Evening star., 1922-02-21

committee to take any action
on the bill urged by the Dis
trict health office. designed to
give Washington guaranteed pure
milk supply. is an excellent illustra-
ton of how legislation for the Dis
trict is disregarded, sidetracked and
allowed to grow dusty in committee
pigeonhole.
The present milk law is antiquated
dating back to 1896-and admins
tered through Commissioners regula-
tions under the act rather than hav-
ing the essential requirements writ
ten into the law itself. For twenty
five years the District has been en-
deavoring to get a new milk law in
termittently-and for the last four
years, especially since the present Dis
trict health officer. DR.. w. c. Fowler,
has been in charge. a, very persistent
effort has been made.
The bill on which DR.. Fowler has
been trying to get favorable action by
the House District committee would
require that all milk and cream
shipped into the District for distribu-
tuberculin-tested herds. The present
law does not so require, but under
law passed in 1905. watch gave the
District Commissioners authority to
issue certain regulations, and under a
particular clause authorizing isolation
of cattle suffering from certain dis
eases, the Commissioners have issued
ARTICULATION providing that the milk
must come from tuberculin-tested herds.
This legislation has been hanging
fire for a long time. and some months
ago, when Washington consumers
were menaced by Il milk war, hearings
were started on this bill! by a sub
committee of the House Distr ictt COM
mittee, at the instigation of an attor-
ney for certain distributors. who
charged a conspiracy among Maryland
nop0ly on the District market. The
hearings were started last. october
and have dragged along ever since.
X X II X
Representative Florian Lampert of
Wisconsin is chairman of this sub
committee, and is outspokenly in
favor of the tuberculin test and sup
porting the District health office. He
expects to get majority report from
his subcommittee to the full COM
mittee, but has had difficulty in hold
ing his subcommittee together on ac-
count of the protracted hearings.
The contention of the District
health officer at these hearings has
been that as the tubercuiin test is
known as a reliable, although not in
faiible, safeguard, it should be writ
ten into the law. If pasteurization is
also a protection. then the consumers
would be doubly protected at the
source of supply and through the
cooking of any germs that might be
in the milk.
The distributors opposing the legis-
letion declare for an open market,
with pasteurization or tubercuiln test.
This move Is so that milk from Penn
sylyania, New York and other states
can be brought in without the re-
quirement that it comes from tuper-
culin-tested herd.
While the hearings have dragged
out tiresomely, the producers nave
not been heard, and are not anxious
to be heard, except to refute charges
of conspiracy made against them. The
District health Office has been heard,
and then in hearing the distributors
the committee gave up day after DAY
to examination of the prohts mace
by the distributors, repeated asser-
tions being made by members OF the
committee that such wholesale proft-
eering must be stopped.
1t has been put into the record,
however, that the Maryland ands slr-
ginia producers, who supply the great
bulk of milk to Washington; are sup
porting the health office bill. because
their herds have been tuberculin
tested. DR. Harvey w. Wiley. repre-
senting the producers, approved IN
their name the health office Dill with
slight, and immateriai. changes IN
the phraseology.
Il X X
The reason given by DR.. Fowler for
wanting the provision for the tubercul'n
test written specifically into the law.
rather than administered through
Commissioners regulation promulgat-
ed under the act of 1905. is that it will
give his office a surer standing In
court when taking action against
those violating the law.
One reason why early action should
be taken on this legislation Is that