The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1918-12-12
Prevent Waste
BY CLEANLINESS
Necessity Of Maintaining Pre-.
War Standards of Sanitation
Are Pointed Out.
SCA'cITY OF HELP BLAMED
Most Essential Factor In Health Of
Nation Need Not BE Neglected IN.
der War conditions-country
Store eothersome.

Many grocery stores have fallen
away from pre-war standards of clean
Illness, say officials OF the bureau of
chemistry, United States department
of agriculture, in charge of the en-.
forcement of the Federal Food and
Drugs Act. State and city inspectors
attribute this partly to scarcity of help
and to less efficient help.
Cleanliness in handling food Is even
more important in times of war than
In times OF peace, say the specialists,
IN Ordcr that the maximum efficiency
of Il army of fighters abroad and our
army of workers NJ home may be main
tanned. Clean stores not only promote
health, but prevent waste Of food.
That they can be kept clean under pre-
vuillng conditions Is shown by the fact
that some of the best stores are main.
tanned in standards OF cleanliness
which insure that the food they handle
will not be contaminated. This Is evil
dence that this most essential factor
In the health of the nation need o be
neglected under war conditions.
The small country grocery H. one Of
the most difficult problems of the food
Inspector. The country store Is both
a collecting and distributing agency OF
foods. II buys from the farmer such
products as eggs, poultry, nuts, fruits,
grains and vegetables and sells TO him
everything In the food line not pro-
duced In the ~coinmuLlty. II handles
food both coming and going. II the
store Is dirty, with dust on the shelves
and cobwebs In the corners, with In
sects and vermin under the counters
and In the bins, and with flies every
where, the food both for the country
and for the city Is sure to become on
tuminated. When the country AS a
whole Is considered, the loss of food
through spoilage from contamination
In unclcan stores Is enormous. The
mOSt important consideration, how
ever, In the opinion of federal, state
and city food officials, Is the danger to
the health of the people who consume
III" food. A dirty, Insanitary store or
food shop Is n most potent factor in
the spread of disease.
Competition In Cleanliness.
Where there Is keen competition,
cleanliness Is more likely to prevail.
a clean, well-lighted store attracts Gus
toners. The cost Of scrupulous clean
illness Is more than overbalanced by
the gain In the prevention of spoilage,
and by It's custom-drawlng value.
Novel methods have been adopted by
state and city officials to bring about
competition In cleanliness. One state
has reported excellent results from au-
tIoriZing the food inspectors To issue
colOred placards TO the stores nj the
time Of inspection indicating the de-
gree Of cleanliness found. A store
which is found to he In excellent coz
diti0n In cleanliness and sanitation II
given a white card m In good condi-
ton Is given a blue card, and one that
is satisfactory IL given n red card. A
store that falls below a satisfactory
rating Is not given n card. This sys-
ten resulted In much competition
among the merchants Ia get the high
est possible rating in sanitation. The
housewives soon learned what the pla-
cards signifed and did their buying
accordingly.