The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-18
Ordinance Being Drawn.
Tubercular Cows Will
No Longer Be Sold
for Food
CITY OFFICIALS
HAVE KEPT WITHIN
LAW, HE DECLARES
The Commissioner, After Investiga-
ton, Thinks Practice Dangerous
and the Sooner Stopped the
Better-Report lndOrsed
by Unanimous Vote

Diseased COWS are being sold for meat
in Birmingham for the last time.
An ordinance which will prohibit the
use of diseased animals for food purposes
is now being drafted and will be adopted
by the city commission within the near
future, perhaps Friday, but probably not
until next Tuesday.
City Attorney Romaine Boyd was IN
structed to draft an ordinance of this
kind, following a report to the commission
yesterday afternoon by Commissioner A..
o. Lane, in charge of the health depart
ment Judge Lanes report covered the
evidence presented in the recent hearing
held by him In the city recorders court
when evidence was submitted showing
that diseased cows were sold to butchers
and then TO the public for good meat and
that such was dangerous to public health.
CASTOR Started Matter
Judge Zell Castor is directly responsible
for the action taken by the city com
missioner yesterday afternoon At re-
cent appearance before the commissioners
Judge CASTOR was acting as attorney for
the dairymens association and making
a request for a different matter alto
gether. He dropped the remark, however,
that cows afflicted with tuberculosis were
sold for meat and that he believed It.
was dangerous to public health and ought
to be stopped. The matter was taken
up by the commissioners and soon after
Judge Lane held mis- hearing on the mat
ter and yesterday he made his report of
this hearing.
The vote of the commission in indors-
ing Judge Lanes report vas unanimous.
Both Mr. Weatherly and Mr.. Lane stated
that they agreed entirely with Judge Lane
and they congratulated him upon the re-
suit of his inquiry. The city attorney
and City Bacteriologist Duncan will CO
operate in drafting the ordinance, which
will be made an amendment to the pres
ent health ordinance. Judge Lane stated
that the ordinance would be along much
broader lines than his report and illus
trated his meaning by stating that, for
instance, if milk was brought into the
| city from outside the city limits as it
often is, and offered for sale, it would
first have to be inspected by the city
health department. and again If ship
ment of cows was received here and upon
their arrival they were found to be tu-
bercular that neither the city nor the
man who received them could be held
liable for the loss of their being killed
anu used as tankage
Many Details to Be Covered
'"rhere are many details and fine points
which will be covered in the ordinance
which are not covered in the report
stated Judge Lane. Il am thoroughly
convinced that the practice of selling this
diseased meat for food was dangerous
and the sooner we can stop it the better.
In spite of the fact that the government
allows this practice, l believe 1t is a
mistake from the evidence of the wit
nesses who testified at the recent hear
ing
Commissioner Weatherly suggested
after the report was made that both
the selling and purchasing of diseased
cows being prohibited by law. Judge
Lane stated this was one of the de-
tails to be handled in the drafting of
the ordinance One of the most import
ant recommendations in Judge Lanes
report Is that the city bear one third
of the expense of the loss from the
| killing of a COW which was bought in
| good faith by a dairyman and then
| found to be tubercular and killed 1t
| is probable there Will be some limit set
to this in the ordinance, it is stated
Judge Lanes report in full was as
| follows
Judge Lanes Report
| ITO the Honorable Board of Commits
sioners of the City of Birmingham
I'm accordance with instructions. l
have made an exhaustive investigation
as to the results of COWS affected with
| tuberculosis coming in contact with the
human family; also upon the probibl-
| ity of their communicating the disease
| to other cattle, and the effect of milk
| from such cows upon the users there
| of, especially on young children.
Il have heard much testimony by
experts and by the laity, and have also
| had read to me, and l have read, marked
portions of the best authorities on these
subjects From the examinations made
| by me, ] find that it is permissible. un-
der the laws of many of the states and
the laws of the United States for
milk cows slightly affected with tubur-
culosis to be sold for consumption as
beef by human beings. The health Of
| icers and the meat and milk fnspec-
tion department of this city have kept