Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1921-02-06
Dairy Legislation
Casa Grande. Ariz. Feb. 3, 1921

To Editor of The Republican:
| I have noticed several articles In
your paper on legislation in regard to
the placing of responsibility for the
protection of the dairy business" of
Arizona
| This is a matter that deeply interests
me and I can not refrain from thus adj
dressing you in regard to the matter.
l am graduate veterinarian and have
/ been connected with the inspection
and testing of dairy stock for the past
| 16 years, but l am not now practicing
my profession in the state of Arizona
and for this reason can write you
/ freely on the matter. ! have no ak
to grind nor favors to ask, but real
izing the great and almost unmatch~
able conditions here in this part of the
state, for the development of the dairy
business 1t is all important that moth
/ ing be left undone that will be for
the interests of the men that invest
their time and money in a herd of
| high priced dairy cows
The building up Of a dairy business
! Is not like the planting of crop; 1T is
more than years business; 1t takes
several years to do this without the
! immediate expenditure of a vast sum
of money We must not forget that
the average man that must now return
/ to the dairy COW for his insurance
against such another year as we have
! just gone through, has not a great
amount of surplus money to embark
| into q large business from the start
! he must begin at the bottom and grow
into the business as he learns 1t; and
in fact the most successful ones go at
lit in this way. To give. these energetic
men assurance that they can safely
embark on this business we must
/ throw safeguards around the business
that have permanency: we must place
such safeguards around the business
that investors may be assured they
will have permanent and satisfactory
protection.
! see some agitation in favor of plac-
/ ing the dairy interests under the su-
4 pervision of the state health depart
ment have had experience with this
arrangement and am compelled TO say
| it will not bring the desired results
There is but one class of men that are
drilled and educated in this particular
work. The veterinarian is the one ana
| only one that is given scientific train
| ing in this line, and in fact every part
of the work THAT is, the field work)
lis done by the veterinarian There
m,,st he two departments in the work,
| the field work done by the veterin-
/ arian and the inside work done by the
Laboratory and neither one Is
equipped to do the others work.
The proper place and department Tor
| the supervision of the dairy interests IS
have direct supervision when the cow
lis brought into the state and most OF
! the time thereafter. Then why should
some other department or person step
lin during his vigil and make pre-
| tense of control; and II anything
| should turn up to be done out on the
premises he must call in veterinarian
| to do the work
No one denies the fact that Il Jones
Icones into the state with herd or
COWS he should have them tuberculln
tested. II Jones comes into the stare
with herd Of tested and clean cows; -
| IT right for him to have to keep MS
herd in field adjoining Smith with
nothing but a three strand wire fence
to separate them? Such system
would be unfair to the man that mas
compiled with the law and had to STAND
1.-THE expense and maybe the loss OF Z
| tuberculin test Sometimes there IS
quite a considerable loss to stand in
Iconnection with this test. / have seen
| as much Of a loss as % per cent OF a
herd of fine and high priced COWS,
killed on account OF reacting TO tne
test This Is loss that should not DC
assessed to the owner alone. This
testing and inspecting of dairy herds is
not for the benefit of the owner alone,
| the milk using public receives the
greatest amount of good from TINS
work and therefore should stand
portion of the loss. 1t seems TO me
about the best plan I have seen IN
ioperation is for the owner to be paiT
| a certain per cent of an assessed val
nation of the reacting animals, whlcn
is generally about rs per cent in most
| of the states. I have had experience
| from almost every angle of this ques-
ftion, I have been the dairy man and
had to have valuable cows slaughtered:
I have tested the other mans cows and
have slaughtered his cows: have done
1.-The laboratory work; and can safeiy
say that no dairy man can be made 10
think that he should stand all the ex-
/ pense of the inspection and testing
/ and then stand all the loss.
The present administration is de-
iternined on reducing to working
minimum the offices Of the state. We
heartily commend him IN this. and we
would gladly do ell in our power to as
sist in this saving. And for this reason
we see another argument IN favor OK
Iplacinr the state veterinarian IN
charge OF the inspection and disease
lcontrolIing work of fostering the dairy
business. 1t would not add any great
amount more of work TO the OFFICE.
1t would of course call Tor more nelp
out in the field, but this same heip
would be necessary no matter VINO
wa. In charge The state veterinarian
can get this work done with less ex-
pense than any other officer, as ne Is
lin direct touch with the work and inc
other veterinarians of the state.
have been connected with this work
when under the supervision OF the
i state health board. also under the
state livestock commissioner. under
! state dairy commissioner, and undef
the state veterinarian, and am com
PEELED to say that by far the best re-
suits were obtained while under the
state veterinarian. And by best re-
suits 7 mean best satisfaction TO the
ldairvman and best efficiency for mon
lev spent in the work. II We are 10
build up this business as We snould
we should let nothing stand In the
way OF making for permanent sood,
for a. pure clean business That Will
stand the test anywhere; that VIII
cause buyers of other states TO look
this way for the healthiest milk cow
grown Here In this climate of pure
air and sunshine we certainly can out
do most oil other states; we can raise
them absolutely healthy. This Is an
all important question and should re-
ceive very careful and thorough fnves-
tiration. And we should start right
/ now while we have the chance to start