Litchfield enquirer., 1872-09-05
MILK PRODUCERS MEETIkc.

AAASAAaAi%A ha4, INDW muAO4us tO COuSlucI aproposition for forminga company for controlling the distribution of milk in New York. Some sixty or seventy of the principal members of the Association were present among whom were Messrs T. s. Gold, Nathan Hart, Harry Sedgwick, of Cornwall, and quite representation from Massachusetts. While of those now send ing over the Naugatuck and shepaug rail- roads, Messrs. M. D. F. Smith and Enos Pratt of Goshen. and MT. s. H. Welton, of Washington were present.
 The meeting was called to order by Mir. Perry N. Hall, of New Milford, President of the Association, who referred to recent meeting of milk producers held in New York for the purpose of forming compa- ny to control the delivery of milk in that city. The result had been the organiza- ton of a joint stock company, for that purpose under the laws of New York, with MT. J. B. Hollister, of New York, Presi- dent. and Mir. I. s. Gold of Cornwall, Treasurer He then introduced MT. Hol- ister to the Association.
 MT. H. said he had been advertised for an address but that he was not speech maker, and desired merely to explain the origin and plan of the proposed company, and to solicit subscriptions for carrying the plan into effect. ''We commenced sending milk to New York road over our road (the Harlem Extension) trusting the business of its sale at the other end en-. tirely to agents We were told how many sets of cans were needed and found finally that sevea times our daily average of cans were required to meet delays in returning. There was not so much mon- ey made in the business as we had expect ed. Many of our cans were lost. Agents claimed to have lost by sales on credit. We enquired if they were in the habit of selling on credit to milk peddlers. They said that such was the general practice and that it could not be broken up. Our cans were detained, always roughly hand led, and often lost by irresponsible ped dlers who carried them all over the city. An enormous profit was made on the dis tribution of the milk besides diluting it with at least one quarter water. Wemade up our minds that the system of milk dis tribution in New York city was about the rottenest possible. We sent delegation to the meeting of milk producers held in. New York on the 18th of March last. That meeting appointed a committee to perfect a plan for taking into the hands of the producers the business of distributing the milk to the consumer. A company was formed, named the Farmers Milk Company, with the nominal capital of million dollars. The affairs of the compa- ny were to be managed by board of trustees appointed from among the milk producers three from those sending on the line of the Erie three, on the Housa- tonic, and seven on the other roads.
 ''The difficulty now is that the business is not done in an economical manner. We give the New York middle men one can of milk for selling two. New York consum- CTS now pay about $14, 1000, 900 annually for their milk, seven millions of which go to the middle men for distributing it, not reckoning their profits from adulteration. The question is whether the farmers are willing to assume the expense necessary for making distribution themselves. The proposed company will commence busi- ness on the subscription of $2OO, ,000 of their stock. At a recent meeting of the producers on our road $2O, 600 was sub- scribed. At like meeting on the Erie SIG, 900 of the stock was taken, and we wish to see what you are ready to do. At the annual meeting in March the thirteen trustees are chosen. We pay no commis- sions, and think the yearly expense of managing the entire distribution of the city ought not to cost over million and half. We do not expect, of course, to control all the milk at first. The roads now interested are the Erie, the Harlem Extension, and the Housatonic, which furnish about two-thirds of the milk that goes into the city. We expect to employ our own men-not New YorkersIS own our own cans, teams, &c.,, The consum- CTS are heartily in favor of this movement will drop the usual dealers and take milk of the sarmers. There would be no diff culty in getting the stock of the company taken by capitalists. some of whom have already expressed willingness to take the amount needed, if they could have con- trolling interest, but it is evidently better that the farmers should keep this in their own hands," Mir. Hollister then desired that those
 -.-a-..-., @.--.a-.. s...1. -a---1l put such questions as occurred to them. Many questions were asked and difficult
 ties suggested. Regarding the difficulty ! of starting, it was answered that gentle.
 man was there present who had tried the
 proposed plan successfully on smaller
 scale. To the fear that there might be
 surplus mill, it was answered that facto-
 " was proposed for making the surplus
 into cheese although it was not thought that there would be any difficulty in dis posing of any amount of pure milk. The
 usual daily supply was about 12, 900 cans, diluted by middle-men to about 16,O0O cans, and much condensed milk was used on account of the adulterations practiced. The amount of sour milk where it was carefully prepared was always small. Most of the complaints of this kind arise from swindling contractors. IT MT. Enos Pratt seemed to think that there was danger of collusion between rail road officials and the middle-men to drive of all opposition and that the milk '.ring'' I II ~R Al