io SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 
esting account of the plan is given in the November number 
of Outwest, to which I refer you. 
The matter has been voted upon, bonds are sold and work 
will begin early in February on the construction of conduits 
and tunnels. It is estimated that the work will require at 
least four years to be completed. Others estimate at least 
ten years will be required. ; 
Milk Supply. 
In 1894 the work of testing the milk for butter fats was 
begun by Dr. Powers in Los Angeles in the little room 6x10 in 
the attic of the City Hall which served as a chemical, bacter- 
iological and milk laboratory as well as fumigator’s room and 
detention ward for contagious cases for several years. 
During 1894 to 1897 nothing systematic was accomplished 
on account of the lack of assistants. In 1897 the City 
Council allowed a milk inspector who went to the larger dairies 
supplying milk to the city, and made systematic tests of milk 
for butter fats and solids. The dairymen made strenuous 
objection to any ‘‘interference’’ with their work, and said the 
cattle in this country couldn’t produce as rich milk as else- 
where on account of the climate and feed of Southern Cali- 
fornia. 
In the early part of 1898 a standard was established for 
3% fats and 12 1-2% solids. Then the lone hard work began 
of compelling dairymen. supplying milk to the city to conform 
to this standard. The early part of the work was done by 
Mr. George Hooser, whose untiring energy did much to bring 
about a better condition of affairs. To put one’s self in the 
dairyman’s place doesn’t require very much imagination;. to 
be held up at some dark corner between two and three o’clock 
in the morning, have an inspector open the cans, test each one 
with the lactometer, and at last to find those which had evi- 
dently been replenished from the water faucet, and take a 
sample and within the next day or two bring the driver before a 
police court judge was a common occurrence in those days. Such 
was the character of the work and it almost goes without 
saying that this particular busy milk inspector lost his job at 
the next election! 
The work of educating these dairy owners has always been 
one of Dr. Powers’ numerous special duties, and to his un- 
tiring zeal we owe the present fairly good condition of the milk 
supplied to Los Angeles. In 1905 the standard for fats was 
raised to 3 1-2%, solids 12 1-2%, while in reality the majority 
of the milk tests show 4% fats with the Babcock test. 
The confidence of most of the dairymen has been won and 
