The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1935-12-05
Milk Question
Continued from Page ~

up to 1928 when this pasteurization
ordinance went into effect" said
Mooney, "a number of small ranchers
hereabouts were making enough from
their cows so that they were paying
for the development of their stump
ranches and beginning to make a liv-
/ ing. What has become of those ranch
ers now? Hardly a one of them can
make living from his ranch and l,
myself, had to go into another county
this summer to earn enough to live on"
Wants Farming Developed.
Mooney said it is only a question of
time until the sawmill industry is a
thing of the past here and that if
farming isn't developed by that time,
the town will starve to death. During
his remarks Mooney asked DR.. Cairns
if the city had been able to trace the
cause of single case of typhoid to The
milk supply and the doctor replied that
large number of the local cases had
been definitely traced to contaminated
milk
There was much dissatisfaction ex-
pressed by the.producers over the price
they can get for their product through
the regular wholesale channels, and
some insisted that the retail price is
too high. The farmer is now being
paid % cents per gallon for his milk.
This is being retailed after pasteuriza-
ton at II cents per quart.
This brought out the fact that both
the price paid the farmer and that
charged the consumer is now set by the
state milk control board Someone
asked Glen Oneal how those figures
had been arrived at, whereupon Oneal
said the board had gone into the cost
of the matter with the creamery. He
also said. in response to question,
that pasteurizing only increased the
cost to the consumer by fraction OF
cent per quart. ~
H. A. Joughin entered the discussion
TO remark that there are many
Americans here and they do not like to
be told what they must do. However,
he said that if some system could be
evolved whereby the pasteurizing Of
milk would work to the benefit Of both
the producer and the consumer, he
thought much of the trouble would
disappear.
Frank Decker said he thought the
state milk control board was working
to benefit both the producer and The
consumer and urged cooperating with
them. He thought, however. that the
producer ought to receive more than
% cents per gallon for his milk.
During the discussion Of the uasteur-
ization matter. a number of REPORTS
from the state board were on hard
showing the tests made of all milk
produced locally Figures were read
showing the condition Of the milk
from each dairy. its cleanliness. The
bacteria content the amount of butterfat,
etc. This added much to the Informal
ton given out during the meeting.
As to Scarlet Fever.
The discussion closed soon thereafter
and Mayor McCu1ly asked DR.. Cairns
to report regarding other health mat
tiers. DR.. Cairns said that all scarlet
fever cases in the city had been cleaned
up until the disease was again brought
into the city by family coming here
from Idaho, the mother Of this family
being in the last stages of the disease
end with a child Just coming down.
The family had been promptly placed
under quarantine. as had also another
family whose children had caught the
fever from the new arrivals. Two
cases had also developed in the country
from the same source and 10 children
are isolated and being watched because
Of this one family.
A policy has been adopted, said DR..
Cairns, whereby any family moving
into the town must first undergo two
weeks isolation period before the
children can enter school and then only
with doctors certification. As long
as Libby has any contagious diseases,
the Libby basketball team will not be
permitted to visit other cities, nor will
teams be allowed to come here from
other cities where epidemics are rag
ing, said DR. Cairns. The school board
is cooperating fully in this respect.