The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-07-21
GOVERN MENT EXPERTS
HERE ON lNSPEC TON
Conditions Compare Favorably With
Other Cities, But Some of the
Daries Are Far Below the
Required Standard.
BY WALTER HARPER.


Do you know that the dairy is clean?
Do you know that it Is now so filthy
and repulsive to every sense of deli
cacy that you could not walk through
1t with comfort7
ask do you know these things?
If you do not you should.
The question of your milk supply is
as important and perhaps more i'm
portant than your water supply Do
you know that hundreds, yes, thousands
of babies die every year in the United
States from drinking impure and UNI
wholesome milk?
Would you turn your kitchen over
entirely to the care of servants that
may be careless and unclean? How
careless are you about your milk sup
ply?
Monthly Reports.
Fathers of Birmingham, do you read
carefully the monthly reports of the
city milk and meat inspector in the
newspapers, or do you turn eagerly
to the sporting page and disregard this
important matter? Mothers of inno-
ton do you give the fashion and So
ciety columns than the selection of
your milkman?
The LOG daries that supply the milk
for the people of Birmingham are as
good as the average of any city in the
country, taking them as a whole, but
among them there are some as bad as
can be found anywhere.
Munioinq1 statutes throw Soma SORT
of safeguard about the consumers of
milk, but the law cannot be made to
reach all cases. There are degrees of
perfection and conditions that are with
in the limit of the legal regulations
and the officers cannot regulate all the
evils that may exist. The people and
the dairymen must bring about the
highest perfection in the handling of
the product.
Improving Supply.
Milk and Meat Inspector e. M. Dun
can and his assistant, j. e. James, are
doing good work in improving the milk
supply of Birmingham, and deserve
much credit for what they have ac-
complished during the past year. The
standard of the dairies In this district
is being raised considerably and the
work is just fairly begun. A system
the animal Industry bureau of the
United States department of agricul-
ture was adopted here few months
ago, and this system is doing much to
improve the conditions. When 1t Is
understood and thoroughly Appreciated
by the dairymen it will do much to
elevate the general average In every
respect.
DR.. George M. Whitaker of Washington,
in charge of the market milk investiga-
ton of the dairy division of the animal
industry bureau, has been in the city for
two days, and has been instructing the
local officials in the use OF the new score
card Dr. Whitaker Is the man that has
introduced the system In almost all the
large cities of the country. The system Is
one of the most perfect and impartial
that could possibly be devised. Every
dairy In the district is scored at frequent
intervals on general equipment and meth
DDS of handling the products.
The score card shows just the percent
age of efficiency of each individual dairy
and is a means of encouraging the i'm
provement of the plant and methods.
Scoring System.
The system of scoring is so arranged
that the inspector who may be lobbyist
on some certain item of dairy equipment
cannot award undue credit for his partic-
ular hobby. A perfect cement floor with
proper drainage, for Instance, can only
score points DR.. Whitaker points out
that q barn may have every modern
equipment with all construction accord
ing to the most approved ideas, and yet
the deiryman's method of handling his
milk may kill his entire percentage. IN
deed the manner of handling the product
is made the first and most important feat
ure. Yet every man is given full credit
for proper equipment. 1t Is often the
case that the purest and cleanest milk Is
produced in the most insanitary surround
ings.
It is said that one of the handsomest.
cleanest and neatest delivery wagons
that comes into the city of Birmingham
delivers milk and butter from one of the
most unwholesome diaries in the district.
Hard Proposition.
One of the hardest propositions in the
world is to keep a perfectly clean and
sanitary dairy. 1t requires lots of hard
work and much constant care. The dairy
necessarily is unpleasant and easily adapt
ed to contamination. Just little neglect
brings bad results quickly.
For instance, during tour of the diaries
In the district with DIR. Whitaker, DR..
Duncan, Assistant James and d. s. Dow
Of the animal industry bureau, located at
Auburn l saw one or two places that
appear to be left in the care of negroes
almost entirely. 1t cannot be said that
these places were perfect In condition. DR..
Duncan is doing all in his power to cor
| rect these conditions and is succeeding
to marked degree. 1t takes time to
work out all these things and the system
| Of scoring introduced by the federal gov
eminent is having good effect along these
| lines.
| 1t is the ambition of every man in any
| line of business to at least equal his COM
petitors. No man wants to drag behind.
| The publication of the percentage ratings
| OF the diaries gives the diaries with good
ratings a distinct advantage over the
poorer dairies. and this. affecting as II
| does the financial returns of the business,
spurs the dairyman with low rating to
| improve hs condition. The competitive
| feature of the scoring is bound to bring
about good results. Those dairymen who
refuse or neglect to bring their conditions
| I'D to the standard will be forced out OF
| business or their license taken from them.
Great Improvement.
| But DR.. Duncan tells me that there has
been wonderful Improvement In almos'
| all the daires during the past few
| months and that the tendency ID for still
/ greater Improvement. Larger and better
barns are being constructed and q major.