The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-05
County Health Officer Issues Statement Regarding
 Milk Supply of City

pr. J. D. Bowling, city and countN health officer. has issued the follow ing statement anent the milk supply of the city:
 The department of health is receiv- ing frequent inquiries and complaints in regard to the milk supply of the city. Some of these inquiries indi- cate the presence in some quarters Of a degree of anxiety which prevailing conditions probably do not warrant. Conditions brought apout by the state of war have brought the question of milk production and control forcibiy to the attention of public health of ficials all over the country and have confronted the dairy industry with al- most impossible and insurmountabie difficulties. Not only are the produc- CTS handicapped but public health of- ficials are proportionately handicapped in the enforcement of regulations in- tended to safeguard the public health because of the influence of these same economic conditions.
 There is at the present time wide gap of uncertainty and unsafety be- tween what would be considered mod erately safe conditions for the produc- tion and handling of milk and the coIi- ditions which are known to actually exist not only in the Birmingham dia trict but in many other places in spite of the most intense and energetic in spection and supervision This gap can only be bridged and safeguarded by pasteuriza ton of the entire milk sup ply The whole problem may be bet ter and more briefly stated by saying that the point has been reached where regulations governing the production and handling of milk will either fail in & large measure or the dairy farmer will discontinue his business. This is not in any sense an acknowledgment of weakness on the part of those re- sponsible for the inspection and su- pervision of dairies but that the pec pie must share their portion of the hardships and uncertainties growing out of the present situation. Milk is one. of the cheapest and most desir- able if not the most necessary, article of food obtainable.
 IMPORTANCE OF MILK
 'Tndeed, few people realize how ce sirable and important is milk in tho diet especially of children. and few are well posted on the points essen- tal to a clean. safe and wholesome milk In the minds of a large num- Der of people the definition of milk is simply some white fluid in a bottle. while others are very apt to judge as to the quality of milk by the cream line From a public health standpoint; the essential points in regard to milk are that it shall be reasonably clean and free of disease producing germs. that it shall conform to certain stand- ards a s to food value, and be free from adulteration. The accomplishment of all of these are highly desirable and involve both skilled labor and cdp- ital. To maintain constant standard of food value and prevent adultera- tion should be at all times under the control and capable of accomplishment by those charged with dairy and food inspection. To maintain a constant standard of purity and cleanliness is more difficult of accomplishment and the efficiency with which this done will vary in response to the influence of many factors.
 CIRCUMSTANCES PECULIAR
 '1n certain respects the circum- stances under which the milk supply of Birmingham is produced and han died are peculiar to this city and like conditions do not prevail in many other cities it's size. The vast major ity of the milk consumed in Birming- ham is produced within three-mile zone around the city, where land val ues are high, the soil unproductive, and in a large measure unsuitable for grazing, so that the question of feed is at once an acute problem. The Bir- mingham district being essentially ore of large industries, places the dairy farmer at disadvantage in the mat ter of obtaining labor in competitor with industries able and accustomed to