Evening star., 1921-04-19
NEW LAW PROVIDES
MILK IN Z GRADES

Two grades of milk for the District
of Columbia. to be known as A and
3. are provided for in proposed
milk law submitted to the Commits
sioners today by Health Officer Will
liam C. Fowler.
the Commissioners as drafted it will
be submitted to Congress with the
request that it be enacted as soon as
possible. Commissioner James r.
oyster. who supervises the health
department. intends to study the bill
carefully before submitting it to Con-
gresS.
Under this bill the health depart
ment would designate as grade b
milk which falls below the minimum
requirements suitable for drinking
purposes. even after pasteurization
Its use would be limited to cooking
and manufacturing. No such milk
could be offered for sale in the Dis
trict unless the container was clear
ly labeled For cooking and manufac-
turing purposes only" This milk.
however. would have to come from
healthy cows as determined by phySi-
cal examination and tuberculin test
and would have to be free from dirt.
Grade A We'll Pasteurized.
The specifications for grade a milk
are set forth in the bill as follows:
"'Grade A pasteurized milk is milk
produced from healthy cows as deter
and tuberculin test as hereinbefore
provided for raw" milk and which
has been heated to and far at least
thirty minutes held at a temperature
of not less than 145 degrees Fab
renheit. Said milk shall be pasteuriZed
under regulations prescribed by the
health officer. The milk. INN mediately
after being pasteurized shall be cool
ed to temperature of not more than
As degrees Fahrenheit and main
tanned at at least such a tempera-
ture until delivered to the consumer.
THE farm on which the milk is pro-
duced must rate not less than 20 per-
cent: the dairy from "'hich said milk
is sold or di1ributed not less than
S5 per cent, and the cows producing
the milk .sot less than 80 per cent on
the rating cards in use at the time by
the health department of the Dis
trict of Columbia. 1t shall not contain
less than 3.5 per cent of butter fat. or
lis per cent total solids: nor shall it
contain more than twenty thousand
bacteria. total count. per cubic cent?
meter and be free from colon bacilli
and other pathogenic organisms and all
visible dirt No such milk shall be pas
teurized more than one time"
Another important section in the
new bill deals with the question OF
disease among persons on dairy farms
and reads as follows:
ANY person or persons holding a
permit issued under authority of this
with a communicable disease, or if he
INSTANTLY, hired help, or other person
on said dairy farm being afflicted
with communicable diseace or if he
has reason to suspect any such COM
municable disease. shall report the
same to the health officer of the Dis :
trict of Columbia within twenty-fu uur
hours after becoming aware thereof
Wilful violation of this section shall
be deemed sufficient cause for revoca :
ton of said permit
The bill would require the issuance
of annual permits by the health Of
ficer to all persons authorized to ship
milk into the District. Practically all
of the other sections of the bill are
substantially the same as contained in
the bill which was considered by a
subcommittee of the House Distric,
committee at the lat session.
Several milk bills were considered
by the subcommittee last year, but
no action was taken.