Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1925-11-25
MILK-GRADING LAW.
Commissioner WaShburn Tells of OBJ
iect and Probable Effect,

and personal calls received at the de-
partment of agriculture from indi-
viduals and organizations seeking in
formation regarding the "Act to De-
fine Certain Grades of Milk" which
was passed by the SIND legislature
and by petition referred to the voters
of the State for action on the seventh
day of December, Commissioner of
Agriculture Frank p Washburn has
given out the following as outlining
his views regarding the legislation in
question.
The State Department of Agricul-
ture is not in any sense responsible
for the passage of the so called
Grade AZ Milk law which, in it's
final form as enacted, differed ma
terially from the earlier draft which
did receive our endorsement. Nor do
we seek additional authority or in
creased powers in the regulation of
the milk supply of our cities and
towns since our equipment and per
sonnet, as at present established, al
low us to reach, each year, only a
fractional part of the milk produc-
ing establishments within the State.
The many inquiries received at this
office, however, and the danger that
the new legislation may be entirely
misunderstood by many well meaning
citizens appear to demand fair and
if possible, plain statement of the in
tent and probable effect of the law
as | see it, and such a statement is
accordingly rendered as service
that may we'll be demanded of any
State official.
The Act to Define Certain Grades
of Milk as Sold within the State"
was proposed in order to meet and
relieve an unfair and unsatisfactory
situation in which a few milk pro-
ducers and distributors had assumed
the right to bottle a product of only
ordinary quality and dispose of it
under the marking 'Grade A" at an
advanced price, since the use of the
letter "A" usually conveys to the
consumer an impression of superior
merit.
1t was also found that a consider
able number of dairymen desired to
market a bone fide Grade A" milk
and were demanding that the stand
ing of their product be established by
law.
The act provides that milk that is
marked Grade A. shall contain
not less than four per cent. butter fat
and twelve and tifty-one hundredths
per cent. solids. 1t shall come from
cows that have been tested and found
free from tuberculosis and the
bacterial count shall not exceed fifty
! thousand per cubic centimeter Again
| "a l. doh ;,1,
ments that score at least eighty
points out of possible one hundred
as provided on the score card APP
proved by the U. S. Bureau of
Animal Industry, and a penalty is
established in cases where milk not
complying with these standards is
marked and offered for sale as
Grade A." Section two of the act
provides that establishments selling
: Grade A" milk may also distribute
milk of a lower butter fat and solid
content provided it comes up to
Grade A" requirements as to bac-
! terra count and score.
1t appears to be highly improbable
that the proponents of the act, or the
legislature, ever intended its provi-
! sions to apply to all milk sold within
the State or that there is anything
in the act to prevent the sale of ordi-
nary milk that comes up to the re-
| quirements of our present general
law, bearing the name of the dis
tributor or farm where produced or
other brand or none whatever. 1t is
provided, however, that milk marked
Grade AZ shall meet Grade A. re-
quirements or in other words that
such designation shall mean some
thing AS | understand the law, the
provisions of section two with regard
to "other milk" apply only to estab-
lishments where Grade a. is pro-
duced and have no general applica
tion as many nquirers seem to fear.
In this connection our Office has
Attorney Generals Department and
the concluding statement in the
Deputy Attorney Generals reply is
of interest. 1T is my opinion that
section two applies only to the per
son who is the producer and dis
tributor of Grade A" milk.
Requirements as to butter fat.
solid content and bacteria count are
easily understood, but a word of eX-
PLANTATION of the score card system
used by the L. S. Bureau of Animal
Husbandry may be valuable. This
score card allows possible sixty
points where perfect methods of
handling the milk product are OBJ
served and forty points for perfect
equipment as to COWS, stable and
utensils Clean COWS and stables,
steam steriliZed utensils, milk cooled
below so degrees Immediately after
milking, four square feet OF glass
window per COW, five hundred cubic
feet of space per COW, and careful
washing of the udder before milking
are features that are given most
prominence in scoring. 1t may be
argued that the establishment OF
such conditions involve expense too
heavy for the small producer and
the contention would undoubtedly
carry some weight. Careful study of