The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-03-25
NOT A CLEAN DAIRY
NEAR ELIZABETH CITY
City Milk Inspectors Survey of Diaries Serv-
ing This City Show All Dirty, None
Above Fourth Class


ing this city ranks above Grade
D, according to the milk stand
ards OF the North Carolina
State Board Of Health. The
health Of every adult and the
lives Of hundreds Of infants III
Elizabeth City are endangered
by dirty milk.
This is rough stuff folks but If
we are ever TO get a cleaning up
of the dairies in and around Eliz-
abeth City and secure anything like
n clean and safe milk supply, we
might as well face the facts and
know where we stand.
Elizabeth City recently enacted a
milk ordinance complying with the
recommendation Of the State Board
of Health. To enforce this milk
ordinance the city hns employed an
alI time milk inspector who will
also serve as inspector Of the city's
water supply.
G.. l.. Hedgepeth, the citys milk
Inspector, got OIL the job a few
weeks ago. He met with the dairy
men and they asked him To give
them until Oct. !, 1927 10 comply
with the ordinance. IL was reas-
enable request and Oct. I, 1927 has
been fixed as thr date on which the
ordinance goes in full force and
effect.
Now the new milk ordinance will
not prohibit the sale Of dirty milk:
it simply provides that the dairy
men shall label his milk aud cream
for what it actually Is and the pub
lie will be guided by his label. IL
the folks think they can save money
and keep healthy by drinking dirty
milk, they are at liberty to bry
dirty milk. But those who demand
better milk will have assurance
that milk marked Grade 4" will be
Grade 4 milk, or the best milk.
The grades are 4. Il. & and ID. \
total Of 20 dairics within radius
of Il miles Of Elizabeth City are
supplying Elizabeth City with 3l3
gallons of milk II day. They range
from one cow. dairicS 10 one dairy
with q maximum number Of u
cows.
And not one Of these dairicS is
above Grade ID. Grade ID milk is
milk that contains not less than
1000 UOO nor more than 5,G00,00O
bacteria per &C., And that means
one to five million microbes TO every
% drops. That means that in every
drop of milk sold In Elizabeth City
there are 10000 microbes among
them possibly the microbes Of tuber-
cllOSis. gonorrhca, syphilis. diar-
rhca and other horrible diseases.
Duiries are classcd az Grade -
dairirS if they are deficient in the
following particulars:
/. no acceptable boitlins faci!i-
ties.
.. Open privirS To which flies
have easy access and from which
surface water washes In and out.
3. Wafer for washing bottles
taken from an open well which con-
tains or is subject TO fccal contami-
nation.
4. No protection of bottles or
buckets from flies between milk
ings.
). UnwaslIcl or improperly wash.
cd IIdtlcrs. tcats and mixers hands.
6. Dirty milking clothes: dirty
cow flanks; filthy milk stools, or
pouring or strainnig milk in the
barn during fly season.
Every one of the ~ dairics sup,
plying Elizabeth City are listed
under Grade ID because they are de-
ficicnt in several or all Of the fore
going particulars. out Of the 20
dairics II are adjacent 10 open
privicS where the water washes in
and out.
The average Elizabeth City dairy
man Is ignorant or unmiDdful OF
modern sanitation. Only two dair--
les attempt TO stcrlizc their bottles
by steam and their methods are in
effective. Eighteen who profess To
Use hot water for washing bottles
are washing them incflcctively.
Not one of the ~ dairics was
found to use a safe form of wash
ing their mixers hands or wash.
Ing the icats and udtlcrs Of the COWS.
The dairymcn promise TO clean up
by Oct. /. 1927. But most of them
are opposed TO going Oh Grade A
basis: Grade 4 milk, containing NOT
more than 10000 bacteria per &C
calls for clean barns, clean cows
and exact sanitary methods of
handling milk. 1t will cost tho
dairymen n little money to go on
Grade 4 basis. TO avoid this ex-
pcnse they are saying that they
don't believe Elizabeth City Will
want Grade 4 milk, because GI-dc
lCen!inna! - E2%7 -