1914-10-26ass

“ ‘The farmers are getting a high price for milk now, and we are determined that they will get nothing into the city that is not absolutely pure,’ declared Inspector Shain ,of the civic health department, today.”

Hamilton Herald.   October 26, 1914.

Most milk consumed in Hamilton was brought into the city directly from farms in the rural areas surrounding the city, and, for the most part, it was delivered directly to homes all across the city.

For many years in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, there was little, if any concern that the milk being sold to Hamilton consumers was of the highest, healthiest quality.

However by 1914, that situation had changed and milk deliveries were randomly sampled by the City of Hamilton’s Civic Health Department.

In the early morning hours of October 26, 1914, an inspection was made, and that the afternoon, the Hamilton Herald reported on the results:

“This morning Inspector Shain examined samples from over 100 gallons of milk sent ot the city by farmers who have no retail business here. He ordered that 64 gallons of the lot be sent back to farmers because it contained too much filth in his opinion, for the plates of Hamilton people. The milk sent back showed heavy deposits of dirt.

“ ‘We are going to enforce the milk bylaw to the absolute letter in order to protect the citizens,’ said Inspector Shain.”¹

¹ “Dirty Milk : Health Office Rejected Sixty-Four Gallons.”

Hamilton Herald.   October 26, 1914.