The Milk That Killed Children: A Call for State Inspection

E. A. McDonald delivered a short address on 'Control of Milk Supplies in Cities.' He reviewed the various phases of the topic and stated that he believed that the control of the milk supply should be in the hands of the state. A very large part of the deaths of children were due to impurities in milk. Contagious diseases were spread by the same source. At present Seattle is the only one of the cities having a city milk inspector. Not only should proper legislation be framed to improve the conditions but a systematic effort put forth to educate the consumers in the cities on how to handle it and keep it fresh after it reaches their hands. There was a great amount of ignorance in this respect.

Prof. Pearson followed Mr. McDonald, and said that the subject was one that he had been interested in for a long time. Before he became attached to the dairy division he was in the milk business in an Eastern city, and one day, in securing new business, called on an old lady, who said that she did not want to change from her present dealer, because he had furnished her milk from the same cow for 17 years. You are likely to find everything in city milk. It has been found very profitable by certain milkmen in the East to make it a specialty to take extreme pains that the milk they sell is of the very best. It is the policy of the city authorities, including the milk inspectors, health officers, etc., to indorse these enterprising men, and as a consequence people patronize them in preference to dealers who do not take such pains. Some of them have built up large fortunes by this means. A man down in New Jersey who had a very ordinary milk supply fixed up his barn and made it attractive, and invited leading physicians to inspect his dairy. He got indorsements from them regarding the superiority of his milk, and in four or five years he has increased his herd from 12 cows to 500, and sells a good part of his milk for 12 cents per quart and the balance for 8 cents.