The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-11-04
Threat Is Made If the City
Health Officer Insists on
Making TubercuIine Tests
On the Dairy Herds.
IT WOULD ELIMINATE
BIG PER CENT OF COWS
One Big Milk Dealer Also Says
That Under Existing Condi-
tionS There Is No Profit in
The Business.

Before the winter is over and very
probably before January 1, the price
of milk will be advanced by the dairy
men from the present price of 6A
cents quart to 8 cents quart. 1t
depends on DR.. Charles Bond, city
health officer, whether the price is
raised, according to the dairymen, who
say that if DR.. Bond carries out his
intention of administering the tubercu-
line test on dairy cattle, that after the
first test is made, the price will soar.
because it generally results in the
elimination of big percent of the
herds tested
DR.. Bond has told the dairymen that
he intends to have every dairy COW, the
milk of which is sold in this city, tu-
berculine tested before he goes out of
office. His term of office expires
with the Schillinger administration,
January l. The tuberculine has been
ordered from the government and it's
arrival is expected the first of next
week. The tests will be performed by
Dr. Bond and DR.. Mark Stewart, city
dairy inspector.
Reason Is Advanced.
The reason why the price will be
raised does no depend on whether the
cattle are tuberculine tested alone, al
though this is very important reason.
j. L. Bachelor, owner of one of the
largest and most up-to-date dairies fur
nishing milk in this city, said today,
that it was imperative that the price
be raised if the dairymen are to live.
He says that the price of feed, labor
and fresh dairy cows have advanced
40 to 80 per cent in the last few years,
while the price of milk remains the
same. Mr.. Bachelor says his plant
has not made a dollar for him in sew
eral months
It is probable that the price of milk
will not be raised by all dairymen at
the same time. as their organization, so
we'll perfected two years ago, is prac-
tically defunct now The little deal
ers are accusing the big men of monop-
olizing the trade and running affairs,
SO the little men have dropped out
One of the dealers stated this morning
that the advance to 8 cents a quart
would probably be made by the large
dealers first and that the smaller deal
ers would fall in line soon afterwards.
1t was predicted by this man that with
In two weeks after the initiative was
taken by one of the dealers, the price
of milk in this city would be uniformly
8 cents quart.
Not Always Accurate.
Another dealer, in discussing the tu-
berculine test, stated that the dairy
men were not opposed to it from hu-
name standpoint, but from financial
point of view, and because the test did
not always prove to be accurate. The
milkmen believe that their dairy cows
are in good health and that no reac-
ton will result following the admins
tration of the tuberculine. However,
the risk which is run is great as the
average number of dairy cows in this
state which respond to the test is ten
out of every 100. In some herds every
COW will be found to be in good health,
while in other herds, perhaps three
fourths of the COWS will be found to
be infected.
& DIR. Bond says that his purpose in
the tuberculine test is from
a humanitarian standpoint. Statistics
show, according to him. that the cause
of tuberculosis among infants and
adults lies largely in the fact that the
milk which they use is infected with
bacilli. Babies, which
are nursed on the bottle, do not at
that age, have the stamina to throw Off
the attack of the germs. and unless
particular pains are taken to provide
them with pure milk, their death or
will, as rule. result.