New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-03-29
MORE CITY MILK STATIONS
Fifty-five Will Be in Operation
Before Hot Season.

Persons who have been watching the de-
velopment OF the new city milk stations
will be Interested 10 learn that the forty
eighth station is 20 be opened at No. Z6i
Monroe street to-day Three began work
Wednesday, at No % Monroe street and
No. 10 Suffolk street. in Manhattan, and
at No. 6O4 Park avenue. Brooklyn
The city is TO have ffty-hve stations al
together, and Dr. 8. Josephine Baker. head
Of the department OF child hygiene OF the
Board OF Health. declares that all VIII 10
I'm operation before the really hot weather
sets in. DR.. Baker says:
Milk stations are the first effort Of tbs
department to combat infant mortality all
the year round, and the best way To re-
duce the death rate among babies is to
get them before they are sick. however.
Of the 1893 babies treated In our fifteen
stations last summer. only eighty dieo, IN
spite OF tho fact that 90 per cent Of them
were sick when they came to US. Although
the department IL to have forty new sta
lions, tho total number In the city 10 not
so greatly increased, as thirty-one formerly
kept by the New York MIX COMMITTEES
were discontinued when IL was learned tho
city was to make more adequate provision
DR.. Baker was asked IL these new sta
lions were not expected TO be opened in
January. She explained that. although tn.
money was appropriated in the fall u
would not bo available until JANUARY and
that the cty's business Is necessarily 30
formal and complicated that greater haste
had been impossible.
Paul r. Taylor, of the New York MIX
Committee said:
The Now York Milk Committee under
took 10 get that money for the Health
Department. We carried on demonstra-
tions and spent thousands OF dollars: We
opened thirty-one stations OF our own and
tried 90 make the fifteen city stations A
success. We furnished Investigators ana
publicity agents and did everything Te
possibly could 10 boom the city milk sta
tions and 70 bring the matter prominently
before the Board OF Estimate and get a.
good big appropriation.
We urged the Commissioner 10 ask Tor
seventy-three stations, which Is two moro
than the minimum required by the city for
1912. We knew seyenty-onc stations woul
provide for every congeSted district IN All
out by the block system-that is, cslcu-
lating the number OF blocks mother
would be likely 10 go for the milk ana
placing the stations accordingly In sec
tions where the infant mortality IL great
our argument before the Board OF Esti-
mate was rather conclusive.
At this point Mr.. Taylor produced q let
ter from the President or the BOARD or
Aldermen which said the number was cut
! down from scventy-one 10 hfty-fve not
through motives OF economy but from
doubt az to whether the department as at
| present organized is in a position success
| fully to start seventy-one stations during
| 1912 The letter further expressed the
| Board of Estimates approval OF extend
| ing the work as rapidly as consistent with
! efficiency and predicted a much larger
! appropriation for 1913 If a success is made
during 1912 Mr.. Taylor adds:
Fifty-fve stations in 1912 are an Increase
of forty over last year Eleven OF these
! were taken over from the New York MIX
| Committee already equipped and in run
| ming order They have opened, then, only
| nineteen since January 1. At such rate
| we may expect the rest TO be ready some
| time I'm December They have known since
! October that they were going to get this
money and they could have chosen the
! sites and prepared for everything in ad-
| vance. There doesn't seem 10 be any par
| tcuar reason why the whole ffty-fiye
shouldn't have been running by the last OF
| January.
II woman knew that she was going u
! have $40 on a certain day To get a hat the
! chances are she would know ahead of Tina
what hat she wanted and be all ready n
! buy II on the day she got the money.
! Not only will their work be less effective
/ for all this delay, but the money that
should have gone toward helping the
| babies in the last three months will rever;
! 10 the city treasury.