428 TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VI 



nation-wide educational campaigns, conducted in the various states, 

 showing by circulars sent out by boards of health and food officials, 

 the real menace of the common fly. His deadly work has been 

 painted in pictures and recited in verse. Traps have been designed 

 to catch him in vast numbers by means of an enticing bait and many 

 cities have offered rewards for the boy or girl who could catch the 

 largest number. Official bulletins point out his breeding places and 

 tell of the proper treatment of these places to destroy the eggs and 

 reduce his numbers. I venture the prophecy that the time will come 

 when the law will require the destruction of the common rat, as he 

 is a contaminator as well as a destroyer of foods. It is encouraging 

 to know that in practically every case where dealers in food products 

 have been compelled to install proper protection for foods that they 

 say they would not think of returning to the old system; in fact, 

 many have exceeded the requirements and invested heavily in plate 

 glass cases with white tile floors which are easily cleaned and dis- 

 play their foods in an enticing manner. Cabinet manufacturers 

 quickly saw the value of sanitary food display cases and many on the 

 market today are the last word in the cabinetmaker's art. The repu- 

 table dealer has likewise recognized their value and their installation 

 is a part of every modern grocery and market. From what I have 

 said it might seem that the millennium in food sanitation was near, 

 but we are far from it. Visit any of our large cities and you are 

 likely to find bakeries being operated in basements with little ventila- 

 tion and only artificial light and utensils of doubtful cleanliness. 

 These places, although comparatively few, exist for various reasons. 

 They have been found by the inspector and have been made to im- 

 prove, but the owner is a man of small means, industrious, and a 

 respectable citizen. He would like to have his bakery in a modern 

 room, but he has not the means to buy or rent such a place and we 

 suffer him to continue in such a place with the best possible sanitary 

 conditions under such surroundings. Officials are in part excusable 

 for such conditions, but food officials should strive for the elimi- 

 nation of every bakery or food factory in any basement not one- 

 half above the ground with ample daylight and cement floors. 



There is one class of manufacturers which should not be tolerated 

 and that is the small bottler of soda waters who rents a shed or a 

 ramshackle back room and with a foot-power bottling machine and a 

 tub of warm or possibly cold water for washing his bottles makes 

 a product which he offers to the public as a cool, refreshing beverage. 

 In many cases these men are foreigners of the lowest class, with 



