THE MILK SITUATION IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 107 



sonable to assume that such force as might be needed to conduct the 

 operations of a given plant could be commanded at lower wages in 

 the country than if the plant were located wathin the District. It is 

 possible, furthermore, that if the plant be located in a rural com- 

 munity a number of farmers patronizing the same plant would make 

 it practicable to concentrate their shipments and enable the securing 

 of better rates for refrigerator-car service than could otherwise be 

 obtained. 



If it be insisted that the milk be maintained at a temperature not 

 exceeding 50 F. from time of milking to time of delivery at the pas- 

 teurizing plant, there would be no appreciable deterioration of the 

 milk when maintained at such temperature if the pasteurization be 

 deferred until the milk reaches Washington instead of being prac- 

 ticed at the point of shipment. The establishment of the pasteuriz- 

 ing plant or plants within the boundaries of the District would mani- 

 festly facilitate the administration and inspection by the health de- 

 partment and involve less public expenditure than would otherwise 

 be requisite. There is the additional consideration as to whether it 

 would be feasible to establish a sufficient number of plants throughout 

 the sections of the country in which the dairy farms are located to 

 enable the farmers to conveniently send their supplies of milk to 

 these plants. Dairy farms, and indeed farms generally, have been 

 located with reference as a rule to their proximity to existing rail- 

 roads and the transportation facilities thereby afforded. It is pos- 

 sible that without providing an impracticably large number of pas- 

 teurizing plants certain farms now sending their product to Wash- 

 ington would be entirely eliminated from the situation; though, on 

 the other hand, it might be argued that the installation of such plants 

 would serve as an impetus for the establishment of a number of 

 new dairy farms, or the conversion of a number of general farms 

 partly or wholly into dairy farms. 



After carefully weighing the several considerations in favor of and 

 opposed to the location of the proposed pasteurizing plants in the 

 District, the committee concludes that, in its judgment, the interests 

 of the public generally will be best subserved by requiring that the 

 pasteurizing plant or plants be located within the limits of the 

 District of Columbia, where they may be under the continuous 

 supervision of representatives of the health department. This view, 

 that the pasteurizing plant or plants should be located within the 

 city or in close proximity rather than on the farm, is indorsed by an 

 overwhelming majority of the authorities consulted by the committee. 



PRIVATE LOCAL PLANTS NOW IN OPERATION. 



The committee files herewith (Appendix AN) a list of the milk 

 pasteurizing plants already in operation in the District of Columbia. 

 It feels obliged to add in this connection that it can not state with 

 defmiteness whether all of these plants entirely conform in every 

 respect with the specifications concerning the degree of heat, length 

 of exposure, and other requisites for proper pasteurization. 



MAINTENANCE OF PLANTS UNDER PUBLIC OR PRIVATE AUSPICES. 



As to whether such pasteurizing plant or plants should be con- 

 ducted under private auspices or maintained by the municipality, 

 the committee feels that since it may be anticipated that this serv- 



