Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-02-04
MILK HANDLING
MONOPOLY HERE
Is PROPOSED TO
Get Pure SUPPLY
Health Official Has Plan to Give
City Nothing But Pasteurized
Commodity.

AmerlcuS IS again without p2steur-
lied milk. 1T didn't pay" the Ameri-
Gus Milk Depot said and closed its
doors last Sunday.
Which has brought to focus a
problem which the u s. department of
health, through Lieut.. W. D. Tiede-
man, in charge of the work here, has
had under consideration for some
time. The problem has to do with the
guaranteeing of the supply Of pure
milk for Americus.
The government, in its army camp
zones, insists upon sanitary conditions
of all kinds, including the milk sup
ply That is why the original order
was issued here for the pastuerization
of milk for Souther Field. this being a
heating process which is said to have
no other effect upon the milk than the
killing of the harmful bacteria that are
present in all but the most carefully
handled milk. But the health au-
thorities had no jurisdiction over the
milk supply for civilian use Many
dairymen sold their milk through the
pasteuriizng plant. Others continued
to sell direct, without violating any
law or enforceable health regulation.
But now the pastuerizing plant has
suspended because it did not pay, ac-
cording to the announcement Lieut..
Tiedeman declares the necessity for
pastuerized milk exists as much as.
ever.
He planned to bring the problem
before the city council tonight, but at
a conference this afternoon it was de-
cided to hold the matter in abeyance
for the present in the hope that
simpler solution than that proposed
by him may be found.
His plan, in effect creates a milk
monopoly, under absolute control of
the city. 1t would compel all milk
sold in the city by dairymen to be
sold to the pastueriging concern, and
all milk purchased from the concern
The city would regulate the company
through a license, revokable at dis
cretion. The concern would agree to
purchase all milk offered either by
dairymen or residents of the city who
have only one COW, at fixed price.
The margin of profit would be estab-
lished
His plan provides rnat in case of
forfeiture of license the city shall take
over the plant and operate it. If no
firm shall be found which desires to
go into the business. the city shall un-
dertake it as municipal enterprise.
According to Lieut.. Tiedeman, a
monopoly of the milk business thus
created would yield sufficient profit
to be interesting to capital. Should
the city be forced or desire to en-
bark in the business itself, he says,
the entire investment for modern
plant would be not more than about
1900. He has records showing hand
some profits paid municipalities which
embarked on the pastuerizing bust
ness themselves as a municipal enter
prise.
His chief purpose is to secure for
the city continuous and uniform sup
ply of safe milk and cream, and he de-
clared this is impossible unless pas
teurization is 100 per cent. He ex-
planned that pasteuriZing milk only
means heating it to $50 degrees for a
period of 80 minutes, then quickly
cooling it. This. he points out. does
not change the character of the milk
in any way, and is recommended by al
health authorities as the safest milh
to use.
Just now we may not see any spec
ial need for pastuerizing." said Lieut.
Tiedeman today, "but some day, II
conditions are allowed to continue
there will be milk epidemic-some
diSease which will be spread through
impure milk. Every city has that ex-
! perience at some time. Pasteurizine