The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-06
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
More On Dairy Question.

I have read with some interest the article in recent issue of your valuable paper written by MT. William E. Mat He goes on to say that 65 per cent of the babies are now raised on cows milk. He does not say what babies, that is, of what place, and so I take it for granted that he means the babies of thls city and suburbs. Just how he arrives at the ex- act percentage he also fails to tell, but I suppose 1t is a guess, as I know of no available statistics on this subject If he guesses at 1t I suppose I have a guess coming to me also, and I wish to say that l do not believe 25 per cent of the babies of Jefferson county are raised on the bottle. I also wish to take issue with MT. Matthews about the cause of the infantile diseases which affect our babies that are raised on the bottle Many of them are fed nearly everything else besides milk and 1t is my humble opinion, based on what I hear, see and read, that promiscuous feeding of bottle babies causes much more sickness among. them than the milk they drink. Are not practically all the cases of ptomaine poi soning among infants so caused? An other thing that our educated" dairy friend fails to tell us is just what it is in the milk that causes the infantile troubles. We also note that our health officers fail to locate the exact cause. ing haled Into court to answer charges and being convicted for offenses that cannot be substantiated when the case gets to the higher courts
 MT. Matthews goes on to say that the dairymen as a class are hard-worked and do not have time to read or think of improvement" I do uot know how hard MT. Matthews works, or how much time he has to read and think of improve ment, but I do know that I am guilty of being ''hard-worked." Early and late I toll to make living and little more besides out of my dairy, and I am will ing to confess. without complaining, that 1t is hard work. But I not only have a little time to think of improvement" but I am constantly making improve iments. I work at my business myself. handling the details and studying every department of the business in order that l may give the best milk at the least cost for MT. Matthews will not deny that it is often problem with the dairy men as to just how to make buckle and tongue meet" in the dairy business finan- cially.
 I appreciate Mr., Matthews calling me enc of Birmingham's best dairymen. but l desire to call the attention of the public to the fac. that I was brought into court only on one charge, namely, having sediment in my milk. As MT. Matthews states, I introduced plenty of witnesses to prove that my milk was as good as anybodys and that it is a matter of impossibiity to offer milk that will not sometimes show sediment on standing Surely MT. Matthews does not have the temerity to say that his milk is always free from sediment I am willing to admit that it would be bet ter to sell milk without sediment if if were always possible, but has our health officer or does MT. Matthews undertake to say just what kind of bad effect milk that has sediment in it has on an in fant that Is fed on it? Besides, our high CT courts have failed to sustain convic tions sent up from the police court on this charge. I challenge our health de- partment and MT. Matthews to put their. finger on the trouble in the milk that makes it unfit for public use How is it that our city maintains bacteriolog- ical department, a sanitary department a police department and milk and dairy inspection department, all at great ex pense to this city and still the charge against the dairymen is continually fiout- ed in the face of the public that "a large per cent of the milk sold in Birming- ham Is wholly unfit for human food. and yet those who insist on making these sweeping charges fail to place their fin- ger on the exact spot and say just what the trouble is. What do the taxpayers say who are supporting all these de- partments and who, by the way. are the consumers of large percentage of the milk sold in the city by me as well as the other dairymen? They are al- most a unit in saying that the milk is good and that it does not cause the sick nesses ascribed to it. If the milk is so had and so many babies are ill from if. why Is it that the cause of the ill., ness of some particular baby is not traced to some particular dairyman and def mite charge made against him and his milk in that particular instance? I will hazard a guess that the reason is that such charge could not be substantiated by facts.
 Now another word about improvements I am willing to admit that dairy condi- lions are not ideal. But are they ideal