The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1916-08-24
The milk ordinance again!

The milk ordinance again!
The city council has not yet repealed
the dairy ordinance to which the farm
e. ma:;.. sucj, siren I:us objection, and
few remarks on another feature of
the question may be in order.
We all know the methods by which
the beef trust has become supreme.
Under the plea of sanitation and clean
illness, they fought for legislation gov
erning the handling and shipping Of
meat which provided for federal in
spection. Clcanliness!! - Sanitation!
Anyone who has read Upton Sinclair's
book "The Jungle" knows that these
objects were farthest from their
minds. The object was to impose so
much federal inspection expenses on
the packer that the small packer would
be driven completely out of business.
We all know with what success their
plans were carried out.
Now this same beef trust which has
taken the meat off the poor mans ia
BILE is endeavoring to corner the but
ter and dairy industry. They are en-
ploying two methods. Enormous sums
have been spent in an effort to secure
legislation permitting the marketing
of oleomargarine as butter, tax free.
Public opinion has not permitted this,
and we hope never will.
The second method is more complex
and far reaching, for the plan is to
make use of public opinion to carry it
thru. In the name of sanitation and
cleanliness" again, they are trying to
impose federal inspection on diaries
and creameries, thus taxing the small,
Independent creameries out of exist
ence. We have seen what has become
of the independent packer, and the re-
sulting prices for meat. If we are
fooled into giving up our independent
creameries to the beef trust, by the
cry of Sanitation" we shall soon see
butter selling at prohibitive figures,
with the farmer getting less for his
cream than ever, and the trust with
an unbreakable strangle hold on anoth-
er billion dollar industry.
A year ago, such a warning would
have sounded like the rantings of a
fanatic, but few far sighted men
who foresaw the move have opened
an Office of the National Dairy Union
in Washington, D. c., in charge of W..
T. Greasy, past state grange master
of Pennsylvania, for the purpose Of
Investigating the work of the trust,
and information they have secured
shows that systematic campaign is
being waged to scare the people into
demanding federal control. Pamphlets
are being published, articles written
for the magazines, warnings are being
sent out even thru the department Of
agriculture and the state colleges
greatly exaggerating the conditions
which actually prevail. The first step
taken in congress is the Linthicum
Resolution (H. Res. No. 1877 calling
for an investigation. We quote from
this resolution:
WHEREAS, DIARIES AND Dali
RY PRODUCTS ARE NOT SUBJECT
TO FEDERAL INSPECTION, so
THAT THERE is A GROWING
SENSE OF ALARM AMONG THE
CONSUMERS; THEREFORE, BE 1T
RESOLVED" etc., etc.
The resolution goes on to appro-
pirate money for carrying on the in
vestigation, etc. ~
The fact that there are many cream
cries and many dairymen who are not
careful enough, makes the movement
hard one to combat, but the Nation
al Dairy Union, the state farmers or
CARNATIONS and the local oranges
have taken up the fight for more SAM
tary conditions, and their efforts are
counting. For example, the local
grange Finley No. 414) signed up
95qe of the cows in the valley for
the tuberculin test, and they are work
ing hand in hand with the creamery
to secure better cream and better but
ter. IF we We're no at work, the local
ordinance might have, some excuse for
being on the books, but with condi-
lions such as they actually are, the