Evening star., 1950-06-02
Estate Health ParIey
For Milk Importations
Studied After Hearing


to emerge from the District Com
missioners' hearing on milk regu-
lations. in the opinion Of some
sources today, was the calling Of
a six-State confer ence of health
officers to work out q uniform
milk code.
This was suggested yesterday
by Lotion s. Wesley, chairman OF
the Legislative Committee Of the
Washington Restaurant Associa-
ton.
Mr.. Wesley and attorneys for
Wakefield and Embassy Diaries
urged the Commissioners to con-
tinue their wartime order. due to
expire June 80. permitting impor-
tation Of milk from outside the
Washington area market. They
also supported proposal allow
ing dairy farmers to use chlorine
for sterilization purposes, as well
as the present. costly steam ster-
iliZation.
Smith Beall Back Ban.
Supporting the Maryland and
Virginia Milk Producers Associa-
tion in its drive to ban foreign"
milk were two members Of Con-
gress - Representatives Smith,
Democrat. Of Virginia. and Beall.
Republican. Of Maryland.
Mr.. Wesley proposed confer
ences between District health de-
partment officials, the United
States Public Health Service and
health officers of Maryland, Vir-
ginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and
New Jersey Ito work out and put
into effect a uniform milk code
which could be used as a basis
for reciprocity Of inspection"
He urged an extension for an
other year Of the order allowing
milk importations in order to give
time for the conferences.
Mr.. Wesley and Attorneys John
Hillyard and Robert E. Lynch de-
scribed the present Health Depart
ment milk code as "antiquated"
and pointed out it was drawn up
rs years ago when economic and
other conditions were different
from today.
Monopoly Fear Cited.
The restaurant spokesman con-
tended the importation ban would
tend" to strengthen "a local
monopoly over the milk market"
The recent District Court con-
viction of the producer associa-
ton, it's secretary-treasurer, B. B.
Derrick and Richfield and Lucerne
dairies on charges Of conspiracy
to fix milk prices came up repeat
edly during yesterdays hearing
held in the Office of Commissioner
John Russell Young.
Mr.. Lynch and Mr.. Smith en-
gagged in debate over whether the
Health Department could change
it's regulations without consent of
Congress. Mr.. Lynch maintained,
it could but Mr.. Smith said it
could not.
Both attorneys for the dairies]
made it clear they would not well
come having to deal with Mr..
Derrick's association, a situation
they said would come about if
milk Importation was banned.
Smith Questioned on Interest.
Mr.. Lynch questioned Mr.. Smith
as to whether he was the counsel
for the association. The Virginia
Representative replied that he was
counsel for no one, but came from
a district of more than TOO dairy
farmers who, he said, had a right
to be considered.
Mr.. Smith charged that dairies
buying milk from outside sources
at prices below association figures
were not passing on the savings to
consumers. "These people are not
pleading for the consumers but
for their own profit" he declared.
James Ward, sr.. head of En-
bassy Dairy, contended earlier,
however. that his firm was selling
home e-delivered milk at 20 cents
a quart-half a cent below dairies
dealing with the association.
An interested spectator at the
hearing was Robert II. Winn, spe-
cial assistant to the ATTORNEY
General, who prosecuted the as
sociation and the dairies in the
milk trial. Mr.. Winn told a re-
porter he was present only as "an
observer"