Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-07-17
The MILK Trade.
GONE SIDE OF THE MATTER.

in an article with the above caption,
published in the Troy Daily Press,
June Goth.
1st, He says ''there was contract
made between VIM. Butler Duncan, les
see of the Harlem Extension railroad,
and Cummings, Baker & Co., and said
contract has not been carried out on the
part of Mr.. Duncan.
I'd, ''The managers of the Harlem EX-
tenson railroad fixed an unreasonable tar
iff of eighty cents per can on milk, but
promised that the freight should be re-
duced to sixty cents per can as soon as
we got the business started"
l have made inquiry of those who
would be likely to know, and find that
his assertion that the Harlem Extension
railroad company promised to reduce
the rates as soon as the milk business
| got started, is rot correct. No such
| promise was ever made, | am satisfied.
| If at any time, a necessity existed for
low freights, it was at the start, and not
after the business was well established.
He says the freight has not been re-
duced, "although we have often anX-
iously and earnestly tried to get the
freight reduced" In reply,T would say
that the prices named for milk by Cum
mings, Baker e Co., in their circular,
were not maintained, and to help them
to sustain the business, the company
paid them, for the months of May and
June, $1,11GGO; July, 1862. As; Au-
gust, S1,O24; September, S1,312.S0; {;
October, 81, 500 40; making total of
S., S25. %, allowed them, which is equal
to seventeen and half cents per can
on all the milk shipped on this road
from the time of starting, until the first
day Of November, 1871, and yet in
the free knowledge of all this, Mr..
Cummings states that this company re-
fused to make any deductions on freights
and asks the farmers 'if there had
been no charge for freight Oh your bills
would it have been a profitable and en-
couraging business to you, CT, in other
words, if you had received a half cent
per quart more on all your milk, would
it have been paying business p Mr..
I Cummings knows that the Harlem rail
road company have in all cases refuse ia
make any allowance and that the amount
paid Baker. Cummings e Co, has all
been paid out of our proportion Of the
freight earned, which only left Us twen-
ty-two and half cents per can, after
deducting amount paid Cummings, Ba-
ker & Co, from the time it started till
November 1st, 1871. During the year
1871 there was shipped-over this road
forty-two thousand one hundred and
twenty-six cans of milk, on which Cum
mings, Baker 81 Co. received for com.
missions. SS, 998, and on milk sent to
others, S11310 making a total of So
lilo, which was not very bad to take,
in starting a new business under such
discOuraging circumstances. Iestead oil
the railroad company refusing to help
them. as he asserts, they were called
upon to do all that was done in the way
Of deductions. | told Mr.. Cummings
that / thought they ought to take off {
part of their commissions, and thus helT
to start the business, which was awayi
met with positive refusal. They have
always charged more commissions fol
: selling milk than others were charging
and even more than they were charging
) parties on the line of the HOusatoniC
; railroad. They have even charged com
missions on milk that they dumped be
! cause it remained on hand untilit soured
When asked by Mr.. Cummings II
: make further allowance to help them Il
: pay the rate named in the circulars,
/ have uniformly told him that the rail
! road company would make any reduc
. tion that they were willing to MAKE
r from their commissions. That if they
; would make reduction Of ten cents pc
can, we would do the same, but in al
cases has he refused to do anything o
the kind, except in one instance, wher
s | the bids were so low at one station tha
even he was ashamedt to carry them in
The amounts thus allowed amounted (
about fifteen dollars On their part. ii
!, claims that we are.using theircars whicl
/ is not the case as they never owned
; car that we ever heard of They ftte,
. up few of our cars for ice, but eyel
/, these we arc. not now using. lie say
: that they &C. b. & CO. put in thei
money to furnish cars for the farmers
5 They cannot show that they furnished
Q car that the farmers have not paid then
: for. All that they dill towards furnish
! ing cars for the farmers was to tax
:. their orders and get commission iron
Z the manufacturers for so doing.
Mr. Cummings remarks in regard Z
. Mr.. Tilden surprises me. He has al
! ways used Mr.. Tilden's horse as thoug
! it was his own, and has always foun
r in him warm defender. He says, 81
: the railroad company had lived up t
!, their contract with US, there would hav
been at this time, more than three time
the amount Of milk being shipped owe
2 the road than there now is. !"
! Ia what respect have we failed to keel
: our contract ? They started IN this busi
ness knowing that we had a contrac
: with the Harlem railroad company, i
. which il was expressly stated that TIA
i rate of freight on milk should not b
/. less than two cents per quart, unless b.
, consent of the Harlem railroad cOmpa
ny. Now, instead of our getting tw
j cents per quart, we only get .sixty-tw
d and half cents per can, for the first te
I months after the business was started
; We have always paid the Harlem raj
road company forty cents per can, leay
d ing us only twenty-five and one hal
d cents per can of forty quarts.
: Cummings, Baker & Co. made a cor
. tract with VIM. Butler Duncan, lesse
OF the Harlem Extension railroad 7
build up a milk business on the. line 0
this road, in which it is expressly state
: that if they shall fail to have car loa
a of milk by the first day OF nepten
h Der, 1871, then this contract shall ,
! null and void. They did fail in January
= February, and March, 1872. .-.,fr.s
; notwithstanding the complaints {
IS c., b. & Co, they are the only partie
who have made any money out of tn
business. They received for commission
is in 1872, S14, 4,S58.40 and for use of ic
e in cars on milk going to, other partie
e 81, ,S73. 30; making a total of SIG, ,731.7 q
!, They have now sold the business for
I, large sum and ask us to pay them &c