The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1896-02-27
DATRYMEN ORGANIZE
THEY PREPARE TO SAVE THEIR
PROFITS ON MILK.
KENOSHA co. FARMERS LEAD.
The Dairymen of Northern Illinois and
Southern wisconsin Do Not Propose
to Lose Any More Money IN
Chicago Peddlers.
zENosHA co. FARMERS LEAD.

The farmers of northern Illinois
and southern Wisconsin have declared
war against class of Chicago milkmen
listed as " irresponsible dealers"
Before the war is over these beliger-
ents hope to draw to their side every
farmer in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indi-
ana who ships milk to the Chicago
market, every honest and responsible
milkman in Chicago and every Chicago
consumer who wants to get for his
money milk that has not been bereft
either of it's cream or mixed with mi
crobe-loaded water.
More than 200 farmers from five
counties gathered at Russell, H., Sat-
urday and spoke their minds. Or
ganization" is their watchword. No
milk and water fight, but the straight
goods brand of battle is their promise.
The plan of campaign had not been
wholly perfected. The farmers went
no farther Saturday than to decide
they were all agreed on the need of a
vigorous organization. Details were
entrusted to seven trusty men, in
structed to report Tuesday, March B.
The first object of this new organiza-
ton of farmers, tentatively named the
Milk Shippers Protective association,
will be to insure prompt collection of
money due for milk shipped. Later
the questions Of quality and price may
| be taken up. The farmers say there is
no money in shipping milk now, and
they believe they can make proftand
benefit the honest Chicago milkman
and the consumer, even though the
price be advanced trifle, by driving
out of business the class of milkmen
who have been swindling the farmers
and at the same tine bothering the
Chicago health department. by selling
milk below grade.
The milk shippers in attendance came
from Cook, Lake and McHenry coun-
ties in Illinois, and Racine and Keno
tive shippers of milk by the Chicago,
Milwaukee and st. Paul, the North
Western and the Wisconsin Central
railroads. These three roads and the
Illinois Central and the Chicago, Bur-
lington and Quincy were represented by
their milk agents.
Telling Their Troubles
P. G.. Torrey. of Pleasant Prairie,
called the milk dealers to order. W. B.
Levin, a veterinary surgeon and all
around practitioner of this region, was
made chairman, and j. A. Hoffman and
A. FL. Storms, of Antioch, occupied the
secretary's table. Mr.. Torrey explained
the object of the call for the gathering,
and it settled down for two hours of
work as an experience meeting. A
dozen leading farmers told of their ex-
periences and grievances, and each sug-
gested what he thought should be
done.
The chief grievance of the farmer
and milk shipper is that he is at the
mercy of the dishonest Chicago milk
man. He wants to ship his milk to
Chicago, but he cannot afford the eX-
pense of going to Chicago every little
while to look up the standing of the
man to whom he ships. All he can do
is ship his milk and trust to luck for
getting his pay every month. Under
this system it is not difficult for a dis
honest Chicagoan to build up line of
credit with shipper by few months
of prompt pay, then run behind, little
by little, as long as the shipper will
stand it, and, when the shipper makes
a final stand, leave the debt unpaid
and go for his milk to some other ship
per who has no knowledge of how the
first shipper has been treated.
According to the confessions of loss
made ranging from 800 up to 5000 in
one case, it is a conservative estimate
to say that these 200 farmers have lost
in the aggregate not less than $4,000
the past year and probably $4,000.
Another drain on the farmers pocket
is said to spring from loss of cans by
neglect or theft. The farmer sells his
milk at 80 cents per can of eight gal
Ions; when the freight he pays, averag-
ing 16 cents can, is added to the loss
in cans and in bad collections, there is
little profit left.
The remedies suggested were vari-
GUS, although all centered around the
idea of strong organization of farm
ers. P. c. Torrey put forward the
Boston, or jobbing house plan. Six
teen firms buy all the milk shipped in
to the New England metropolis and
then sell it to the retail milkmen
There the farmer always gets his
money.
| F. A. Erbert, milk agent of the
| Northwestern road, said: IF the ship
per will couple a little business sense