The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-14
CITY MAY HALT
 RAW MILK SALES
 IF DIARIES FIGHT
Compulsory Pasteuriza- tiOn Probable, Health
 Chief Declares

A fight on city milk regulations now being planned by group of dairy men may be met by action prohibiting the sale of raw milk in Birmingham and providing for compulsory pasteuri- zation, l.. c. Bulmer, chief of the health departments food and dairy di- vision, warned Wednesday.
 The dairymen opposing the regula- tions continued, however, to shape their plans. They held a conference with their attorneys, Judge Hugh Locke and Roderick Beddow, and made ready to launch their fight.
 Judge Locke said the dairymen he represented would not fight the health regulations but would resist efforts ot Dr. J. D. Bowling, health officer, to drive them out of business. His state ment follows:
 Partiality Charged
 ''The raw milk men are contending that Dr. Bowling is trying to put them out of business in the interest of the pasteurizing plants. They contend that in order to do this, he has continually changed the standards and requirements making it simply financially impossible to continue in the business and result
  business of the raw milk men in favor of the pasteurizing plants.
 "EIe has driven a lot of raw milk men, who produced good clean milk, out of business and is driving others to the pasteurizing plants, where they have lost heavily, because people on their routes do not want pasteurized milk.
 Hit DOwling's Methods
 'They contend that Dr. Bowling has told dairymen from other sections that it mattered not how much they spent on their barns they could not sell milk, and that has discouraged them com ing to Jefferson county to enter the dairy business. They also contend that he nas stated repeatedly to them that eventually there will be no raw milk produced and that it will all be pas teurized.
 "None of the dairymen are seeking any lessening of the laws for the pro- lection of health. They are simply asking that standards be fixed under which they can do business. They are not asking that the standards not be made stringent, but are asking that they not be changed over night or ev- cry WGck UT IhOS NASJ uON be deprived of their property in their dairies without due process of law, for the purpose of benefiting some one else. They merely ask the impartial enforce ment of the law on milk producers"
 Mr. Bulmer's warning to the dairy men follows:
 BuImer BlameS Fairies
 'f compulsory pasteurization of all milk comes to Birmingham it will not be through the activities of the depart ment of health, but because a small group of raw milk peddlers have de- stroyed the very foundation on which the raw milk business of every city must stand, namely, adequate and care full official supervision.
 This has been the case in every city, where compulsory pasteurization of all milk is now in vogue and re- quired by law. The failure of raw milk dealers to meet and cooperate in the maintenance of rigid sanitary safe guards is in the inevitable downfall of the raw milk business.
 At the present time thousands of citizens in Birmingham use raw milk and can secure it but there is not one among them who will say that they do not desire pure raw milk. The present policy of the board of health not only makes provision for such de- mand in an earnest endeavor to safe guard its purity, but actually pro- tects the raw milk business against the destruction threatened to be wrought upon it by illegitimate peddlers who,