Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-26
ANSWERS NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. CHANGES
Dairyman Replies to the The Mule Cars and the Buzz
Commissioners Report yards Being Supp|anted.
MEANS TO GET PURE MILK BOAST OF COMMERCIALSM
Features of House Bill Happily 0dFahoned Social
cussed. Conservatism Is Preserved.
TESTING FOR TUBERCULOSIS DIVORCE NOT RECOGNIZED
Individuality
Cows Does Not City- Of chaela
MEANS TO GET PURE MILK
Features of House Bill 1898 Dis
cussed.
TESTING FOR TUBERCULOSIS
Claim Advanced That Disease in
Cows Does Not Affect the
Milk Unfavorably.

The milk retailers Of the District ap-
pear to have taken umbrage at the state
ments of the Commissioners in their Off
cial report on House bill 1893. published
the other day in The Star, especially at
the suggestion which the dealers read into
the report that in the Judgment of the
Commissioners the milkmen do not under
stand enough about their business to safe
guard the health of their customers. At
least. this Is the view taken of the mat
ter by Mr.. Corbin Thompson, who has
been active in the proceedings before the
Commissioners and the houses of Con-
gress looking to the amendment of the
existing laws for the regulation of the
milk supply of Washington. Speaking of
the matter to Star reporter, Mr..
Thompson said today:
THE Commissioners say that the bill
does not strengthen the present milk law,
but in every respect weakens 1t. They
present as the two most objections able
features of this bill. first. the transfer
of the supervision of the milk supply from
the Commissioners to board Independent
and apart from the rest of the District
government. to be known as the board
of dairy CONTROL and second, the pro-
hibition Of the adoption of the tuberculin
test as a step toward preventing the
spread of tuberculosis
THE first objection assumes that the
producers of milk either know very little.
or nothing, about their business. or are
unwilling to apply their knowledge, and
that. therefore, controlling voice with
respect to its supervision should be IN
trusted to the knowledge and experience
of the medical profession and of the vet
erinarian and the bacteriOlogist.' The
Commissioners say that the very fact
that there is now need of the enactment
of stringent laws and regulations to safe
guard it Is the best measure of the pro-
ducers' ability and attitude with respect
to it. This statement begs the whole
question. The very fact that is as
sumed does not exist.
Laws and Regulations Not Needed.
There is no need for the enactment OF
laws and regulations to dictate to practi-
cal men how they shall transact the bust
ness of producing good milk. and put the
consumers of milk at the mercy of veteri-
narians and bacteriologists. 1t is not
true that the market milk of today does
not meet sanitary requirements. The
experience of dairymen. the Inspection,
housing. feeding, cleansing and milking
of their cattle. and the exercise OF ofol-
nary self-interest by them are 1ndlspensa-
BILE to the production of good milk These
cannot. with safety. be set aside. and the
regulations governing the production OF
milk be delegated by law in the name of
science, either to honest theorists with
out experience, or to men who have axes
to grind and money to make by reVolu-
tionizing the plainest rules which should
control the rights and interests of the
producers and consumers alike PROPER
ventilation, cleanliness. living out OF
doors as much as possible. good feed and
good water. and other well-recognized
sanitary conditions are within the proper
limitations of inspection laws az now pro-
vided, the enforcement Of which is
equally important to both producer and
consumer They are as necessary for
the guidance of producers who are igno-
rant as they aer for the consumers.
80 much for the objection OF the Com
missioners to the passage of the pending
bill, No l79e3. Now. as showing reason
able objection to the scientific methods
not very long since number Of cases
then pending before the court having
Jurisdiction were dismissed by the Judge
of the court for the reason that the
chemist produced by the health depart
ment was unable to answer questions re-
lating to the constituent elements of milk.
and admitted such a degree of ignorance
upon the subject regarding which he was
called, as an expert. to testify, that the
case in which he was testifying broke
down. and with 1t other kindred cases be-
fore the court: The reason for the In
PRODUCTION of the bill above named, put
ting the administration of the law into
the hands of three men instead OF one,
Is the same as that which governed Con-
gress when 1t decided that the AFFAIRS OF
the District government could better be
administered by three Commissioners
than by one.