Milford chronicle., 1928-02-24
STATE OYSTERMEN
FEEL HEALTH RULING
lCOntiHued from first bagel

Health, and who mas Deen Ill cnafg
of collecting samples of water an
oysters from the condemned creek
and rivers in Delaware, in discuss
ing the oyster control work in Della
ware, said:
1.-The oyster industry in Delaware
while small in volume compares
with that of some states, is well
known. The home of the oyster i'll
dustry has been Seaford. The oyste
business in SeafOrd has dropped OF
during the last twenty years anC
more and more of the oysters goint
into transit from Seaford are from
other beds further south rather thai
Delaware Bay osyters.
while the history of oyster ship
ping in the state covers many de-
cades, the present plan of sanitation
found in the oyster shocking houses
/ of SeafOrd and Bowers is compare
lively recent. In 1928 and 1924 rep
resentatives of the United States
Bureau of Chemistry made investi-
CATION into the shocking houses of
Delaware and the conditions found
caused the food control authorities,
drastic steps to keep the oyster pro-
ducts off the market unless pro-
duced under totally different condi-
tions. This declaration on the part
of the Bureau of Chemistry was
quite a shock to a small industry
which had gone for decades minding
its own business and not anticipat-
ing interference by any one else
The first impulse on the part of the
packers was resistance.
I'm the meantime, the Bureau of
Chemistry obtained the cooperation
of the State Board of Health, the
union being cOnsummated at a joint
meeting of the oyster packers, food
officials, and the State Board of
Health. An inspection of the shuck-
ing houses was made noting where
improvements could be made and at
that time this was not a difficult
piece of work.
Regulations covering the control
of the operation of the oyster houses
were drawn up by this department
and adopted by the State Board of
Health in the fall of 1924. These re-
gulatiOns were submitted to the oys-
ter dealers and they then declared
their intention of agreeing to them
and to renOvate their shocking
houses"
Mr. Beckett, after explaining the
various sanitary regulations incor-
porated in the laws of the State a
couple of years ago, said:
5"FOllowing this preliminary work
of cooperation in the supervision of
the oyster industry in Delaware be-
tween the Bueau of Chemistry and |
the State Board of Health came the |
outbreak of typhoid fever in Chicago |
and other cities during the latter |
part of the year 1924. This outbreak |
which was attributed to infected |
oysters after a thorough investiga-
ton by the best trained men in this
field focused the attention of the
Federal and State authorities on the
necessity for more stringent regula-
tions and more effective control of
the oyster industry. On February
10, 1925, a general conference was
called at Washington by the Sur
geOn General which included off
Gals from all states wherein oysters
were handled or consumed, and by ]
representatives of the oyster indus I
try itself and other allied Federal /
agencies. AS a result of this meeting
a preliminary code for the regula-
ton of the oyster industry was
drawn up, and with later amend
ments adopted by the Federal au-
thOrities and the oyster industry. I
THE code adopted resulted in the !
certificatiOn of oyster producing {
areas and shocking houses based on
the procedure in use for many years
in the supervision of water supplies
used for drinking purposes on rail 2
roads in interstate traffic. The in :
diVidual states were to certify the i
areas where oysters were grown
after having made a thorough sur 7
vey and sampled both the water =
over the oyster beds as we'll as the
oysters themselves. They also were \
% adopt regulations at least COM =
parable to the code adopted by the !
Federal authorities and the indus =
ry. If the shocking houses were T
equipped and managed
hey were to be certified with this
forwarded to the Sur =
icon General, and if he concurred Il
With the findings the certificate was u
by the United States Pub p
ic Health Service and list of ap- u
'roVed certificates forwarded to the
ealers and distributors of oysters L
nd to interested officials, both state II
nd municipal. This approved list II
&c !
emily through cooperation from the m
arious State agencies. Today there 10
re nine certified oyster shocking "
ouses in this State securing oysters M
rom approved beds in the Delaware Ell
ay. D
Beginning back in 1924 after the
difference between the Bureau of
dentistry and the State Board of o,
ealth, the oyster shucking houses
Delaware have been completely
and several entirely re-
lilt. At the present time all the
yster shucking houses have pure
alter supplies under pressure, Ia
overs and tanks for agitating the cd
-sters in water to remove extran- 90
JUS silt, hot water for sterilization Al,
equipment and for the use of the ~,
nployes, sanitary concrete vault
ilets at few plants, with flush on
ilets at most shocking benches
hich have replaced the old wooden -.
inches, all metal equipment such 40,
pals, stirrers and paddles and 20,
ncrete floors. Sp'
1.-THE rapidity with which the S 10'
ucklng houses adopted these we
anges is a great credit to them :