underlying the handling of milk. For these purposes, therefore, and 
for the collection of samples of milk, men have been selected because 
of their general qualifications, and have not been required to have 
special training or experience with respect to the milk business. In 
certain cases, in making appointments of men to be assigned to the 
inspection of dairies, 'weight was allowed to the fact that the appli- 
cants had been engaged in the dairy business, but the result can not 
be said to have justified the anticipations of the department. 
The knowledge and experience of the inspectors of dairy farms and 
the inspectors of dairies must be supplemented by knowledge of the 
chemical composition of milk and of milk products, and of water, 
and by a practical acquaintance with the methods of analyzing these 
substances. A chemist is employed for that purpose. The knowledge 
of these inspectors ought to be supplemented by a knowledge of the 
bacteriology of milk and of milk products and of water, and by 
ability to analyze them microscopically and bacteriologically, but 
appeals from the health officer for an appropriation for the establish- 
ment and maintenance of a bacteriological laboratory, with a compe- 
tent bacteriologist in charge of it, have not yet been favorably acted 
upon. For the proper supervision and control of the work of the 
inspectors of dairy farms, and of dairies, and of the work of the 
chemist, records must be kept and a very considerable volume of cor- 
respondence handled, imposing upon the department a large amount 
of clerical work. The amount of correspondence arising in connec- 
tion with the milk-inspection service is very large, because so many 
of the persons producing milk for sale within the District and whose 
premises are under inspection reside at points more or less remote 
from the city. The milk-inspection service is organized, in order to 
meet the conditions described above, as follows: (a) supervision; 
(h) inspection of dairy farms; ( c ) inspection of dairies; ( d ) inspec- 
tion of milk. 
SUPERVISION. 
It is desirable that the supervision and control of the entire in- 
spection service of the health department, in so far as relates to dairy 
farms, dairies, and milk, should be under the control of one officer of 
the department. It has thus far been deemed impracticable, however, 
to accomplish that end. The department has never been able to pro- 
cure the services of a man suitable for assignment to this duty to the 
exclusion of all else, nor has the department ever been able to spare 
a man for this sole purpose from among the employees already pro- 
vided. It has been deemed impracticable to assign the supervision of the 
entire service to the chief inspector, on all of it to the supervision of the 
chief clerk, since to do so would be to impose upon the one or the 
other a disproportionate amount of work ; nor has it ever been found 
