54 THE MILK SITUATION IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 



considering it one coming peculiarly under the supervision of the 

 District health authorities ; " that, in view of the inconsiderable 

 amount of milk purchased by employees, the Department of Justice 

 contemplates no such action; and that the Smithsonian Institution 

 and the Government Printing Office have taken no steps toward 

 establishing requirements of this nature. No response was received 

 from the Interstate Commerce Commission. Copies of the replies 

 from the several heads of departments and bureaus are appended. 

 (Appendix Z.) It will appear, therefore, that six out of the nine ex- 

 ecutive departments now insist that milk furnished employees at the 

 buildings be from tuberculin-tested cows, and otherwise safeguarded 

 against infection and contamination. 



It is recommended that this action, with a view to insuring a purer 

 milk supply for employees, be extended to embrace all the executive 

 departments and independent establishments of the Government 

 located at Washington. 



REGULATIONS CONCERNING MILK FOR DISTRICT GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES 



AND INSTITUTIONS. 



Under date of November 8, 1910, the District Commissioners issued 

 an order in the following terms (Appendix AA) : 



Ordered, That the purchase of milk by the District of Columbia for use in 

 institutions under its control is limited to milk that has been properly pasteur- 

 ized or that has come from tuberculin-tested herds. 



While this order is, in the opinion of the committee, a step in the 

 right direction, it (differing from the orders recently issued by a num- 

 ber of the executive departments) permits milk that has not been pas- 

 teurized to enter institutions under control of the District govern- 

 ment, with the safeguard only that it shall be from tuberculin-tested 

 herds. In the opinion of the committee, the order does not go as far 

 as it should, in that further than being limited to the product of 

 tuberculin-tested cows, it should prescribe that all raw, unpasteurized 

 milk should conform to the requirements for certified milk in the 

 classification recommended by the Washington milk conference of 1907. 



It may be noted in this connection that an order similar to that 

 issued by a majority of the executive departments within the past 

 few w r eeks, specifying the character of milk which shall be supplied to 

 employees at the department buildings, has not been issued, protecting 

 the employees of the District government. The committee is strongly 

 of the view that such an order should be issued without delay. 



DISPOSAL OF NATHAN STRAUS WASHINGTON LABORATORY. 



Detailed reference is made in the chapter on infant feeding in 

 this report to the recommendations, under date of December 7, 1910, 

 of a special committee designated by the Commissioners of the Dis- 

 trict of Columbia to report upon the feasibility of acceptance by the 

 District government of the offer of Mr. Nathan Straus to donate for 

 public use the pasteurizing laboratory established by him in May, 

 1910, in Washington City, and to an account in the same connection 

 of legislation proposed by Senator Gallinger for the operation of 

 this plant under the control of the Surgeon General of the Public 

 Health and Marine-Hospital Service, with the cooperation of the 

 health office of the District of Columbia. 



