The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-08-22
DAIRY HEADS MOVE I | POLITICS.
Survey Of Milk Distributors Reveals Men Who Once
 Fought DowIing'S Methods Now Firmly Behind Him
WANT POLITICIANS OUT.
 HEALTH OPERATIONS
ayS Regulations Eliminated
 UnSCrupuIouS Competitor. 85 Per Cent Of Supply Is Represented By Speakers

Dairymen and dairy products dis tributors of the Birmingham district indorse the city and county depart ment of healths division bf dairy inspection and resent the element of politics attempting to get a foothold in the situation as 1t Is developing.
 Tuesday milk producers and han dlers were visited who, In the aggre- gate. handle 85 per cent of the city's milk supply, and every man seen ex- pressed his approval of the depart ment's methods and said the inspec- tors and department heads had proved themselves to be the dairy mems best friends.
 Of late there has been creeping into Birmingham's long trying milk situation an element of politics, with adverse comment on the health de- partment made by some officials and open attack from some quarters, and a political fight seems to be deVel- oping. Next to the public at large, the dairymen were those chiefly af- fected. The Age-Herald decided 10 learn first hand from dairymen in a position to speak with authority just how they felt about the department of dairy inspection, it's methods, their bearing on the dairy business, the advent of politics Into the situation and get the dairymen themselves to express their opinions for publica- tion. Here is what the dairymen vis- ited had to say:
 What Dairymen Think.
 c. c. Anderson, manager and part owner of the Central Milk company, whose plant was recently made to install 5000 worth of new equip ment by the city authorities; "The health department work on the handling of milk in Birmingham has our approval. l see no advantage to us or to the public in the attacks that have been made on the health department and it's workens."
 w F Frank. president of the Glen Iris dairies, an organization handling the milk of 40 producing dairies, and recently required to Install s12,0oO worth of new macltr cry and other improvements: We are satisfied with the health departments meth ods and approve of what they are doing as far as the milk business Is concerned. Politicians attempting to take a hand are not doing our busi ness or the public any good by their attacks. These politicians 1re not eurrying favor with us because we recognize in the health department our real, constructive friends"
 w M. Baker, manager and part owner of the White dairy, producing certified milk Shades valley. We
 
 on the health department. These at- tacks bring no benefit to me or my business. The health department has done too much for us for these mean ingless accusations to be considered by any of us. It was the health de- partment that has eliminated our worst enemy, the interruptions com petitor. Such dairies cannot get by with a health department such as Birmingham has. Practically all such unfair competition has been put out of business. I think the best thing that could be done is to take the health department entirely out of politics, as has been done with the board of education"
 Dairies' Best Friend.
 R. W. Kirk, route No. {, Shades valley: Why, our dairies couldn't get by without the health depart didn't see that at first, but we real ize 1t now. I didn't know at first just what the final betterment needed was, but when the papers printed those articles about making the health department independent of politics, like the board of education, saw that was the answer we have been looking for Politicians stir | D trouble, and we have enough trou- ble without their putting in. A few years ago when the city was in bad shape several of us offered to pay tke expense of the milk inspection department to keep 1t going. Those politicians ought to visit the health department and find out what IS going on. I'll bet they haven't even been there, because you can see from what they say they don't know what they are talking about"
 w.. B. Baker of w. B. Baker & Sons, Shades valley, in the dairy business here for IS years: With the health department on the job we have a feeling of security. We feel that we are getting somewhere. Our
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