The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-02-19
R|CHMONDIS IS NOT
READY FOR GOVT
MILK INSPECTION
This the Dairymen Argued at
The Open Meeting of the
Anti Tuberculosis Society
Held Last Night.
ALL SIDES OF IMPORTANT
sQUESTION DISCUSSED.
City Health Officer Declared
Milk Was Dangerous and
The Dairymen Took a Most
: Contrary View.

At an opening meeting held last
evening in the Commercial club
rooms by the Wayne County Anti-Tu-
berculosis society, both sides of the
proposed milk inspection ordinance
was thoroughly and intelligently dis
cussed Several physicians spoke, urg-
Ing the necessity from the standpoint
Of public health. of milk inspection.
Charles Commons and Walter S. Rat
lift spoke from the standpoint of the
milk dealers and consumers and in
sisted that the milk sold in this city
was not as impure as pictured by the
physicians and said that inspection
would be impractical until the public
had been educated up to it,
DR.. Charles S. Bond, city health of
ficer, stated that milk was most
dangerous medium for the transmits
sion of tuberculosis and other contas-
lous diseases and insisted that prompt
ton of dairies in this county and of
milk sold in this city. DR.. ID. w.
Stevenson, DR.. S. Edgar Bond, DR.. AL
len Bramkamp and DR.. r Henry Dav-
is all spoke along similar lines, which
have been set before the public in var
ious articles submitted to the press
by local physicians.
DR.. Lee Hoover, county dairy in
spector, spoke on The subject of the
dairies in Wayne county. He stated
that in the past two years there had
been considerable improvement in the
condition of these dairieS and in the
method of handling milk. but that
there was still room for Improvement.
He said that it would not be long be-
fore the people would insist on clean
dairies and absolutely pure milk.
Mr.. Commons of the Richmond
Cream company, speaking on behalf
of the dairymen, presented most
able argument. He admitted that in
specticn was a good thing but that the
plan of inspection proposed by the
local physicians was impractical. He
county were human and that they
never had or would sell milk which
they knew to be impure. He insisted
that the dealers used every pre- eau
tion to keep their milk clean and their
herds in good condition. Mr.. Com
mons then described the method en-
ployed by the dairymen in handling
milk. He described the articles that
have been printed in the Richmond
newspapers about the impure cOndl-
tion of milk sold in Richmond as SLAM
derous. He said that though milk in.
spection would eventually come but
not Immediately as it was first neces,
sary to educate the public to the du,
ties 1t would be required to perform.
Walter S. Ratliff spoke on the meth,
cd employed by dairynen in handl,
ing their herds; the condition the
dairy barns were kept in and the care
taken In the handling of milk. Mr.
Ratliff opposed milk inspection. He
said that it would mean an advance
in price, which would eventually
mean that the dealers would be oblig
ed to handle two kinds of milk-in
spected milk for the well-to-do class
and uninspected milk for the poor pa
irons. This would arrange class
against class. he said. Milk inspec
tion. Mr.. Ratliff held. would drive a
number of dealers out of business. In
the past few years. he stated, milb
consumption in Richmond has de
creased from 1000 to 500 gallons
daily. Milk inspection would make &
further decrease he argued. The re
duction in the consumption of milk
hc said, was was because increase il
feed and other items of expense hat
forced a number of dealers out of bust
ness. Mr. Ratliff also stated that he
was not yet convinced that a human
being could contract bovine tubercu
losis.