Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-07-21
MILK LAW MAY
COME UP TONIGHT
Letter Addressed TO City Council
Urging Provision for Care
and Purity.

At meeting of City Council tonight
the defeated milk ordinance will again
be taken up for consideration and the
necessity for the passing of the ordinance
brought before the members in letter
from Mrs. Inav J. \. Perkins, director
of the child Welfare of the Reconstruction
Commission of Delaware. In the letter
Mrs. Perkins shows result of having dirty
milk and sends n photograph of dirty milk
bottles brought in by one of the nurses
The bottle is marked with several dark
spots and when taken from a house to
which milk had been delivered gave a
very bad odor. I'VE always have babies
on our hands suffering from illness that
can be directly attributed to dirty milk, =
the letter states
The letter to City Council follows
July 20, 1920
we understand Council will give
further consideration to the question of
milk control for the City of Wilmington.
Therefore, we call your attention
to the attached photograph taken YES
terday. 1t IS picture of milk bottle
that was brought to our Office yesterday
by one of our Child Welfare nurses from
the house where IL had been delivered
filled with milk. Please note the dark spots
and markings. They represent dirt that
was on the inside of the bottle when il
contained milk The dirt clung as pictured
TO the inside of the bottle after the milk
was poured out. although considerable
dirt poured out with the milk. A por-
ton of what remained in the bottle was
easily sCraped off with a ruler inserted for
the purpose. The odor from the scrapings
strongly suggested manure. Since manure
Il h. 1T
that the milk may have been hound poi
son.
Complaints concerning dirty milk and
cream, and quick souring come to us fire.
quently. We always have babies on our
child health service list that are suffering
from illnesses that can be attributed to
bad milk A large percentage Of the time
of our child welfare nurses has to he given
to teaching people what is good milk and
how to sterilize milk that is open to sils-
pIcion.
We onsider all this should be unneces-
sary and would be if there was a proper
control of all the milk sold in Whining
ton.
'Unquestionably, one of the reasons
that Delaware has a higher percentage
of tuberculosis than any state in the union
Is because the average milk supply is bad
Unquestionablv, one of the reasons that
Delaware has an infant and child NOR
talitv rate much higher than that Of the
United States at large is because the Della
ware milk supply is not properly regulated
Communities that properly safe
guard their milk supply have greatly re-
duced sickness and death among babies
and children.
I'VE urge Council to put the welfare
of babies above any other consideration
by making some arrangement whereby
maximum of protection will immediately
be guaranteed for the main food supply
of the little folk of this city.
Since where there is a will there is a
way we feel sure Council can find the
way in spite of its recent action on the
proposed milk ordinance
Thousands OF parents and Others
in Wilmington interested in the welfare
of the little ones VIII appreciate the Co
operation and safety Council can give
by action that will assure proper control
of the milk used in this city"
The action that is predicted as likely
TO be taken when Council decides to take
the matter up again Is along the lines Of an
extension of the authority of the milk
Inspector to proceed in the case OF Offend
ers against some of the regulations of
the existing ordinance, such as misbrand-
ing of bottled milk.