Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-02-12

IlIh, ~ 81 tiit'Ii jllIln. Vi
e1 milk, to meet the re quirements u
the law.
Now the milk business in certain
sections * Maine is a big business.
and ii has gotten into the hands OF
corporations, wisely and we'll; AMI
many Il hand receives and ra"SeS
along the milk from The time inc
farmer gets his six Cents 4 quart lor
it until the time your landladv paws
sixteen cents a quart. or whatever
II may be. One great corporal ton III
Maine handles q tremendous guam.
tity Of milk. 1t handles practically
all the milk that comes down the
Grand Trunk Railway from Canada
to a certain stopping point in Maine.
1t receives it, gentlemen. in tons ev-
cry morning. 1t places il in its watts
and sterilizes or pasteurizes it. ard
behold, gentlemen, it comes TO TINS
company from various farms; and
there are COWS which, give milk with
three per cent. milk fat. and there
are cows which give milk with four
per cent. milk fat, and there arc
cows which give milk with nine per
cent milk fat. Sell that as milk,
and if it came from the COW with
nine per cent. milk fat, all right. Alb
stract from that any portion OF The
cream, and sell the balance as milk,
and YOU have committed 4 crime
Strange that the law should say that
you have committed crime; but we
will understand why a little later
There are cows and cows in this
world. just as there are differences
between individuals OF other species
Of animals. There are breeds Of
cows which give tremendous flow Of
fluid. and there are breeds of COWS
which give a lesser flow of fluid aiti
a lesser amount Of butter fat in the
fluid.
am speaking here as farmer.
to Il body Of men, some of whom
are farmers. ! am speaking as n
consumer of milk to men who all
consume milk, and l am speaking,
rs YOU will see before l get through.
as a man who has within him the
milk Of human kindness, to a BODY
of men to whom l credit that same
trait. Now in order that milk which
is sold snail have a fair percertag"
Of butter fat, the substance which
is Of value in the milk-you 90 not
care anything about the casein in
the milk: they can talk about it,
that makes cheese. but in order that
milk shall have not less than q star
walton ration of milk fat. the stat
ute prov ideS that Tin prosecutions
hereunder milk. which upon analy-
sis is Shown to contain less than
eleven and seventy-nve Eundred'hs
per cent. Of milk solids or less than
three and twenty-five hundredths per
cent. Of fat shall not be considered
milk of good standard quality"
Now the Legislature attempts to
set minimum below which you shall
not fall. You must sell the milk
from the COW just as it comes, but if
your COW gives milk with less than
three and twenty-five hlndredths
per cent fat. you cannot sell that in
the markets Of Maine at all. This
is where this corporation which re-
ceives milk in such large quantities
in its watts every morning, and many
other corporations and associations
Of gentlemen and persons in Maine
" III ItNtiNC tltS 81 lilltk
in the morning, especially through
the summer. get their best money
by setting the milk ana allowing the
cream to rise, or separating the milk,
taking the cream off and sellin; the
cream. You gentlemen are perfect
ly familiar with the fact that cream
which has been pasteuriZed or ster-
ilized may be shipped from Auburn,
Maine to Albany, Now York. and ar
rive in perfect condition SO far as
deterioration from lecomin. sour is
concerned; and Tie people a. Bar
IIarbor and all along our beautiful
New England coast are crying for
cream for table consumption and for
the manufacture of ice cream all
through the summer. Now here is
the problem that confronts the manu-
facturer: IF he buys the milk straight
from the farmer. receives it at his
factory and there separates it, he has
left on his hands a great quantity Of
skinned milk. All of US are farm
ers enough to know that. Maybe he
can sell it on the market today for
four or five cents a quart as SKINNED
milk. hut he cannot sell it in Maine
as milk unless there is stirred into
it substances which will raise it to
three and twenty-five hundredths
per cent. fat; and if anybody speaks
against me on that, they are going to
talk that. Let us read the statute.
! should show between three and and
twenty-five hundredths per cent. milk
fat. That does not mean pork fat
because pork fat comes out Of pork
barrel. The statute says IN prosecu-
lions hereunder milk. which upon
analysis is shown to contain less than
eleven and seventy-five hundredths
per cent of milk solids or less than
three and twenty-five hundredths per
cent. of fat, FIAT, fat! That may be
pork fat, or it may be fish oil if they
could deoderize it. He has this great
quantity Of SKINNED milk in his watts.
File may take off nine per cent. milk
fat, he may return to it this three
and twenty-five hundredths per cent
Of milk fat. and stir 1t in and sell 1t
for straight milk. for which you pay
twelve cents or fourteen cents. and
you accuse your wife Of Swimming
the dish for her cup Of after-dinner
coffee because the stuff that comes
onto your table is SO blue. There is
nothing worse in the world than to
start man off on his days work
feeling blue because Of this kind of
milk.
I think have said enough to JUS
tify the proposition that We should
pause now before we change the
Pure Food Law OF the State of