Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-04-25
MUNICIPAL MILK PLANT.
Possible city of washington VIII Own
Its Dniry-Wants to Get sanitary
Milk for It's Residents.


Washington. April 22.--Appreciating
the fact that despite its long continued
efforts the health department of the
District of Columbia. operating under
laws framed by Congress, and most
rigid and drastic in their character,
has been unable to bring the milk sup
ply of Washington up to the standard
whore ii is regarded as even approXi-
mately healthful, the advisability Is
now being seriously considered by tho
officials of starting a municipal dairy
to be run at the expense of the Dis
trict ana upon model plan. The OBJ
icct of the municipal dairy will not be
merely to set an example to other
diaries, but to furnish milk during tho
summer months to families where there
are infants or invalids requiring a
pure, entirely healthful milk.
The proposition is fathered by DR..
Wiley, government chemist and pure
food expert. who believes it will work
out well ana who is sanguine, as this
means the ultimate solution of the
whole question of sanitary milk. Dr..
Wiley declares that Auring the last few
months there has been pure milk served
in at least two of the Washington no
tells and that 1t is the first time this
has happened in the capital city in the
memory of the man.
Recently the district commissioners
have found the question of the enforce
ment of the provisions of n sanitary
milk law that was passed during the
first session of the last Congress q
problem offering such difficulties that
/ a al
commission TO take charge of the en-
forcement The commission is rather
remarkable in it's personnel in that
DR.. Wiley is upon it. as is DR.. George
SternDerg. former surgeon general Of
the army. Added TO these is DR.. Wood
ward, district health officer. and n
coterie of Washington physicians
The health department here believes
that probably so per cent. of the cows
in the diaries throughout the country
are centcrs of tuberculosis dssemina-
ton and that the general supply Of
milk is dang, rously unsanitary. espe-
cially to infants living almost eXclu-
sively upon 1t. 1t relaizes that the
isolation or killing of half the cows
would entail a great hardship upon
the dairymen and would tend to pre-
cipitate a milk famine and high prices
for milk, but II is determined to bring
all the milk consumed here up to a
wholesome standard. Tho first step
will be made by proffer to advertise
by public ccrtifcation each dairy Ia
the district and its cnvirons, when that
dairy has complied with all recon-
mendations and it's cows have under
gone the necessary tuberculin tests.
This will place these dairics on a
standing with the proposed municipal
dairy and occasion a demand for their
milk. The dalries not volunteering
will be forced into line. the tuberculin
test applied to them and eventually
only the certified milk allowed on the
market.
The concrete plan for carrying out a
portion of the scheme is In recommenda-
tons that DR., Wiley on behalf Of the COM
mission has just sent to the health de-
partment. These provide:
That the milk supplied to infants under
three years of age in the District should
| be certified by the health officer, It should
not contain more than 10000 bacteria a
cubic centmetre, should be not more than,
! ~ hours old and should be delivered in
artifcially cooled packages.
That the health officer of the District he
authorized to advertise the dairi"s which
will be willing to so modify their barns
stables etc, If necessary, as to secure 4
license from him for the production OF
certified milk under the most modern i'm
proved sanitary conditions.
That each COW furnishing the milk il
the dairy he tested. under the supervision
of tho health officer. for tuberculosis oil
other contagious diseases. and that infect.
ed animals be excluded from the herd
| That samples drawn from the supply
Of certified milk furnished the city be Sc.
cured for the purpose of making the ba p
terra count and determining the chemica
composition.
That parents and guardians be urget
to use only certified milk, at least fol
food for infants under the age Of three
years. That If private dairies cannot
be induced to furnish certified milk the
commissioners of the district. as
health measure affecting in the highes
| degree the welfare of the district, b,
asked, If II can legally be done, to es,
tablsh a municipal dairy for the pur
pose of furnishing certified milk fol
the use of infants under three years
That pending the time that must ne
| cessarily lapse for the Inauguration o.
a service of certified milk for infants
use the health officer be authorized tC
publish a list Of dairies from which tn,
milk supply is drawn. giving the aver
age rating of each dairy. the chemica
composition and bacterial count of tn,
| samples.
In this plan are embraced largely tn,
same principles that pormeate the pure
food law, of which DIR. Wiley is tn,
author. Under II the milk will b,
known for just what ii is as to pur,
ity, sanitary qualities and quantity o.
bacteria contained. Knowing thes,
| things the consumer can purchase &C
cording to his desires in the light o.
the facts until the entire publication
is ultimately effected. The regula
tions throughout are much stricte
than those proposed by the ordinanc,
that is now before the board of alder
men in New York, and the dairy reg
ulations are more rigid here, as ha
been proved by the recent abandon
ment of this Geld on the part of Ger
tain New York dealers who had beer
shipping to mis- market, because o
an unwillhghess to comply with TIN
regulations, The matter of a municipa
dairy Is not contemplated in the New
York pure milk campaign. nor is tn
i6en Of publishinp the Iiet of doo1or