The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-01-31
RUIN GREAT work
by ONE RASH LAW
Throckmorton Bill Would Flood
City With Impure Milk,
Mr.. Branch Declares.
MUST COMBINE TO DEFEAT 1T
Tells How High Standard Now
Required Would Be Low
cred at Expense Of Life.

"All citizens OF Richmond who know
tho Immense Improvement which has
been brought about In our milk supply
under present methods" said John p.
i Branch yesterday, Should use every
effort TO defeat the Throckmorton bill.
which will not only put us back where
we were three years ago, but Will CT
fcctually block all efforts to get out
OF this condition of affairs again"
4 Mr.. Branch, who was one of tho
early advocates OF pure milk. has been
deeply impressed with the determine
ton OF physicians, nurses and others to
prevent tho passage of a law which
might open the sates to any kind Of
i product.
When the work or dairy inspection
was started by the Richmond Health
/ Department on May /, 1907" said Mr..
Branch. the conditions which were
found were just those which exist in
every community which has no dairy
Inspection. This investigation was un-
\, dertaken nearly four years ago, and
! tho results were published IN the Old
Dominion Journal OF Medicine and Sur
4 gerry tho following February. This in
+, vestigation deals entirely with the sanI-
tary quality of the milk as shown by
tho number of bacteria which were pre-
sent In 1t, and the results proved con-
clusively that the milk supply OF Rich
{ mond at that time was far from what
| II should have been.
How Quality Improved.
when milk inspection by the Rich
nond Health Department began at that
time there was not, as shown by the re-
! ports OF the chief health officer. a sin
| gle dairy farm sending milk 10 tho
| Richmond market which was not what
1t should have been The highest score
| of any place at that time was a. per
cent. OF perfect. Last month the aver
ago score was more than rs per cent
: In other words, at the present time tho
average dairy farm sending milk to
| Richmond is better than the best was
| In May. 1907.
In order to accomplish this work. it
! has. OF course, been necessary to shut
out some diaries. but this has never
worked a hardship on any man Who
really wished to conduct good place.
| This is shown By the fact that tha
very worst place that was found when
| dairy inspection started became with
| in few months ono of the best places
| This mans score was only 30 on hrst
inspection. but within eight months
I he scored more than Sc per cent, and
| has kept to this high standard ever
| since.
only by absolutely rigid ruling
| have these results been brought about.
In one section especially. where all
the dairy farms were quite poor.
strenuous opposition to the work OF
the Richmond Health Department
arose. but. by strict enforcement OF
the rules this section now has some
of the best dairy farms in the State
of Virginia.
Force Good Dealers to Quit.
I'm order to meet the requirements
of the Richmond Health Department.
the dairynen sending milk into tho
Richmond market have expended with
in the past two and a half years not
less than 100000. and most of them
! now have really model places. If the
| standard OF milk on the Richmond
| market Is lowered so that any farm
er. who can keep few cows in an old
shed and produce milk with utter dis
regard of all sanitary requirements.
Is allowed to sell his dirty and dam
Eerous product in Richmond. the in
evitable result will be tworold:
81. That the health OF the citizens
of tichmon,l will suffer seriously, and
81. That those dnlrymcn who have
equipped themselves at great expense
to produce safe and wholesome milk
cannot meet this Improper compcti-
tion, and Will be forced either to sell
milk mt n loss or else to Eo out OF
business.
The work of the Richmond Health
Department in the Improvement OF
sanitary quality of its milk supply has
attracted attention over the entire
United States, and has been the sub
iect of favorable comment In every
recent bulletin on the subject of dairy
inspection that has been published by
the Dairy Division of the United
States Department of Agriculture. 4
recent book on "Pure Milk and the
Public HEALTH written by Califor-
MAN, cites the work In Richmond as
a model of what can be accomplished
and reproduces tables and diagrams
from tho annual report of tho Rich
mond Health Department Health Of
ticcrs of both cities and States that
wish to adopt measures to secure q
sanitary milk supply look to the Rich
mond work as a model.
Take No Backward Step.
"All citizens OF Richmond who know
tho immense Improvement which has
been brought about In our milk sup
ply under present methods should usa
every effort to defeat tho Throck-
morton BILL which Will not only put us
back to where we We're three years
ago, but will effectually block all eff
forts to get out OF this condition OF
affairs again. The passage of the
Throckmorton bill would be an equal
calamity to the citizens of Richmond
and 40 all respectable, up-to-date
dairymen who have at great labor
and expense worked up modern dairy
plants to produce such a product as
the citizens of Richmond desire. Why
was tho bin to change the mode of
inspection introduced by the repre-
sentative from Henrico, where many
x of the dairymon have been prohibited
from selling milk In Richmond onaac-E
count OF inferioD quality. and further
more. why should this additional en-
ponse be placed on the state when tho
citizens of Richmond are tho real ben-
oliciaries ana arc the people to foot
tho bills2
since wa nro having purn milk, the
health OF the city has .improyed very