Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-01-16
Milk Producers w.. FitchDurg Rail
road.
HEARING BEFORE THE RAILROAD COM
MISSIONER.

The board of railroad commissioners
/ gave a hearing, yesterday noon, in the
! cases of the Milk Producers Association
vs. the Fitchburg railroad The former
! represent that the Fitchburg company
/ has not furnished them with proper IA
! cilities for bringing milk to market: that
| the business of carrying milk over the
road is placed in the hands of a few per-
sons, TO the Inconvenience and loss Of
| the producers petition that the freight
tariffs on the road shall be established at
| a low rate; and that no discrimination
shall be made between one milk prOduc-
err and another as is claimed is, at pres
ent, the case, aud requests the board Of
railroad commissioners to recommend
to the Fitchburg company such changes
in management as may bring about the
desired end. On behalf of the Fitch
burg Railroad Company, Mr. John b
Goodrich appeared. while the interests
of the Milk Producers Association
were placed in the hands of Judge H.
f. French of Concord. VIM. II.
Stearns, President Of the Fitchburg rail
road, said, in answer to questions, that
no unjust determinations had been made
by the corporation between the Milk
Producers and any other association. in
asmuch as the same terms were offered
to them as to others who were engaged
in similar business on the road. There
had been no cases where milk had been
received as local freight but in such
an event, milk would be treated in the
same way as ordinary freight Mr.. f.
T. HornbloWer of Concord thoupht
that an increase of accommodations
would be of great benefit to the farmers
and saw no reason why milk should not
be carried just as any other freight.
That system had been found to work
successfully in New York. Philadelphia
and other places On account of the
monopoly on tho Fichhnre road milk
was carried, in conSi !a,li1,. Quantities
from Concord to Lexington hy wagon
and thence to Boston hy tla Lowell
railroad, on which all lalls Droduccrs
are treated alike in the ma,,cr Of trans
portatiOn.
Mr.. Andrew Robbins of Boston. one
of the contractors to whom the Fitch
burg railroad has given the right to car
ry milk on their road, then spoke at
length. He claimed that the contract
ors had dealt fairly ard equitably bv
the milk producers. The business for
many years brought in but little profit.
and some who had engaged in it had
failed. The business can only be car
RED on successfully by the exercise of
great energy and perseverance. and it is
not possible for the farmers themselves
to give the subject the time and atten-
ton it demands. Within few wears
other associations have entered into
business, thereby bringing down the
price of milk very materially. Il is not
possible to benefit the farmer when 9th
er parties are running milk into the CITY
at reduced rates, and yet the Milk Pro
ducers' Association come in here and
charge that the business as carried on
by us, is a monopoly and injurious TO
their interests. For himself, he was
perfectly willing to freight milk from
Concord, and take care of it after it's ar
rival in Boston, at four cents a can.
G. A. Hubbard of Concord. said that |
he had given up selling milk the present |