Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-07-25

that is not tested for tuberculosis, or
milk being produced in an unclean
way, they advise that the milk be
pasteurized, using any one of num-
Der of competing machines or home
made pasteuriier. AS result of this
work, thousands of farmers have in
troduced new and sanitary methods of
producing and shipping milk-not be-
cause they were forced to do so, but
because they saw the justice of pro-
| tecting their consumers and found
that they lost less milk and made
greater profits by following the spe-
cialists' advice.
| 1.-THE dairy division advises the pas
| teurization of milk unknown or of
! doubtful purity because in large meas
ure it protects the consumer from
dangers that might be incurred by
fusing milk in the raw state. Pasteur-
| ization is not recommended as sub
stitute for sanitary precautions but as
an additional safeguard where the in
! spection is not sufficient to guarantee
|. the puril. of the milk
"The dairy division also is conduct
| ing an extensive campaign among con-
sumers. In the first place, it is try
ing to convince them that it costs
more to produce clean wholesome
milk than to produce dirty and dan
gerous milk. In the second place, 1t
aims to show the householder how
to keep milk after it has been deliver
ed by the milkman. Clean milk, II
allowed to become warm, if kept in
unclean vessels, or if exposed to the
dust of rooms or left within reach
of flies, quickly deteriorates and may
become dangerous.
Whatever power the department
has to compel milk dealers to pro-
duce safe, cean milk comes to it from
the food and drugs act. Under this
act the department has power to re-
quest the department of justice to
order prosecutions or seizures only
in the case of milk that enters inter
state commerce. In this work the de-
partment does not set up standards,
but accepts the st ldards of the city
into which the milk is being shipped
across state lines. The bureau of
chemistry, which has only limited
number of inspectors, does most of
it's work by cooperating with local
authorities in the case of milk pro-
duced across a state line. Where
milk is found to be adulterated, it
is of course seized Where indications
are found that the milk is not prop
erly produced, and is likely to be-
come dangerous, the dairyman is warn
ed to clean up and is shown how to
| improve his milk If he fails to act
on this warning, prosecution follows
The purpose of this work now being
carried on around Pittsburgh is not
so much to protect the large cities
which have their own health officers
and milk inspectors, but to prevent
dangerous milk being shipped ACROSS
state lines into smaller towns which
have no local milk inspection. These
inspectors working near Pittsburgh
found that much milk which was re-
fused entry into Pittsburgh by the
local health officer, was being sold
in nearby suburbs and small towns.
The department, of course, had no
power over milk produced and sold
within state lines, and therefore took
steps to see that milk shipped into
these towns from the neighboring
towns was clean and pure. The major
purpose of the study is to determine
exact conditions in the district, so
that the milk producers may be aided
linteiigently to produce a satisfactory
product. In most cases, save where
milk is actually watered or chemi-
oally preserved, the government finds
that the bad milk results more from
the ignorance of the farmer than from
any deliberate intention on his part
to produce and sell dirty milk. He
commonly needs expert advice along
practical lines, and this advice in most
cases he welcomes and carries out
as rapidly as his means permit
The governments first fnvestiga.
ton into interstate shipments of milk
was undertaken III the summer OF
1908, around Cincinnati. before that
city had milk inspection department
Most of the milk used In Cincinnati
was shipped across the state line from
i Kentucky. The results of the govern