New Britain herald., 1919-01-14

commissioners are posted, l mention
a conversation later with one of the
most influential men on the board.
Describing the conditions found there
10 him he at once attempted to justify
them, stating that no cold air should
have been allowed in there, that 1t
improved the milking capacity to keep
the cows warm That in cold
weather all cold should be excluded,
etc. He poo-poohcd the effect on their
health.
the board kept dallying along with
the state authorities and when it was
finally decided what to do and how
much was to be paid, it was in May,
1919. The state records show that a
tubcrculin test was given Is to 16
heads on May p, 1918, and that on
May IS, all heads were slaughtered.
a post mortem of those killed dis
closed that some OF them were slight
lN affected. others were we'll advanced
and one or two were in very bad
shape. It demonstrated that some or
them We're advanced before beng
brought into the new barn and un-
Qucstionably the experience during the
first two weeks in the new barn as-
graVatod their cases and others tooh
After the Strengthening tho Darn
was fumigatcd or distnfected.
During this period Of dillydallying
of four or five months the inmates of
the town home were being given their
milk in a raw state from these ami
mails and the butter manufacturing
kept going on.
"ThcSe comm issiOners, of course,
did not know for a certainty that the
stock was in such bad shape. They
did not use the products after the ami
mails were tested out, except one of
them bought some of the butter Gust
before or after the test) and sold it
out to people trading with him. But
perhaps in the making of butter the
process Of making it cleans it Of harm
full matter.
':Neither did the comm issioners sell
any milk before or after the test but
the results were the same. In fact,
it was much worse. Here were q lot
Of helpless and perhaps friendless
people-feeole-m minded wOme en-, chill
dren helpless men--who had to take
what was given to them. They prob
ably did not know any better and II
they did they could not help them
selves.
lone can readily see why this mat
ter was kept secret and it was July IL
when the board requested the state
money TO be turned over to them,
nearly two months after the slaugh-
tering and it was four months after
that before they did anything with it.
THE board should feel proud of the
manner in which it handled this mat
.+, +v IND nr.
close fistedness?
But yet, how can it be said that
everything was unknown to them
when they started in December, 1917?
With the state authorities, the stock
was given what is called a physical
examination Chat is, looked at and
perhaps felt of in the early part Of
January, 1918, and nothing wrong
was found, but at that time the board
was told such examinations were not
conclusive. The seesawing continued
until May, when the real tuberculin
test was applied, and every animal
showing disease by the test, a post
norton showed. had the disease in
pronounced form. Still our poor in
mates continued to be fed on this
tainted milk which, noted authorities
claim, is responsible for more cases
Of disease than most all other causes,
during January, February, March,
April and most of May. IF the people
who were fed on this stuff had been
the fathers, mothers or children of
the commissioners. would they, know
ing something was wrong with that
stock, continue to give it to them
I do not believe it, I think their ply
sicians would have told them to get
other milk or to have this pasteurized
or sterilized.
1T is a generally understood max
i'm that people learn by experience.
Now, with our charity departm ent
it does not seem to work that way.
''Out Of the wreck Of their herd last
spring there were left four animals.
In September or October I was in
formed by one of the commissioners
that these had been pronounced by q
veterinary as diseased and that nego~
tiations were then in progress with
the state to dispose Of them. This
now appears to have been premature
as the state authorities have no record
OF it. But their records do show q
signed application whereby the New
Britain charity department agrees if 1t
increases its herd to have it put under
another test. It Is an implied rule
with them Chat is, the state) that
stock should be tested every six
months.
Nov, then, nearly two months ago
the charity board added IL head to it's
herd and there is no evidence of a
test Of either part shown at Hartford,
either of the new or the old. Possibly
an application may have been made
to the federal authorities for one, as
1t would not cost anything for their
test. but they are away behind with
their work.
THE state Of facts is that here are
four of the old herd and nearly S14OO