The morning call., 1892-03-12
BUTTER WILL BE CHEAP.
The Commission and Dairy Men
Fighting Furiously.
Prices Reduced by the Jobbsrs to Trouble
the Producers Union = Dealers in Cleo
margarine in Peril Of Prosecution.

war is raging between the Dairymen'.
union and the commission men. The unior
was formed by the dairymen to relieve then
OF the necessity Of employing the middle
men. Ii was organized in this city on june
l, 1881. Its prospecters declared that the
depressed condition Of the butter market
OF the State demanded the organization oil
the dairymen to protect their interests.
1he union was incorporated with CAPT.
tai stock Of $3.50, 900, distributed as much as
possible among the active da irymen of the
state. To prevent the controlling interest
from falling into the hands of few specu-
lators, the bylaws of the corporation pro-
vided that no more than fifty shares of the
capital stock should be held at any time by
one stakeholder.
The union grew and waxed strong.
branches were started in this city and
throughout the State, and the members saw
prosperity just ahead of them, when the
uesplsed commission men took hand. The
commission men were interested because
tney knew that IL the union could supply
the market with dairy products their Occu-
pation would be gone. There is reason to
Delleve that the commission men formed an
organization to protect their interests, but
they were rather chary of information on
the subject when questioned about the
matter yesterday.
PLANS
Their plans for defeating the union were,
however. soon made apparent. They had
control OF the product of many daries
which the union could not reach, and they
decided that in order to break the yoke
hung across their neeks they would reduce
the pilce OF butter. They carried out their
agreement and on March 5the price of that
necessary of life fell Az cents per pound
Inc Dalrymens Union was indignant,
fnllnNNAn Wi IN annt and hi
Neither the retail men nor the consumers OBJ
]ected 10 the reduction; but the producers
saw with dismay their profits diminishing
The union, in order to set itself right be-
fore its members and those whom it desired
10 make memb ers, issued q circular in
English and Italian in which they say:
We have it on good authority that they (the
1ooDeTs) formed combination last week with
tne avowed purpose OF getting the business at
all hazards, and that whichever of them should
De successful In obtaining large order aad did
not have goods enough TO I'LL Ii that the others
snouid help them make 1t up from .heir holdings.
ms Is nlce position Tor such men TO assume,
and Inc assurance they must command 10 even
dare ask you TO intrust your business to their
care. This faithfully represents 10 what ex-
tremes they VIII so when hard pressed, regard
less OF the sacred trust placed in them by the
cfedulous dalIyman, who Is led TO believe IN
them TO his own undong We are certainly
astOnished that men with the number of years
OF experience that good many OF them have
mad, with !be enormous influence they would
nave Spu DtlicNc lucy puSstSs, Will luc Idl ge
amount OF capital that We know they own and
with The large and decidedly exclusive trade that
they once controlled, should at t.is late day be
put 10 such straits 10 sell a few boxes OF butter.
Win the dairymen Of the State ever awake TO
The fact that Tie longer they continue 10 bring
their own product In competition with itself by
dlstfloullngi II among SO many different houses
the more lhey work against their own interests
and the hai DEF 1t is for US to maintain prices?
THE ITALIAN CIRCULAR.
In the Italian circular the union gives n
list of the merchants who made the cut and
the quantity Of butter they had on hand at
that time.
L. TOmasini of Petaluma, who is the
manager oil the unions business, was seen
by CALL reporter and cOrrObOrated the
above statements. He said that there Is
war to the death between the united dairy
men and the commission men, "We have now
400 members" he declared, land we will
have all the dairymen in the State before
the end OF the year. We will then be able
to DEFY the commission men. And while
am talking about them" said Mr.. TOma-
SIM. II want to call your attention to the
way III which they are acting toward the
public and ipjurng the State. They are
buying Eastern tub butter for 10 cents a
pound and selling 1t as California butter.
They put it up in rolls like our butter and
palm 1t off ON the people. That not only
deirauds the people but INJURIES the reputa-
ton OF the California article. There ia a
good demand fer California butter in the
East and the dairymsn of the State will
thrive. We are building creamery at
Tomales which will be Of great benefit to
our members. and we are going to hire
detective to obtain evidence against those
who are selling bogus butter in violation of
the law
The union will soon be affiliated with the
Dairymen's National Protective Associa-
ton. sn organization formed to prohibit the
sale of oleomargsrlne as butter.
Commission merchants who were inter-
viewed on the conflict between them and the
Dairymen's Union admitted that thew had
reduced the price of butter, but asserted
that they had done so because there is
plenty OF il in the market. They emphati-
cally denied that they are importing butter
from the East, and selling it in rolls as a
California product Both sides think that
butter will be very cheap this year, and
see no way by which the existing conflict
can be settled