NEW YORK MILK COMMITTEE 33 



mobile throw a man from a bicycle and kill him or injure him. 

 That is a thing we could see. 



But here, as we know perfectly well, is milk, which is the most 

 perishable of foods. It would take a very intelligent man to learn 

 all the requirements and the limitations surrounding its produc- 

 tion in a safe way. It would take a very intelligent man to famil- 

 iarize himself with all those details inside of six months or a year, 

 at the most. Nevertheless, any Tom, Dick or Harry, whenever the 

 mood seizes him can go to work and manufacture milk make milk 

 or can buy a horse and cart and peddle it and handle it, and, in 

 doing so, run the chance of killing thousands of people by peddling 

 poison up and down the streets, carte blanc, and we fold our hands 

 and say, "Amen; it is all right." 



In this necessarily hasty and brief discussion only the salient 

 features of milk economics have been touched. From what has been 

 said the following deductions may be made: 



1. The existing standard of market milk is the culmination of 

 forces and practices of long duration and where the principle of 

 price has dominated to the exclusion of practically all other con- 

 siderations excepting that of adulteration. 



2. Such procedure has resulted in a very low standard, but has, 

 nevertheless met the approval of the mass of consumers and pro- 

 ducers alike. 



3. Owing to our knowledge of the possible and probable bacterial 

 action in milk produced under these conditions, the assurance thus 

 established through years of experience has been superseded by 

 grave apprehension. 



4. The much needed improvement of the milk standard can only 

 be accomplished through redirection and readjustment of the forces 

 and practices reviewed. This can not be accomplished without 

 material increase in price of milk. 



5. Increase of price in itself will not materially improve the 

 situation. 



6. Efficient supervision, inspection and police control thus be- 

 come imperative. 



7. Although the whole question of milk improvement must fail if 

 it is not an economic measure, nevertheless, inasmuch as any im- 

 provement in milk is more real than apparent, the degree of suc- 

 cess attained will be in close relation to the attitude of public 

 opinion to the principal at issue. This calls for an energetic 

 campaign of education. The producer must be taught to overcome 

 practices founded on years of application and adopt new methods. 

 This emphasizes the duties devolving upon inspectors. They 

 should not only be able to categorically score stables, dairies, etc., 



