Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-10-03
STATE LOOKS
INTO MILK
CONTRACT
Continued From Page one.)

sonal property in Lawrence Township
against the "LemOna Dairy Farm, r. R.
XII
Transfer book No. II in the auditors
Office discloses a transfer under date of
July q, 1920, OF 1881 acres on which the
Lemona dairy is said to be located, from
Frank F. Hutchins and wife to the Peo-
pies State Bank as trustee.
''I feared that some question about the
ownership of the farm involving Mr. Nc
Whittier, might come up when the agree
ment was made with the Lemona Dairy
and so l carefully investigated it," said
Mr.. Ritter. 1 could not find that Mr..
Mcwhirter had any connection with the
farm"
MILK NOT ALL
PASTEURIZED.
From three official sources in the city
government it was learned:
l. That the acity has been buying all
milk for the city hospital from the
Lemona Dairy Farm upon a verbal
agreement made by City Purchasing
Agent Dwight S. Ritter since May l.
1920.
2 That most of the milk is not pas
teurized, although the board of public
health, which controls the hospital, has
been trying for years to discourage the
sale of unpasteurized milk in Indian
apolis.
3. THAI most of the milk is not pas
teurized because the city hospital author
tiles have requested that it not be-
4. That DIR. Herman G. Morgan, secre-
tary of the board Of public health, did
not know that the milk was not pas
teurized. Upon being informed Of this
he announced he would have the LemOna
Dairy Farm inspected to see if the milk
passes the tests required by the city pas
teurizatiOn ordinance of milk which is
not pasteurized.
Mr.. Ritter said that under the verbal
agreement with the dairy farm the city
buys its requirements for the hospital
averaging about 30 gallons per day at
a price of 80 cents per gallon.
The present agreement expires Nov. 1.
IL was made on May 1, of this year, II
being the practice of those dealing with
milk producers to make such arrange
ments for six month periods, the pur-
chasing agent said.
AT the time the city first entered the
agreement with the dairy farm, accord
lug to Mr.. Ritter, a search of the sur
rounding country for dairy farm which
would produce milk exclusively for the
city under conditions which the city
desired was being made. 1t was possible,
Mr.. Ritter said, to get milk from num-
Der OF creameries but 1t was his under
standing that the product OF such con-
Germs was gathered from q number of
diaries and therefore was not of the
uniform high quality the city desired.
No such dairy was found until the
Lemona Dairy farm people came along
the purchasing agent said. This was
Just before May 1, 1920.
The Lemona dairy farm has a tubercu-
lin tested herd and is inspected at least
twice year by the Government. The
last inspection, two months ago, showed
the dairy and its product to be high
grade, according to the city buyer The
State law requires milk to test 325 per
cent butter fat. Mr.. Ritter said the
milk the city has been getting from the
Lemona dairy farm has been testing
around AZ per cent. The product fur
nished the city is whole" milk, which
means that the cream has not been sepa-
rated from It,
PAID MORE FOR
MILK LAST YEAR
Last summer. Mr. Ritter stated. the
verbal contract price paid the Lemona
Dairy Farm was 70 cents per gallon. A
cheaper price was obtained this summer
because of greater general milk produc-
ton, he explained
While he maintained there was no dairy
which could fulfu the specifications he
was seeking to fill prior to May 1, 1920,
Mr.. Ritter said that recently zone or two
fellows have come In whom we will look
into before making another agreement"
The Lemona Dairy Farm was a pas
teurization plant, the purchasing agent
said, but he did not believe milk always
was pasteurizad. II always was pasteur-
lied in the summer. but not always in the
winter, he believed.
DIR. Harry L. Foreman, superintendent
of the city hospital, said that the milk
fed to infants at the institution always
IS pasteurized but that at the request Of
the hospital that fed to older children and
adult patients and served on the tables
of the doctors and nurses is not. Pas
teurizatiOn affects the taste" he said
THE Government tests show the Lee
mona herd to be free from tuberculosis
and the surroundings entirely sanitary, -
DIR. Foreman said
His figures upon the butter fat con-
tent differed slightly from Mr.. Ritter's
He said the percentage runs from A.
to 40
SUPERINTENDENT
SAYS MILK is FINE.
at really is wonderful milk he de-
clared. at tastes wonderful and really
Is very nne The doctors and nurses are
very fond of 1t and drink all that we will
allow them"
The milk is cooled directly from the
COW and sent to the hospital in that con
dition every twenty hours, accord
ing to Dr. Foreman.
II did not know that I Eu0OOSed that
all of the milk was pasteurized," said
DR.. Morgan. when DR.. Foreman's state
ment was related to him. He pointed out
that If milk meets certain requirements
1t may be sold in Indianapolis without
pasteurization under the city milk ordi-
nance. One of the most important Of
these requirements, besides that requir-
ing tuberculin tests of the cows and that
the product be kePt constantly cooled is
that the bacterial content shall not be
greater than 10000 to the cubic cent?
meter. He said he will have a bacterial
test made Immediately.
The section of the pasteurization ordin-
ance which prescribes conditions under
which milk may be sold without being
pasteurized Is found In Section sol Of the
Municipal Code. This part of the ordin-
ance reads:
milk may be sold without being pas
teurized If dispensed in containers IN ac-
cordance with Section $50 and marked
raw in letters easily read on a tag, Ia
bel or cap attached to such containers,
when said milk is handled and produced
% under the rules and regulations of the
board Of health 81 when it comes from
cows free from disease as determined by
tubercuin tests and physical examina-
lions by a duly licensed veterinarian, 81
handled by employees free from disease as
determined by medical inspection of a