New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-11-24
NEED OF 4 MILK-ROUTE TRUST
A RARE CHANCE FOR THE INVESTMENT
OF CAPITAL
WHAT MIGHT BE DONE WITH sio,ooo,ooo IN TIN
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF FIERCE
INDIVIDUAL COMPETITION
AMONG MILK MEN.

In these days when every business, from the PIN:
ming Of gigantic sugar renneres to the vending Of pea
nuts has been driven by fierce competition 10 consoN
dation Of interests in order 10 escape destruction ss
ques ton is often asked Why is there not Milk Rou,.
| Trust!" In the wilderness OF dwellings massed On
Manhattan Island there delivered every day soma
IS 900 cans Of milk or abou; 10000 quarts Far mor
than half Of this great supply IS measured out in Quaa
titles less than quart and delivered al the front doom
within the barred windows. inside the Easements a
the houses by an army OF mkmen whose number
not known for there has never been census taken Of
them, but who certainly mount well up into Tie
thousands. The wagons Of these city nlkmen have
a practical monopoly OF the streets from midnist to
dawn. Tho startling whoop of the milkman at The
front basement door I'm the chill gray dawn has slv
broken in on the peaceful slumbers Of the people OF The
metropolis for generations and the milk carts raiilns
over the Belgian blocks year after year has caused m
tod hours OF anguish luckess victims Of predis
position to insomnia.
Why is 1t. asks the long suffering people, that tho
mkmen put rubber tires the wheels Of their
milk wagons Why is IL that the milk wagon that
rattes up your door cannot stop in the middle Of the
block and deliver milk at every house in ha; bocki
Why is It that the routes Of the milkmen and
each other, and their territory IS divided and
cut up that a different milkman serves each house in
the block Hardly has the startled servan girl in
house settled back to sleep after being awakened BY
the blood ding get-up andcomedownb before hscs-
getsit yell at the front basemen. than another cy
next door rouses her again. SO great this cutthroA
competition among miikmen that the business Yields in
most cases, only the barest subsistence for the man
and his dependent family.
The largest dellveIers OF milk In this city Decker
& Sons, Of Park-ave., and Slawson Brothers. OF East
Forty sxth-st. Yet these two firms do not run over
twenty five wagons All the rest Of the city, TO
speak Of the immense territory included in Brooklyn
given over to the nvalr1es Of dealers. some owning
broken down hack and battered wagon. who peddls
out miia from a single a route they have
worked up with infinite labor; others. aftiu
ent with two horses and dozen while every cor
ner grocery keeps a can on hand for the accommo-
daton OF customers. That a weILmanaged. copper
bottomed MllkROute Trust would give the public
better milk and better service all the milk dealers
agree. There is prospect that a may be mads
in the direction of forming such trust shortly. A
Western capitalist in this city recently and conf
ferred with a number of leading milkdeaers on tht
subject.
VIEWS OF A LEADING MILKMAN.
ave all recognize the entire feasibility of such 8
trus' said John ". Taynior of No. 20 North MoOteY
ST., treasurer Of the Milk Exchange. speaking Of tbs
subject. We that il would be good for the pub
lie and profitable TO the managers Of the scheme. Whyl
do you know, have thought about the thing fOt
years ana wondered why IL mas not Uccn uleu ~
figure It, the business of delivering the 5000
cans Of milk in this city by single organization.
which bought its horse-feed at wholesale had I'D
wagons repaired by contract. and above all. had tho
routes so laid out that they could be covered SYST
tematically. would yield saving OF one-qualter Of
cent quart, or ten cents Counting 800 DAYS
In year. this would give a saving over the presens
cost Of S646 900, about the interest invest
ment Of $10.00O,OO0. These figures give you idea
~ tha % k,-fp IL.
the way is the fact that when the scheme is talked
up dealer becomes suspicious of another. and 81
the thing falls through
Under the present system continued Mr. Tayntor>
the public the greatest sufferers by dishonest
competition among the dealers. An honest deales
sells his milk at cents quart. delivering the
best quality. He is met by the competition Of
who waters his milk and afford sell 1t a.
cents quart. The groceryman sells milk ~
cost TO accommodate his regular customers. and tho
dealer outside has to compete with him as best he
can The result is that the public gets bad milk
The matter is well worth study from sanitary poins
of view alone.
milkman with route in one OF the downtown
wards said that he would be glad 10 sell ont his Fous
10 trust and go into Other business. III Is
hard life said he. and II you come out al tbs
end of the year. and feed your horse and family. you
are doing we'll You've got 10 be your route in
wagon keep you from freezing 10 death winter
mornings, when the thermometer is below
Then. I'm summer II the milk because the rvant
girl let's IL stay I'm the window until the comes
the housetOps and shines In the pitcher you have
10 stand the loss lose the customer. Then set
tie up once month. and find oftent'mes that tho
people we have been supplying milk to have disap
peared and left no trace behind. These are only u
stances Of many ways in which we loses