The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1915-02-04
THAT the quality of the milk sold
in our large cities depends large

upOu luC sui VI IL
receives from the time the farmer
leaves it at the way station until 1t is
received at the big urban milk dis
tributing market has been clearly es-
tablished by recent Federal inves-
tigation of the milk supply of Pitts
burg. 1t was also made clear that
the excellence of city's milk depends
on constructive co-opera-
tion between the milk wholesalers
and the railroads in the proper re-
frigeration of the cans after they are
delivered for transit. As the result
of this study and efforts on the part
of the Departments representatives
to bring the railroads and the great
milk wholesalers Of the cities into CO.
operation, Pittsburg is now getting
the bulk of its milk with a much low
er bacterial count and in much better
condition.
Instead of getting milk that on an
express or freight car got so warm In
an eight or nine hours trip from the
country station to the city that the
cans frequently blew up or "geysered"
and spread milk all over the car, the
Pittsburg housewife is now getting
a product that is put into modern
refrigerator car at the country station
and Is kept chilled until actually de-
livered to her ice box.
Bacterial Counts.
Examination of milk received at
Pittsburg showed bacterial counts as
high as 22,S00,000 organisms per
cubic centimeter. The temperature
of the milk in the baggage cars ran
from 46 degrees, Fahrenheit, up to 73
degrees, with most Of the samples
well above IS degrees.
These temperatures were in many
cases far higher than the tempera-
lures of the milk as taken on at the
pickup way stations. In fact some
cases of as much as Is degrees in
crease of temperature were found,
between the time the farmer deliv-
cred his milk to the railroad and the
time of its arrival in Pittsburg. At
these temperatures much of the milk
worked rapidly, which led to the fire.
quent geysers from the cans.
The milk situation in Pittsburg was
fairly typical of that of many large
cities. Some of the milk came
from nearby dairies, but large pro-
portion of it had to travel eight or
nine hours, from distant dairies in
Ohio, before it was delivered. Inves-
tigation of the milk at its source
showed that the farmer was deliver
ing a good article at his shipping
point but that in transit the milk
rose in temperature as much as ID
degrees while being carried In ordin'
ary baggage cars.
Cooperation Promises.
The Federal representatives ther
went to the leading milk dealers Of
Pittsburg and from them secured
promises Of cooperation In cOnsoli
dating shipments so that the rail
roads, instead of having to pick uI
small quantities at way stations sew
eral times a day, would have tt
handle only one or two pick-ups O
important quantities. The rail
roads then pointed out that the!
could not supply refrigerator cars
keep them iced and refrigerate mill
for the same freight rate at which
they were carrying milk as ordinar.
baggage. The milk dealers agreed
that some increase was justifiable
and offered to pay Is per cent more
The railroads thought that rs pc
cent increase was just. After a mum
Der of conferences the Department
representative succeeded in gettin
the dealers and the railroads to ac
cept a 20 per cent increase. The In
terstate Commerce Commission, afte
representation by both sides, agree
to a new tariff allowing this 20 pc
cent increase.
AS soon as the tariffs were adopte
the Pennsylvania Railroad stated 1t
readiness to refrigerate 1000 gallon
of milk a day. The Baltimore & Obi
Railroad notified the Department tha
it would at once build refrigerato
cars and, as soon as they were cor
structed, would inaugurate refrie
Grafton service covering milk frot
Painesville and Akron, o., and inter
mediate stations The Lake Shor
& Michigan Southern also agreed t
3 operate a refrigeration service frot
Andover, O.. Oil City, Pa, and IL
termediate stations. The Erie Raj
road and the Pennsylvania & LAX
g Erie also accepted the new arrange
r ment.
III 1-x l. In. II {