THE MILK SITUATION IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 125 



ington several months after January 1, 1911, if requisite in order to 

 allow opportunity for Congress to take over the establishment under 

 governmental control. 



As a result of the recent agitation on the subject, a bill (S. 9716) 

 was introduced in the Senate by Mr. Gallinger authorizing the ac- 

 ceptance by the United States Government as a gift, of the Nathan 

 Straus Pasteurized Milk Laboratory. The bill was referred to the 

 Senate District Committee, from which it has not yet been reported. 

 The measure proposes to appropriate the sum of $15,000, or so much 

 thereof as may be necessary, to be immediately available for ex- 

 penditure until June 30, 1912, in the maintenance and operation of 

 the laboratory, the sum allotted to be expended under the supervision 

 of the Surgeon General of the Public Health and Marine-Hospital 

 Service " for the purpose of demonstrating, with the cooperation of 

 the health officer of the District of Columbia, the practical utility of 

 infants' milk depots in the reduction of infant mortality." A copy 

 of the bill is subjoined (Appendix AR). 



While the chamber of commerce committee appreciates to the full- 

 est extent the valuable results achieved through the benefaction of 

 Mr. Straus in placing this practical object lesson before the eyes of 

 our community, it feels obliged to advert at the same time to the fact 

 that essentially important work in educating the public to an ap- 

 preciation of the value of and necessity for a sanitary milk supply, 

 especially for infant feeding, has been carried on for many years by 

 the Department of Agriculture and the Public Health and Marine- 

 Hospital Service and by Dr. G. Lloyd Magruder, Dr. George M. 

 Kober, Dr. Woodward, the District health officer, Gen. George M. 

 Sternberg, Mr. Emile Berliner, and other well-known public-spirited 

 Washingtonians. 



As an evidence of the practical work accomplished locally in this 

 direction the committee appends (Appendix AS) a report on the 

 Infants' and Children's Dispensary connected with the Settlement 

 House of southwest Washington, covering the period from April 13, 

 to October 1, 1908, two years before the establishment of the local 

 Straus Laboratory. This dispensary has been continuously in ex- 

 istence since its organization and is doing excellent work. During 

 the first five and one-half months of its career there were treated in 

 the dispensary 261 infants and children. During this period 41 babies 

 were supplied with modified milk. Modified milk was also dispensed 

 at this early date by the Neighborhood House, also located in south- 

 west Washington. 



The committee feels that, so far as ministering to the material 

 wants of infants in this jurisdiction in providing a proper supply of 

 pasteurized and modified milk *is concerned, this can probably be 

 accomplished at much less expense through the utilization of exist- 

 ing commercial agencies, such as the establishments of Mr. George M. 

 Oyster, jr., the Walker-Gordon Laboratory, and the White Cross 

 Milk Co., than by the maintenance of the plant so generously in- 

 stalled by Mr. Straus. It is strongly advocated, however, that a 

 special fund be inaugurated by popular subscription, liberally en- 

 dowed and supported by our citizens and possibly supplemented by 

 appropriations from Congress, to be devoted exclusively to reimburs- 

 ing such commercial agencies for pasteurized and modified milk fur- 

 nished upon order in deserving cases to infants whose parents are 



