Evening star., 1919-04-09


milk. the big fellows as we'll as the
farmer with half dozen cows and the
producer at a distance as well as the
one just ever the District line, and sec
ond. that the consuming public come
TO realization of the fact that it costs
more to produce milk under the con-
ditions required by the District health
department than it does to produce it
without these restrictions.
Ask Fair Play Only.
Make the health department regula-
tons apply alike to everybody, repre-
sentative producers say. See that the
regulations and the law are enforced
health department sees fit to establish
milk standards that are more exacting
than those in force in other cities sce
to it that every dairy farm that ships
| milk to the Washington market comes
! up to the requirements.
! Then try to show the consuming
public that milk of the required
! standard. produced on licensed
farms subject to inspection and regu-
lation by the District health depart
| ment. costs the producer more than
ordinary milk, and that the producer
is just like any other business man
he cannot and he will not continue in
business unless he can make a rea-
| sonable profit and a reasonable re-
| turn on his investment.
In 1910. the year after Washing
tons present milk law and health de-
partment regulations were adopted.
a total Of 1,701 COWS in the District
were subjected to the tuberculin test
If these 10 per cent, or nearly one
fifth. were found to be infected and
had to be destroyed; that is. about
$50 cows reacting to the test were
ey1s ,evIt tr hn Ar
the then new law.
The milk producers say it is not
fair that some-actually a large ma
jority-of those who ship milk to
Washington should be required to
submit their herds twice year to
ing compelled to destroy from one
to half a dozen or more from time to
time, while the unlicensed producer,
declining to submit his cattle to the
tuberculin test, still is able to ship
his product here.
Cite Discrimination.
These men say further that when
they have been required, in order that
they may be licensed by the District
health department, to put up new
barns, milk houses, etc, and to install
costly equipment. it is not fair that
their product should come in competi-
ton with the product of other dairy
men who have not been put to this
expense.
die milk from unlicensed farms right
along with the product that comes
from licensed dairies, is the unqualified
assertion of many men who ship milk
to this market. The quantity is not
great. they admit: perhaps not quite
Nitv'0
supply. But when this unlicensed
milk is mixed with the milk from
licensed dairies, they assert, the entire
quantity, in a manner Of speaking, is
polluted. Thus the milk from duly
inspected and properly licensed farms
comes under suspicion.
Milk producers estimate that slight
ly more than 80 per cent OF Washing
toms milk supply comes from licensed
dairy farms. The same producers esti-
milk in tho District averages about
$4,000 gallons. dealers estimate it at
from &c, 900 to 10000 gallons.) OF this
they estimate that about $4,000 gal
Ions comes from licensed farms, leav-
ing approximately 5000 gallons day
spected farms.
As to Unlicensed Milk.
This unlicensed milk. they say.
largely enters Washington's supply at
cooling stations, at collecting stations
and even on the farms of producers
who hold licenses. owners Of these
and mixing it with their own product.
Very little unlicensed milk comes into
Washington direct, they say, though
there have been recent instances of
the shipment of unlicensed milk di-
rect from the producers in Maryland
and elsewhere to the Washin gton dis
tributer.
Produced by tenant farmers from
cows stabbed in filthy, ramshackle
barns, and given practically no care
or attention. such milk. the licensed
producers say. naturally costs less
than does the milk produced under
health department regulation and in
spection. Competition with such pro-
ducers, even If 1t is not on any large
scale. Is a hardship on the producers
the latter say, and puts a premium on
evasion of the law. AS regards the
latter phase, producers assert, lax or
dilatory enforcement of the law oper-
ates in the same manner.
Most persons, say the producers.
have a distinct recollection of their
childhood days, when milk could be
bought from cow-owning neighbors
for cents a quart. To these persons
the II or 18 cent milk o. today is a
crime only equaled by the ravish-
ment of Belgium. They do not appear
at 10 cents a pound. the cotton print
goods at cents a yard. the solid
substantial, durable shoes, with real
oak-tanned leather soles, at $3.50 a
pair. Without much objection they
pay $40 or so for pair of shpes not
so good as those that used to cost