Litchfield enquirer., 1869-01-21
MILK!

Answer to Proposition made by tn Housatenic Valley Milk Association [
 J. M. Baker X Co., of New York, an,
 P. 0. Cummings of Canaan, Conn. '''' GENTLEMEN OF THE MILK COMMITTEE: - l.
 Your proposition has been carefully con sidered, and we respectfully submit tn following calculations and statements up on the basis, mainly of four car loads o milk day, or 576cans of 23, ,04O quarts.
 One of your propositions is,r that afte the milk equals car loads day, the pri ces for selling and guaranteeing sales. ant doing all that this will render necessary te be done, shall be reduced to A of ce 1t { quart, or 10 cents Q can. ,ualss.
 Ten cents q can on car loads would be $57. 60.
 Another proposition is 1s of a cent a quart. or cents Q can, for doing what is called platform work. The platform work lin the words of MT. Hall) is, to deliver the milk at the depot, collect commission of cents can, and collect and pay the freight every morning. For doing this ii is conceded on all hands that per cent d can at least, should be paid, which would be $28.8O. lt iGf rlfl1ej',l esrF
 That leaves for finding and keeping cus- toners Sometimes not an easy matter), making and guaranteeing sales, keeping the necessary accoupts between ourselves and customers on one side, and between ourselves and the milk-producers on the other, collecting the money in New York. and paying it oyer to the farmers on the whole length of the Road, $28.80. .y btr4.
 We say, and are willing to satisfy any one who will give the time and labor ne- k- .,,r l. <. quire at least three competent men to keep the necessary accounts. Men whose ser vices are worth and will command in New York $5. .OO day, making $500. The en- try book, which contains the entries made at the depot, of the milk received and de- hvered, must be gone through with at the office, where in an account opened with each producer, he must be credited with in an account opened with each receiver of milk, he must be charged with every can delivered to him.
 credit entry made every day to each owner of the cans as received, and Q charge to each one who receives them, and each own cans delivered to the Railroad to be return II them must also be credited with their re- turned cans. These entries must be made from an empty can book, in which cor rect entry entry is made as they are return ed. This account must be so kept that the state of the can account with each GUS toner and each farmer can be known. There are four entries in some form every day, between each farmer who furnishes milk and each customer who receives it, in regard to the cans alone. This must be so if we are to know and be able to tell at once, as we should, where the cans are. sas deasy VIII n saps %hGh bs s occur more or less, has lead and will lead to a good deal of examination of can ac- counts, to learn the facts, and be able to explain them by correspondence in answer to inquiries, which have been numerous. If prompt replies and explanations are not made then we are blamed. It is no small matter to keep the can account for 576 cans day, and be able to tell who has re- ceived them, and who have and have not returned them. .'> i'.'.'
 The men as they return from the depot every morning are to be settled with, the freight money they bring is to be counted, and freight account made up at the office and paid. |5'7 '1<. >''&t
 A daily cash account must be made up and balanced at the office. Bills must be made for every milk customer when he set ties his account. This bill is true copy of his account of milk received. It must be receipted, stamped, copied into book, and money received and counted and cred ited to balance his account.
 The books must also be gone through with every two weeks, and all the milk re- ceived in the two weeks copied into bills, and an account made up with each farmer, and the money charged to him to balance his account, and for convenience and ref erence, these bills are copied into book. At 5 cents quart the milk of four car loads amounts to $16, 12S. This must all be received at the office during each fort night. It is paid by many different GUS toners, and more or less every day. It must all be counted in, and men must be employed who will do it without making mistakes. ~t @" #+# ,3t.Ey7s
 It must also be counted out again, the required amount for each farmer. The amount daily received, in many small sums amounts to $1, 152.O0 at cents . quart Besides this the freight money for car loads, which amounts to $345.60 cents day. in all per day $1, ,497. 60, or $2O, ,96t 40 every two weeks.
 This freight money is first received a the depot. and men competent to count i quick and keep and render an accurate ac count of it to the office, must be employ ed. and they must be sufficiently acquaint ed with money to tell what is good ant what is poor. The danger of making mis takes and of getting more or less bad mo ney is considerable. Full three -fourths o the freight money is paid in fractional cur reney. This sum of $20, 966. 40 is paid on again to the Railroad and farmers ever, two weeks. We say that the office worl required to do all this business of 576 can a day properly and safely. is sufficient t occupy three competent men, and we in vite the farmers, if they do not think so to send some one of their number, il whom they have confidence, to bs presen
 when the work is done, till he is setisfe' how much work is needed to do it Whel 576 empty cans are returned every day, will be as much as one man can do to en ter and check them at the depot, worth say, $500. a ,aa 9aa se saoaBu 1a
 Office rent, . $1200 per year.
 Cellar ' l5o ,.ae; as, aa l a i37nt2s- 9d' $135O, or per day, $3. 70
 The extra labor that will be necessary