The Washington herald., 1912-03-16

ps u oi "Nt biiS iIIOSt pONSflUl
interests, and then the formation
of great pasteurized milk trust.
And we know what that would
mean to the consumer.
As has been said, cheap priced
milk is an imperative necessity for
the poor of New York city.
Compulsory pastearization of
practically the entire product. as
| proposed BY the New York Board
of Health. is going to raise the
price of milk to a point where it
will be ciassed as a luxury in the
home of every poor family through
out the length and breadth of
Greater New York. There is no
getting away from this contention.
Loose raw milk is sold TO-DAY at
low figure, not because it is a
cheap inferior product, but simply
because the cost of producing and
handling it, is the minimum.
When YOU come to pasteurize
milk, and put it upon the market
under the conditions prescribed bv
the health department, you have
an entirely different proposition.
There is the cost of running a
pasteurizing plant to consider, with
! its skilled high-priced labor. steam
production, and other numerous in
cidentals.
. Then this milk will necessarily
have to be sold in bottles. The
average consumer little realizes the
enormous cost annually to bottled
milk concern OF supplying bottles
daily to its patrons. 1t is safe to
say that the aggregate loss in New
York City, from broken, mislaid,
and stolen milk bottles exceeds
many thousands of dollars.
Consumers at the present dav
MAY observe that the various
bottlers OF milk carry on very ex-
tensive advertising campaigns.
Every fence and deadwall through
out the city is Ornamented with a
three-sheet poster, describing the
SuPerlative advantages OF some
body's bottled milk. Every ele-
waited, surface and subway car con-
tains a similar announcement, and
the columns of the newspapers
bristle daily with the advertise
mentS of bottled milk.
What Can be done with large
advertising appropriation to mis-
lead the public is best shown in the
recent publicity campaign" OF a
certain paSteurizing concern.
Every one is familiar with the
lIalf-page advertisements of this con-
Germ which recently appeared in the
local dailieS. in which the claim was
made that the decrease in local in
fantile mortality was due to the
fact that the board of health milk
stations were supplied with milk
| from the concern.
No more absurd statements have
ever been made in the history OF
freak advertising.
! Just why the board of health
should have permitted itself. with
out a protest. to be used as a
| booster OF this company will ever
remain mystery.
! 1t is equally inexplicible why the
board OF health should have per-
mitted this concern to impose upon
the public in this way purely upon
the basis OF its contract TO supply
the health department stations with
milk.
The decrease in local infantile
mortality was due to the energetic
and conscientious work OF the New
York Milk Dealers Associations,
as can be proven by direct evidence.
And this direct evidence is some
thing entirely different from the
false and misleading paid-for news
paper puff" of the mentioned
concern.
This advertising all costs money
vast sums of money-and the
consumer naturally foots the bill
Advertising is charged as one of
the expense items i'll the cost of
production.
So it can be safely predicted that
compulsory pasteurization will
eventually bring about a condition
in the local milk industry when the
product will be retailed at from
ten to fifteen cents per quart.
Throughout the controversy, not
one word has been spoken OF the
work which has been, and is still
being accomplished by the Milk
Dealers Associations of Greater
New York.
The members of the associations
are, as a rule. dealers in loose raw
milk. AT their own expense they
maintain a sanitary bureau. which
works along parallel lines with the
New York Health Department.
| Not only do the association MEM
bers deliver their raw product in