66 THE MILK SITUATION IN THE DISTRICT OP COLUMBIA. 



The commission suggests that a policy of compensation be pur- 

 sued as useful, proper, and necessary, and as a temporary measure 

 that, when tuberculosis exists in a herd to which a policy of slaugh- 

 ter and compensation can not reasonably be applied, such herd 

 be compulsorily dealt with by the owner under Government super- 

 vision on the principle of the separation of all sound animals from 

 those affected, and that in the event of anyone refusing or neglecting 

 to comply with this requirement, his entire herd be closely quaran- 

 tined and sales therefrom entirely prohibited ; that when slaughter is 

 necessary, in order to avoid economic loss, every effort be made to 

 utilize, as far as possible, the meat of such animals as may be found 

 fit for food;* that, except when purchases are made from disease-free 

 herds tested by a properly qualified individual, persons buying for 

 breeding purposes or milk production, limit their purchases to ani- 

 mals successfully withstanding the tuberculin test ; and that, in order 

 to assist in properly carrying out this suggestion, official authorities 

 adopt such regulations as will prevent the entry into their respective 

 territories of cattle for breeding purposes or milk production unless 

 accompanied by satisfactory tuberculin test charts. 



The commission further recommends that all milk and milk 

 by-products used as food be properly pasteurized unless derived 

 from cows known to be free from tuberculosis ; and, furthermore, that 

 legislation be enacted inhibiting the sale, distribution, or use of 

 tuberculin by any persons not acting with the full knowledge or under 

 the direction of official authorities. 



The commission concludes with a recognition of the necessity for 

 a widespread campaign of education on the subject of its deliberations 

 and the importance of the cooperation of the press in convincing the 

 public of the vital importance of the life of farm animals to the wel- 

 fare of all classes of society ; and with a reference to the desirability 

 of uniform legislation regarding the control and eradication of tuber- 

 culosis, it being recommended that the laws of the United States, 

 Canada, and other American countries governing the admission of 

 animals from without be made stringent and assimilated, so far as 

 possible, as well as those regulating the interstate and interprovincial 

 movement of cattle. It dwells additionally upon the urgency of 

 legislation to prevent the various frauds which interfere with the 

 satisfactory use of tuberculin as a diagnostic agent and points to the 

 necessity of making cattle as resistant as possible to infection by 

 stabling them in clean, disinfected, and properly ventilated and 

 lighted barns, giving them abundant, clean water, nutritious food, a 

 sufficient amount of daily exercise in the open air, and by providing 

 such other conditions as are well known to contribute to the health of 

 animals, including the daily removal of manure from stables and the 

 installation of water-tight floors and proper drainage. 



The foregoing recommendations were made by the commission 

 with the primary purpose of eradicating tuberculosis among animals 

 as an economic problem. The necessity for their adoption is magni- 

 fied manifoldly when we consider tuberculosis among animals in its 

 relation to the problem of conserving the public health. 



The commission concludes its report with the admonition that the 

 eradication of tuberculosis among animals should have the approval 

 and support of all persons who are interested in curtailing human 



