54 543 CITY OF AUSTIN, TEXAS MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL CITY OF AUSTIN, TEXAS Special Meeting October 15, 1945 3:15 Ρ.Μ. Council Chamber, City Hall The meeting was called to order with Mayor Miller presiding. Present: Councilmen Alford, Bartholomew, Mayor Miller and Absent: Councilman Wolf - 4 Councilman Gillis - 1 Present also: Guiton Morgan, City Manager; W.T. Williams, City Attorney; Dr. J.M. Coleman, Director of Public Health. The Mayor announced that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the milk situation in Austin, from all angles, and to try to bring about a mutually satisfactory solution of the shortage of milk in Austin, if that was possible at this time. The Mayor called upon Dr. Coleman to explain what recombined milk was and to state why he did not favor the City of Austin allowing it to be sold in Austin. Dr. Coleman stated that recombined milk is made from condensed milk and powdered milk mixed with water and some cream and a small amount of Grade A Milk added to give it a better taste. Dr. Coleman stated that the source of supply of the milk used in the condensed milk and powdered milk was such that it was impossible to know whether the milk was clean and whether it contained the proper bacteria count or not and, therefore, he could not approve the milk and say that it came up to the requirements of Grade A milk as set out in the Milk Ordinance of the City of Austin. While the Army was using this milk, and several of the larger dairies were supplying Camp Swift and Bergstrom Field, Dr. Coleman stated that the Army had sent their Inspectors to one of the sources of supply and they had inspected a number of the samples of the milk which were used in the recombined milk, still they could not inspect all of the dairies and it could be possible för just one lot of impure milk to be used and that would cause all of the recombined milk to be impure. Dr. Coleman further stated that once the City allows this milk to be sold in Austin it will be very hard to ever get back to Grade A milk which is now required. Houston has allowed recombined milk to be sold in the city but is now trying to get rid of it because it has not been satisfactory. The fact that some of the milk produced in the Austin area had been shipped to the Houston area was discussed. It was stated that this happened only during the early spring when the milk supply in the Austin area was greater than the demand. It was further stated that some of the herds had been sold to parties living in the Houston area because of the price they could get for their animals and because it was almost impossible to get help on the CITY OF AUSTIN, TEXAS 544 on the dairies and the high cost of feed, and the scarcity of same. The O. P. A. has placed a higher ceiling on milk in the Houston area because they said it cost more to produce milk there than in the Austin area. Milk in Houston sells for 154a quart and in Austin for 154 under the O. P. A. ceiling, that is Grade A milk. It was brought out in the meeting that during the year on several occasions some recombined milk had been sold in Austin under the Grade A label but the dairyman when asked about this agreed that he would not do this again. Dr. Coleman stated that as a whole the milk dealers and dairymen had cooperated with him splendidly and were trying to keep up the standard and grade of the milk sold in Austin, though, of course, there were a few who failed to do so. The Mayor stated that he wanted all present to feel free to enter the discussion and he also wanted them to know that all the Council was interested in is having only the best grade of milk offered for sale in the City of Austin, and, if there is anything that the Council can do to help bring this about they want to do so. There was quite a lot of discussion among the larger milk dealers and the dairymen present and all agreed that the shortage of milk in the Austin area would probably grow worse and that it would be early spring of next year before this could be overcome. The thing that would do the most good they thought would be to have an increase in the ceiling price of milk, and to encourage dairymen to increase their herds and build them up as rapidly as possible. This, of course, will take time, but the Agriculture Committee of the Chamber of Commerce, through their representative and Chairman, Mr. Fred Nagle, Jr. stated that they had been working toward bigger and better dairy herds for a good many years and would continue to do so. After hearing all who wished to be heard, the Mayor stated that the Council would be glad to aid in any way they could and that he, personally, would appeal to the O. P. A. District Office for an increase in the ceiling price of milk for the Austin area. He further stated that until Dr. Coleman would O. K. recombined milk, and the shortage became so acute, he would not recommend its sale in Austin, and that was the opinion of the rest of the Council. The meeting was adjourned at 4:55 P. M. APPROVED Jom milla. Mayor ATTEST: Deputy City Clerk