The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1910-08-30
nairvmen Hold Meeting.

urday. There was liberal attendance
the members who discussed the priC
that was to be paid for milk during tn
fall and winter months. 1t was agree
that AZ cents fixed by the association fC
September was satisfactory. A majorit
of those present thought it was best t
wait until November for an advance G
one-half cent per quart. Samuel S. For
OF Wrightstown, member of the associs
tion's executive committee, will carry
the next meeting of that board the desir
of the county dairymen on the price ques
ton.
Numerous articles which have appears
in the city newspapers have sought t
throw the blame for the impurities Il
milk on the producers. An accusation
came from Director of Public Safety
Neff, of Philadelphia, who said that g.
per cent OF the impurities were in the mill
before 1t reached Philadelphia.
Taking this basis as correct statemen
W. w. Webster, former Philadelphia
milk dealer, who keeps in touch with tn,
present methods of handling milk, mad,
the subject one of personal investigation
His findings were set forth in the follow
ing paper which he prepared, and which
is a complete exoneration of any unfavor
able conditions prevailing on any of tn,
dairy farms in this county. In part tn,
report reads as follows:
The question of milk supply for oul
large cities is one of great moment. JUS
at the present time this important subiec
as applied to the milk supply of Philadel
phia is receiving much more than ordinary
attention, being under discussion all sum
mer, the dealers being active and the
farmers holding meetings here and else
where. These discussions have revolved
about two points-first, as to price; the
price which the producer should receive
and the price which the consumer should
pay; second, as to quality.
In debating these questions 1t must be
noted that there are three recognized
parties-the farmers, the dealers, and the
consumers, and desire to introduce q
new one-the railroads. The railroads
help to make the price, or, In other words,
the railroad rates must be taken into con.
sideration In fixing the price, and when 1t
comes to the question of quality the
transportation company is, in my opinion,
quite as important factor as either the
producer or the dealer.
Now, what Is meant In the present con.
troversy by qualitY2 The law fixes the
of butter fat as one item of
quality, but in the agitation now taking
place for better quality of milk 1t has
reference to purity alone. This is clean
illness, pure and simple. You producers
all admit that your cattle should be
healthy, that everything pertaining to the
dairy should be kept in strictly sanitary
condition, and that the milk should be
cooled and delivered to the railroad at a
temperature of 90 to go degrees.
There are persons in all walks of life
who do their work or handle their bust
ness In slip-shod, -you-please man
ner. Undoubtedly there are some farmers
In that class, but Of all the dirty, ire
sponsible. loose business management that
exists at the present time that of the two
thousand or more milk dealers of the city
Of Philadelphia is the worst.
l have been among these dealers and
know whereof l speak. Director Neff
can verify this statement If he will make
an exhaustive examination, following the
milk from the railroad platforms to many
so called milk houses, which may be dirty
back sheds adjacent to filth from houses
and stables, or they may be foul and filthy
cellars. Then he should follow the milk
through the grimy filters to the dirty
bottles, sometimes kept for more than
two days, and to the door step of the con-
70 In. 61rfrr l.
iirty drivers. Mind you, do not put all
Philadelphia milk dealers in this class. but
she percentage is very large. Many of
,he large and small dealers handle the
milk In strictly sanitary manner, which
that extremely important part,
The washing of the bottles.
When Director Neff states that so per
cent of the milk delivered In Philadelphia
8 unfit for use he does not go far enough.
'Or investigation will show that nearly all
)f this 80 per cent of unfit milk is con-
animated by the method of handling from
he platform to the consumer. In many
Of the large establishments he will find the
Washing of bottles farce, and the So
called pasteurizing process as there con-
iucted admitting more microbes to the
milk than the process destroys. In this
l want to say that scientific
men are almost unanimous In declaring
hat pasteurization is only make-shift.
rhe heating Of the milk is done solely to
improve its keeping qualities. If there
ire disease germs In the milk, that milk
hould not be used even after resorting to
to kill those germs. Better
hat one should swallow those germs alive
han take them after they are cooked and
lead In the mild. If the milk is pure, I'M
1t does net need pasteuriz-
ng. This process is used by the dealers
% save ice, and much of the milk which
s pasteurized and kept too long Is de-
tvered to the consumer, not on the verge
If sOuring, but near the rotting stage. If
t was turning sour the consumer would
'efuSe 1t, and II taken into the stomach
would do nc harm, but it can be on the
Terge of rot and remain undetected by the
consumer.
My observation among the farmers war
ants me In saying that the percentage
who belong to the slip-shod class of dairy
handlers is very small, and but small
of the 80 per cent unfit milk
laid to be delivered to consumers in Phila-
ielphia can be traced to the farmer.
The business should be so regulated that
he farmer would be obliged to deliver
pure, Eclean milk to the station or no sale,
Just as the unsanitary dealer In the city
Ihould be forced to handle his supply cor
'ectly or get out of business The farm
srs' milk should be subject to inspec-
Ion at the receiving station, not at the
platforms in Camden and Philadelphia.
Right here Is where the Transportation
should be recognized as the
fourth interested party. When the pro-
iucer delivers to the railroad milk that is
from 30 to go degrees in temperature,
clean and in cans In good condition, his
should cease, and 1t is up to
,he railroad company to deliver the milk
n good condition, even If they have to Ice
heir cars for few months, and, still
,urther. If they are Obliged to haye their
ears washed several times during the life
If such cars. The accepted temperature
IF 55 to go degrees Is cold enough, and If
delivered to the receiving station by the
producer at that temperature, and kept at
that temperature until 1t reaches the deal
ers' warehouses, 1t Is all that is necessary
up to that point to maintain the quality.
As first pointed out, the agitation now
raging touches the question of quality as
regards cleanliness, and the question of
prices which the producers should receive
and the consumers should pay. AS to the
latter point, the milk producer has per-
shable article to sell, 1t cannot be stored
to await favorable market price. it can
not even make the choice of two or more
markets; 1t must be delivered Immediately
to one certain market 1t is an axiom
that the seller of an article, who must
make forced sale and for whom there is
but one market to which he can make
delivery, is at the mercy of the buyers as
regards price. Such is the condition of
the milk product, and such, of necessity,
It must remain.