The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-08-05
COMBINE OF MILKMEN.
White River Producers Unite
for Protection.
WANT THEIR SHARE or PROFIT.
An Agreement to Extort Higher Prices
From Dealers Branch Associa-
tions to be Formed.

tions to be Formed.
| For some time past the dairy farmers OF
| the White river valley, who largely supply
| both Seattle and Tacoma with milk, have
been agitating the subject of an organiza-
| ton whereby they might control the price
of their product. Heretofore they have
been at the mercy of the milk dealers. who
| have, as the farmers allege. appropriated
the lions share of the profits. This agita-
| ton recently eliminated in q meeting at
! Kent and the organization of the White
| River and District Milk Producers Asso-
citation. Officers were elected and COM
mittee was appointed to draft rules for the
| government of the association. A second
meeting was held at the same place on Sat-
urday last, at which time the rules were
adopted, new members admitted and other
business transacted. The situation of af-
fairs was also quite freely discussed.
The officers of the association are: j. A.
Cavanaugh, Of Kent, president and treas
urer, and James Hart of Slaughter, secre-
tary. The rules declare the objects of the
organization to be mutual protection and
benefits to its members, who shall be pro-
ducers and shippers of milk, or manufac-
turers of cheese or butter.v Members are
allowed to ship to whom they please, but
to no one at less price than that fixed
npon by the association. NOR shall there
be any rebate or understanding with
dealer the object of which
shall be to under-cut the
fixed price. Any member violating these
rules Is subject toexpulsion To strengthen
the obligation each member at this meet
ing voluntarily signed bond forfeiting
$l00 should be cut the fixed price of milk.
At the first meeting the price of the
product to dealers during August and Sep
fember was placed at IL cents per gallon
delivered at the depot in Seattle. As the
freight charge is 2 cents per gallon, milk
nets the producer Is cents per gallon. Con-
sumers now pay from 80 to 40 cents gall
lon. according to quantity. 1t is estimated
that the new arrangement will make the
price 70 cents to large consumers, such as
hotel, saloon and restaurant keepers, and
80 to ~ cents TO other consumers
The subject of fixing the price Of milk for
the winter months. or for the ensuing year,
was discussed at considerable length, but
decision was reserved for an adjourned
meeting to be held at Kent on the first
Saturday In September. Some favored q
six months winter price" at about %
cents per gallon, and summer price, !"
next season, OF about Is cents. It is not
unlikely. however, that the final decision
will be something like 20 cents per gallon
for the entire year, leaving the dealers to
vary the price TO consumers between the
summer and winter supply.
The busy season prevented as large an
attendance at this meeting as had been de-
sired, but thirty-one producers, owning an
aggregate of 600 cows, became members
and signed the bond. 1t is proposed to
extend the organization so as to embrace
about all Of the producers of the valley
Letters have been received from dealers in
other districts indorsing the movement,
and branches will be established at Sno-
homish, Black River and Puyallup, the
last named TO control the Tacoma trade
The organization will control over 1000
cows.
The largest Seattle dealers are in sympa-
thy with the movement. Hall Il Galloway
and Davis & Buttery having both Endorsed
1t. The former firm are both producers
| and dealers, but as some feeling was shown
| by small dealers they withdrew from the
1 producers association. But they, as well
as Davis Il Buttery, will work in harmony
with the association.
The plan of the association is to enter
into an agreement with the dealers to buy
| only from members of the association at
association prices, the producers agreeing
not to grant any rebates or cut the price.
| III producer cuts the price he will forfeit
the 500 deposited, and if he refuses to pay
the association will expel him and call
/ upon the dealers not to buy from him. II
they continue to buy from ali expelled
member all members will refuse to supply
them and thus bring them to terms. The
inducements held out to dealers are steady
| prices and an assured supply, though the
! price to them will be higher. 1t is claimed
that consumers will not have to pay more
than at present, but will also have fixed
| prices. The producers claim that the
| dealers receive as much as in many cases
| more than, the farmers. The latter claim
that this is the grossest injustice both to
| the producers and consumers Having the
/ power, through organization, they propose
| to remedy the evil at their end of the line,
at least
Privately the farmers put the case this
| way: Our investment in the business is
large. Our land is worth $500 to $500 per
acre. We have barns, stables, farming ma
chimes and implements. horses, wagons,
mich cows, etc. Our hay is worth $50 and
upwards per ton, while bran aud chopped
feed costs about an equal amount. We
must have skilled mixers and careful men
to handle our cows to whom We pay high
/ wages. Our cows are worth SIS to 500
each. We work hard. early and late 1t
| is not fair that men whose only investment
| is in the few teams used in distributing the
milk and whose only expenses are their
feed and the wages of the men who drive
them, should make as much out of the
business as We do. nor is it right for them
TO dictate TO US what We shall receive for
our product. We will no longer submit to
the rank injustice II driven to it, we will
establish our own distributing depots and
attend to the delivering of the milk.
1 TEACHERSs NnRMSx VSOvrrrrrr