The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-11-11

products now being sold to them are
as good and wholesome as can be pro-
duced by any bakeries in the country
wiping Out the Oven.
The woman in question referred
specifically to some things discovered
in bakeries of Mankato, particularly
to the manner of wiping out the
ovens, and in one instance she noted
it is wiped out with dirty, greasy
rag or something to that effect. Had
she wanted to be fair with the bakers,
it would have been easy for them to
explain to her what the bakers use
and how it is done. Her policy was
not to talk to us or let US explain
anything to her. A bakers oven is SO
constructed that all the fine dust and
accumulations that naturally arise
from baking material and from gases
and vapor condensing therefrom that
it has to be wiped out by attaching
cloths of some kind to rod of suffi-
cient length to reach to all parts OF
the oven, which average from about
ten to twelve feet in size. There is
no other way to do it because when
the oven is hot no person dare wipe
it out in any other way. This article
is dipped into clean water, after each
baking is taken out, and the bottom
of the oven is thoroughly wiped out
in order to get out all fine dust or
anything that accumulated, before an
other baking is put in, and this is
what she referred to as the swabbing
process. 1t has to be large, coarse
kind of cloth in order to do the work
thoroughly, and this cloth is changed
at least once week. and clean water
is used every day for the swabbing
process, and we submit that in this
way our ovens are as clean OF cleaner
than the ovens of our private homes.
Condition of Floors.
Another thing she referred to is the
conditions of floors in some bakeries.
A floor in any place where moisture
and sticky substances are constantly
used cannot be made to look as pre-
sentable as the vanished floors in our
private homes, but we wish to say
that these floors are scraped by US
each day to remove all dough or any
other substance that might stick to
them, and are thoroughly scrubbed
once or twice week. These are the
floors she condemned with such hor-
ror. Some of the bakeries in Man
kato have been used long time, and
the floors and walls and other sur
roundings have an oldish appearance,
such as time brings to the appearance
of any structure in use, but this does
rot mean that they are unsanitary.
They are kept clean and are white
washed frequently, and no person in
Mankato need fear any unsanitary
effects coming therefrom.
As to the presence of cockroaches,
rats, ETC., in our places of business
that seemed to horrify the lecturer,
will say that no bakery in the world
OF no home is free from visitatons of
vermin, rats and mice, and that our
places are not infested with these to
any greater degree than any other.
and we all keep up constant and
vigilant work to keep their presence
down to minimum and succeeded in
doing so. Yet this woman wanted the
public to believe that our goods are
unsanitary because she happened to
see one or two cockroaches, and rat
hole.
Every Bakers Trough Well Creased.
AS to the presence of ancient
grease" ON our mixing troughs, which
seemed to offend this muck raker, we
will say that every bakers trough is
well creased with clean lard, all over
the inside before the dough is put in
to it, just as any housewife greases her
baking utensils, and the dough cannot
be successfully kneaded in the trough
without SO doing. The troughs are
made of hard wood, and in time the
constant use of grease saturates the
wood to some extent, and gives them a
greasy appearance, but they are kept
clean and thoroughly scraped inside
each day after the mixing is through
with, and yet the woman in question
held "ancient grease" up before the
nostrils of her audience to disgust
them and prejudice them against our
products.
Do Not Object to Inspection.
As we have said above we do not
object to inspection, and do not OBJ
ject to complying with laws of the
state, but we do object to any in
spector, if such she is, visiting our
places, and without conference with
us, and without advising us wherein we
have not complied with the public
regulations, going before our patrons
and reading up conditions which if
needed attention at all should have
been taken up with us, and steps
taken to remedy the same. Up to
date we have not been advised by this
woman OF any other authority that
our places are not sanitary, and we
have not been informed as to any re-
quirements made upon us, and yet the
papers throughout the state especially
in the twin cities, whose bakers are
seeking outside trade have published
these ISLANDERS broadcast.
Finally we wish to say that each
baker in the city has already noticed
the serious fallingoff in his trade be-