The Detroit times., 1913-01-16
MILK FAMINE
NOT POSSIBLE,
ASSERTS PRICE
Local Inspector Says that Cattle
Are indispensable on
the Farm
DIVERTING OF MILK
TO TOLEDO UNLIKELY
Arrangements To Be Made for
Uniform Regulations in De-
troit and Ohio City

The Detroit Board OF Health does
not fear a combination OF farmers
who will refuse to ship milk TO De-
troit after March /, because OF the
health boards rules OF inspection, as
the farmers are threatening.
Dr. William II. Price, chief milk in
spector OF the Board OF Health, ex-
planned To The Times the conditions
on which the board relies for g~con-
tinuance OF the milk supply.
Cattle are a necessity TO the
farmer" he said 1T is true that the
farmer cannot produce milk at a
profit; the profit does not come in
that way II comes through the refuse
OF the barns, which is spread over the
farmers fields as fertilizer and keeps
his land productive. A farmer is
! forced to raise cattle or steers as his
cheapest means OF keeping his land
| in shape; and as the milk which the
cattle produce is sufficient to pay Tor
their maintenance, the barn refuse
must be classed as profit
Il think that on this point the
Board OF Health and the people OF De-
ltroit have the advantage over the
farmer, and can enforce the rules for
pure milk without danger to the sur
ply, in spite OF the farmers threats.
The farmers have never been able TO
maintain q Arm organization. They
are jealous OF one another and In the
long run are unable to agree on a pro-
gram.
III the Board OF Health wanted to
put the small dairyn1an out Of bust
ness, IL could do 1t In a minute; but
It doesn't. Only one thing would DO
necessary to force the little dealer to
the wall-and that would be, to re.
Quire the pasteurization OF all milk
/ sold In Detroit. The small dealers
could not afford to install the neces-
sary machinery; the big creameries
would at once take over the entire
milk supply. Chicago demands milk
pasteurization; Detroit has not seen
fit to do so.
Detroit has been peculiarly sor-
tunate in having few other towns com
peting for the milk produced in Its
neighborhood Cities as far west as
Cleveland feel the competition OF New
York for the milk produced In their
vicinity; but Detroit stands alone ex-
cept for Toledo. have heard that
the farmers are threatening to ship
their milk to Toledo In preference to
Detroit. believe, however, that the
Detroit and Toledo Boards OF Health
VIII be able to come to an agreement,
not very far from now, under which
our requirements will be made very
similar, so that the farmer will gain
no advantage from shipping to Toledo.
I'm spite OF reports to the contrary.
our milk inspectors are chosen with
the greatest care. and many applicants
have been rejected because they have
not come up to our requirements. Our
force is not large enough to do all
the things which we would like to do,
but we often go out of our way TO in
struct and conciliate farmers who be-
lieve that we have done them a hard
ship"
A report that Health Officer Kiefer
owns stock in the Detroit Creamery
Co.. is denied emphatically by mem
bers OF the Board OF Health.
"Dr. Kiefer is president of the De-
troit Crematorium, which Is not a
creamery" is the explanation. The
similarity OF names probably led TO
the mistake"