South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-10-11
MILK INSPECTOR
GIVES REPOR 7
Says Work With Farmers on
Milk Ordinance is Very
Difficult.

4 detailed report OF work done
by the city milk Inspector has been
submitted to the board Of health. by
V. c. GRIPPE. who has been in office
since July /. In the report. which
is quite lengthy. the methods used
in the inspections are set forth, and
a resume of conditions in the coun-
ty is also given The report, in
part, follows
To the honorable board of health:
am submitting herewith a re-
port OF my work from July LIST 10
date. on July Ist l started work
preparing the forms now in use in
this work. These forms were not
received from the printer until the
last week Of that month. Detailed
sanitary inspections of the city milk
pants and dairy farms were started
Immediately. These inspections re-
qUire an hour or more and consist
of scoring the plant or farm with
the government score cards, discuss
ing the score card. with city ordin-
ance, and various points in produc-
ton OF clean milk.
one hour each day, from II to
Il a. m. is spent in the office
recording records, interviews, etc.
Two Saturday afternoons each
month are spent doing quarantine
work.
Milk samples are collected at ir-
regular intervals.
One Case i'm Court.
one case has been taken into
court. This arrest followed the con-
tinuOus sale OF milk below standard
in fats and solids. for being high in
bacteria count. and for containing
visible dirt The case is now pend
ing. due to "A dispute in regard TO
the legality Of the affidavit
The following table indicates some
Of the work done since July l.
Dairy farms inspected and scored
In details. 81; milk plants inspected
and scored i'm detail, 3S; milg samples
collected from wagons and dairies.
IA.
Many more than g. farms have
been visited but detailed scores have
not been made in all cases due TO
the fact that no one was found at
! home and for various other reasons.
, A number of farms have been visited
twice or oftener as the conditions
required. The first visit 10 the farm
and the city plants required consid-
cradle more time than the following
viii due to the fact that the place
Is new to the inspector. that the
owner must be studied. and thar
much opposition is met. especially
from the farmer.
Hard Work With Farmer.
The work with the farmer is very
difficult. He IS found i'm "a very
restless condition. The irregular
price ne is paid for his product. the
milk strike, the city milk ordinance
which is an entirely new issue with
him. makes him feel that the city
folks are imposing on him and
progress with these people is uphill
work. Great numbers of them defy
city authorities. stating that before
| they will apply for a permit and
endeavor to comply with the law. or
or methods they will sell their en-
tire dairy herd for beef. This Is in
some cases nothing more than bluff
| ing but today there il great
scarcity Of dairy cattle in this coun-
| ty. St. Joseph county is fairly well
adapted to dairying and Is at present
producing nut very little more milk
than is Consumed by the people as
whole market milk.
The question is: Would it be more
patriotic 10 clean up dairy condi-
lions regardle less of the outcome or
would it he best 10 use only per-
suasion until the conditions (cOsl
of feed. milk, labor, and building
materials attain q more normal
standard.
Considerable leniency has been
shown on this account even though
/ the dairy conditions about South
Bend are not good. Still much op-
position and absolute disregard Of
the city milk ordinance is met. even
after complete explanations Of the
! inspection work plans.
Few Modern Diaries.
! I find but very few modern dair-
/ les producing milk for sale in this
/ CITY. L believe that much more
damage might be done at this par
ticular time by q few arrests or by
stopping some of the supply than
Icould be mended in months by hard
work. So there is doubt as 70
whether enc should work as he
would in normal times 20 secure re-
suits or 20 work slowly until con-
lditions are better adjusted even
though the results come only very
| slowly.
During August one week was
snent listening 10 complaints. griev-
ances. and requests of those con-
cerned with the milk strike.
: In early September two weeks
we're spent in doing investigational
work in connection with the typhoid
epidemic
/ The territory 10 DE covered anc
the work 10 be done Is considerable,
and II is doubtful il every producer
f.ap be reached before winter