The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1913-10-14
Richmond's Dairy Inspector

cent exhibit In the FeStlVai SLfeet pardue slSleu
anything. and undoubtedly employs the best vet
erinarian obtanable to protect them against Ill
ness He is satisfied with nothing less than sci
entist in the particular work of caring for pure
blood equine stock But when it came to select
ing man to stand guard over the citys health
he didn't use the wisdom that led him to choose
an expert for his horses, but appointed Mr.
Charles Flook whose only qualification, it would
seem, was that he had faithfully served "the good
old cause" during the campaign.
Mr.. Flock may have been an excellent employe
of the factory in which he was formerly en-
poyed he may be very honest and estimable
gentleman in every way, but it has been demon
strated that he is hardly up to grade as dairy
Inspector. In fact, it would be a rather difficult
matter to discover in just what ways he is quail
fed to hold his present position. Perhaps DR..
Zimmerman may have hoped four years ago to
see his appointee developed into first class in
spector with three four years experience. The
public educates young men in schools, why nay
it not also educate them for office? Especially
after they have been appointed to a responsible
position. Our mayor has shown great deal of
confidence in Offices ability to fit man for it
after appointment, number Of appointments
will evidence.
The city's recent experience with thirty cases
Of typhoid traced to nsanitary dairy is the
little bill it pays for such schooling. 1t also
shows that the schooling given Mr.. Flock for four
years has not percolated very far into his cere-
brum. He seems to know no more about dairy
inspection than he did when he began his educa-
tion
Here was dairyman, as the states investiga-
tiOns have shown, whose we'll stands in the
inevitable path of seepage from manure piles and
all other barnyard filth, whose spring
open hole covered with boards between the cracks
of which dust and dirt may blow any day, who
washed his bottles in an old wash boiler in the
house, who has utensils in his milk house so filthy
the screens had turned green with verdigris, who
peddling milk produced from such an equip
ment to dozens of Richmond homes.
Mr.. Flock visited this man, according to his
own statement, not less than per month";
What did he do with the we'll standing in the path
of pollution? He left it there. What did he do
with the spring which found full of deadly
colon bacilli by the state chemist? He left it
there. What did he do about the old wash boiler? :?
He permitted it's continued use. After having
been appointed to see that the babies of this COM
munity could receive clean milk he countenanced
the selling of it under such conditions.
And the only Mr.. Flock has given for
such actions was that ''Mr. Hartman is nice old
man, (Which don't dispute for moment), and
that we ought not to be too hard on him" Which
is to say, that because it would cost the dairyman
little money and little trouble it not wise
to compel him to care for his milk under sanitary
conditions; that since it would inconvenience Mr.
Hartman little to bring his dairy up to the re-
quiremcnts of the state law and the city ordi-
nances it would be better to continue jeopardizng
the lives of men and women and babes
And then, after two state inspectors have con-
demned the place as unsanitary, after the state
authorities have identified it as the source of the
epidemic, and after Mr. Flook's own superior Off
Ger in the local department has also given the
opinion that the lack of proper sterilization at
Hartman's dairy responsible for the spread
of the disease, Mr.. Flock reveals further streak
of patriotism by making out an affidavit charging
Mr.. Tucker with Misrepresentation and the Pal
ladium as "unjustly critcizing the dairy" That
is to say after all the authorities agree in fixing
the blame where it belongs, Mr.. Flock still per
sists in his four year old policy of nursing" the
dairymen and carrying them along in spite of
their being below grade
The realsreason Mr.. Flock has not relished the
publicity given the matter is because he knows
ii reflects him, because he knows it will reveal
how poorly he has attended to his work and how
little qualified he is to continue it. The tap-root
of this inability lies in the fact that Mr. Flock is
not qualified to tell the difference between clean
dairy and a sanitary dairy. A milk house NAV be
shining like Spotless Town and at the same time
reek with disease germs. Properly to inspect
such would require a trained man, which Mr.
Flock is not, and equipment which he does
not possess.
It is just such affairs as this that are every
where revealing the utter breakdown of partv