VALUE OF THE CONTEST TO CLEVELAND.

The following letter points out very clearly some of the results which followed the contest in Cleveland:

Cleveland, June 4, 1907.

Prof. C. B. Lane, Assistant Chief, Dairy Division, Washington, D. C.

Dear Sir: Certain very definite beneficial results may be traced to the milk exhibit and contest held in Cleveland on March 16, 1907. It was of special value from an educational standpoint. Few of the dairymen supplying milk to Cleveland previous to the contest had any appreciation of the significance of the inspection required by the city and submitted to it largely from necessity. The various addresses and discussions demonstrated the method and the value of the inspection. The dairymen present came to understand the importance and significance of improved methods of handling milk, and many of the recommendations made have since been adopted. The dairymen also felt pleased at the attention and interest of the Government officials in Cleveland’s milk producers.

With the inauguration of the inspection by the Cleveland Board of Health considerable opposition developed among the dairymen, and in some cases open enmity. With a thorough understanding of the object of the inspection this opposition has ceased and the inspection is now sought and welcomed. Cordial relations now exist between the dairymen and the inspection department. The holding of the contest and exhibit definitely contributed to this kindly feeling. Friendly rivalry has been developed among the dairymen. The visit of the inspector is looked forward to; his suggestions are usually promptly complied with, and his subsequent visits result in a higher score for the dairymen generally. The general attitude of the dairymen toward an inspection system is well illustrated by a letter recently sent by several representative dairymen to the board of health:

We milk producers, who ship milk to the city of Cleveland, desiring to make and ship milk of good quality and to observe the sanitary regulations as prescribed by your honorable body, respectfully ask that each and every person shipping milk to the city of Cleveland be required to take out a permit to be issued by your honorable body, revocable at your pleasure.

That said permits shall be classified as 1 or 2. That dairies which score 50 points or above be classified as No. 1, and all dairies which score below 50 points be classified as No. 2. That all milk dealers, shippers, and peddlers who sell milk in the city of Cleveland be required to apprise their customers by placard or otherwise at all times of the class of milk that they are offering for sale, and in case of failure so to do, or in case of said milk dealer, shipper, or peddler offering for sale milk shipped into the city of Cleveland without a permit, said milk dealer, shipper, or peddler’s license shall be forfeited.

Austin Herrick. H. E. Post.

W. A. Mills. G. W. Adams.

H. F. Bicker. W. H. Chambers.

S. H. Mizer. A. F. Dresher.

O. H. Bennett. C. E. Riley.

E. Bowen.

The exhibit also had a beneficial effect upon retailers. This class has come to realize the value of sanitary milk production. Before making the season’s contract they inquire into the rating of the dairies in question, discriminating against those having a low rating, and frequently paying a premium for milk from a high-scoring dairy. There is at present an almost universal demand for a repetition of the contest annually, and the interest and participation in the contest next year would be many fold that of this contest.

(Signed.)

H. G. Sherman, M. D., Chairman Committee on Municipal Sanitation. C. W. Eddy, M. D., Chief of Inspection Division, Public Health Department.