46 Kki'out of the Depabtment ok Bacteriology of the 



nished by one of the large retailers of Boston 1 indicate that in 

 their largo business their expenses for handling milk amounted to 

 4.77 cents per quart. In this smaller city where some of the expense 

 items arc smaller the margin between the 3.75 cents per quart which 

 goes to the producer and the 7 cents paid by the consumer is only 

 3.25 cents per quart. It is therefore evident that the business 

 here must be even more economically conducted than in the city 

 of Boston. The fact that the largest retailing company, which has 

 been in business eight years, has never paid over 7 per ct. on its 

 stock indicates that the margin of profit is not very wide. 



Under the contracts between the producer and the retailer, as 

 already explained, the wholesale price increased one-half cent per 

 quart from the medium to the good or from the good to the excel- 

 lent grades. From the preceding analysis it is plain that a decrease 

 of one-half cent per quart in the wholesale price would practically 

 wipe out the margin of profit in milk production. 



While it is true that not every objectionable practice would merit 

 a cut sufficient to change the classification of the milk, such would 

 frequently be the case and in some instances a change of two grades 

 might result from a combination of unsanitary practices. 



Under such circumstances the power of the inspector to enforce 

 good sanitary conditions surrounding a milk supply is very great 

 and practically its only limit is the readiness with which the milk 

 men can refuse to abide by his action if the inspector abuses his 

 power and forfeits their respect. 



The potency of this power when rightly used is seen in the re- 

 markable way in which the sanitar}- conditions surrounding this 

 milk supply improved during the period between 1907 and 1911. 



MILK SUPPLY SITUATION CHANGED. 



APPOINTMENT OF DAIRY INSPECTORS. 



Under conditions as here outlined where the dairy inspector was 

 virtually the financial arbitrator in a business capitalized at 8458,000 

 it is vital to the success of any plan for milk improvement that 

 he be a man qualified for the important duties which he is to per- 

 form. 



In all cities in this State it is necessary to make appointments 

 from lists furnished by the local civil service commissions. There 

 is frequently considerable difficulty in getting these commissions to 

 appreciate the technical character of the requirements for dairy 

 inspectors. In Bulletin 337 5 are given in detail the circumstances 

 leading up to the appointment of the first dairy inspector, a railroad 

 baggage-master whose agricultural experience was restricted to his 

 boyhood on a fruit farm. In that instance he was trained by a 

 member of the board of health and by attendance at the Short 



4 H. P. Hood & Sons. Cost of delivering a quart of milk to the consumer. Hoard's 

 Dairyman. 41 : 859. Ju. 19, 1912. 

 6 See footnote 1. 



