The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-14
OIIR MILK RECJTI,ATIoNS

ton of the city and county health off cer's authority to enforce milk regula- tions, public attention is anew directed to the question of clean milk Perhaps it will be publicly beneficial to have the officers authority affirmed by the courts, for then he will not continually be ham, pered by the obstructive efforts of those seeking to evade the health requirements governing the handling of milk. The health officer is accused of making the tremely expensive to the dairymen. One thing, however, the health officer cannot be accused of, and that is making the milk regulations so lax that they are ex- tremely expensive to the public health of this community. If the health officer has erred in any respect it is on the side of his duty and not on the side of those, who would place consideration of private profit above regard for their customers health. Because of that attitude Dr. Bowling has earned the approval and support of the people of Birmingham.
 It is a matter of public record easily ascertainable that the majority of dairy men who serve Birmingham with milk are in hearty sympathy with the high milk standards set by this city, and it is of public record that the unusually low bacterial count of thirty thousand to the cubic centimeter was established as stand ard for the city on the petition of eighty per cent. ofthe dairymen. The minority, who oppose the high standards, thus ef- fectively set themselves apart as willing to lower the public safeguards so that they themselves will not have to go to the expense of equjpping themselves properly to protect their milk from con- tamination... The report which has gained currency that all milk must be pasteur- ized is incorrect. Raw milk may be freely sold if it conforms to the require ments and contains a count no higher than 3O,000. It is regretted that any dairymen should feel that the reg1la- tions will drive them out of business, but when it is a question of whether the milk shall be clean or not, there is scarcely any room for argument. The milk must be clean.
 l No one who is at all conversant with the local situation is ignorant of the pub lie benefit that has already accrued as a result of health efficiency. The admin istration of our health is not perfect. The health officer himself would be the last to make that claim. For there are many insanitary conditions and controllable nuisances which are. neglected, mainly, it is believed, through lack of funds and failure on the part of the city commits sion to give cordial cooperation in the elimination of dumps, fly-breeding places and kindred sources of disease. But as to the milk situation the condition is superior to that found anywhere else in the South. It is believed that typhoid fever and other diseases spread by im- pure milk have been materially and per- manently reduced by enforcement of the sanitary regulations governing the pro- duction and distribution of milk in this city. This is an asset that is worth hum dreds of thousands of dollars to this dis trict annually, to say nothing of the blessings of health.
 Charges that the regulations are ar- bitrary, unreasonable and oppressive are not sustained by the records. The regu- lations are accountable in only one main respect. If they reduce sickness and mortality they are justified. Charges that the . regulations are frequently changed are also disproved by the rec 1 ords. As for the authority of the health department to enforce it's regulations, criticism could properly be directed only to those cases where they are not en- forced and not to cases where they are stringently enforced. If only a minority of the dairymen find reason to complain of the severity of the restrictions, then it is evident that upon such dairymen falls the burden of proof as to their conten- tion. The question is not one in which private profit can be regarded as of fore most importance, but the public health.
 If any dairymen really feel that they are being imposed on, and that they are unduly oppressed, there is always re- course to the courts. The very fact that there is not such recourse taken indi- cates that there is no good legal basis for the complaints. Meanwhile, the peo- pie of Birmingham drink milk with con- fidence, because they know that it is be- ing safeguarded with the utmost care and efficiency.
 SHREVEPORTS PROBLEM NOW
 Shreveport, Louisiana, faces somewhat