternoon. At the outset Alderman Grifen-
hagen offered a new amendment to the or
dinances regulating the sale of milk, which
contains these general provisions:
That all milk must be delivered in sealed
cans; all milk not from inspected and GER
titled dairies must be pasteurized; all milk
coming to the city must conform to month
ly archaeological tests, the standard be-
ing not more than $4,000 bacteria count to
the cubic centimeter, all diaries not coming
up to that test to be rejected; no dairy to
be allowed to ship milk into the city with
out having it's vessels stamped with the
name of the dairy, so that there need be no
delay in tracing bad milk; all diaries to be
regularly inspected with reference to tuber-
culoSiS in the cows.
Nathan Straus, who for many years has
supplied parts of the city with paSteurized
milk through phianthropc motives, was
present and made the first argument in
favor of proper paSteuriZation. He quoted
many eminent European authorities in IA
vor of this method, and was supported by
Dr. A. r. Green, who said DR.. l.. Emmett
Holt, celebrated specialist in children's
diseases. had stated to him the day before
that hes would consent to having the entire
supply of New York pasteurzed.
j. +. Say1es of the New York Milk Com
pany. later in the day declared this state
ment was absurd, as DR.. Holt had told him
yesterday morning. that he was distinctly
opposed to general pasteurization.
Face Indictment.
Alderman Freeman, who introduced the
original pure milk resolution in the board,
caused considerable heated argument by de-
claring that if the aldermen failed to pass
an ordinance protecting the health of the
city, in case of an epidemic they would be
liable to Indictment
DR.. w. H. Allen attacked the pasteuriZa-
ton plan and quoted DR.. Herman Biggs as
saying less than one-third of / per cent Of
the cases of tuberculosis were caused by
infected milk. He insisted pasteurization
merely made it possible to preserve impure
milk and declared that the city of Rochester
had abandoned the method altogether DIR.
Green said that, as Rochester drew it's sup
ply from an area of a few miles. inspec-
ton was possible there, whereas New York
city obtained its milk from five different
states and must rely on some method other
than inspection of the dairies if the safety
of the consumers was to be insured.
DR.. Lindsey r. Williams said that with
pasteurization the milk must still be cared
for with just as great care as 1t would be-
come infected If exposed after passing
through the process.
Mr.. Meyer, representing the retail grocers
of Brooklyn. urged that no milk should be
sold from cans. He said it should all be
put into bottles at the dairy, and that If
this caused a slight increase in price the
customers would gladly pay it.
Dr. William s. Magill of 243 East I'D
street, milk expert who has been in charge
of the establishment of pure milk plants in
all of the largest cities of Europe for the
last five years, and who has made life
study of the question, gave the most valu-
oh 10 inf ryp nf al fha lar
o. View Of an Expert. =
'It is my business he said, ito know
all that it is possible for a man to know
about the publication of milk supplies for
large cities, and 1 desire to state to you
that it is the consensus of all experts that
pasteurization does no harm and it is fur
Their agreed upon by all of them that many
diseases transmitted to human beings
through milk. 1 cannot understand why
any one should oppose this process. which
does not impair any milk and materially
helps some milk.
Il am fortunate in being personally ac-
quainted with all of these authorities which
Mr.. Straus has quoted, and their opinions
do not differ from those of other authori-
ties who have given the subject sufficient
attention to enable them to speak. Why
should you oppose pasteurization in this
city?
THE cost is so small that would almost
say l would defray the entire expense OF
pasteurizing the supply for New York out
of my own pocket. In Berlin. Paris. Wen
na Budapest and other cities of Europe 1
have never seen any milk in the summer
that was not pasteurized, and the stand
ard of purity Is so high that the dealers
are obliged to pasteurize it in order to meet
the requirements"
DIR. Magill was asked many questions
concerning the different methods of pas
teurzation and said he agreed with Mr.
Straus that much of the so-called COM
mercial pasteuriZation was a farce, because
the wrong method was applied. He said
much depended on the thickness of the
layer of milk that passed over the heating
apparatus.
Following DIR. Magill came a statement
from DR. George A. Hazel, a veterinarian,
of Mount Kisco, who is employed as an
expert by the government. in which he
declared nine-tenths of the cows from
which the milk supply of New York is OBJ
tanned are afflicted with tuberculosis. Out
of a herd of sixty cows recently examined
by him not far from the city, he said,
thirty We're so badly afflicted that he Or
dered them killed.
DIR. Thomas Darlington. head of the de-
partment of health. sent letter to the
chairman of the committee reiterating his
theory that inspection of the diaries was
most important of all. The hearing was ad-
journed for two weeks.