The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-19
GIVE UP
The Producers
of Milk
WITHDRAW THE PLEA
For an Adjustment Of Rates
on Railroads.


is at an end, so far as the producers are
concerned
Through the directors of the union,
the petition to the board of railroad
commissioners, for hearing on the
question of the establishment of freight
rates for milk by the board, is with
drawn. and for six months, beginning
with the first of the present month, the
price for milk to the producers at the
Boston market is fixed.
BY a vote Of II to g. the directors of
the Milk Producers Union, representing
between 5000 and 1000 producers of milk
throughout New England voted toll
withdraw the petition already referred
to.
There was to have been a hearing onI
this petition before the railroad COM
missioners on Friday. The directors of
the union with counsel, Col. w. S. b
Hopkins, of Worcester, went to Boston
three weeks ago coming Friday, for the
purpose Of having a hearing on the pc
tition but the hearing was postponed
until Friday.
In the meantime efforts were made
by the contractors to bring about an
amicable settlement of existing diff
culties and the vote of the directors
that the petition be withdrawn, was
the result of long and somewhat
heated meeting at Roston LAST week
AS usual. the amicable settlement of
existing difficulties leaves The farmer.
who is the great milk producer of New
England. with the small end of for
tunes horn in his grasp. The contrac-I
tors have the other end
The concessions made by the con-
tractors in return for the agreement Of
the directors to withdraw the petition
were that freight rates would be given
by the contractors to any milk shipper
to the Boston market upon application
And these rates were guaranteed 70 he
reasonable and satisfactory when made
The winter price for milk at the Ros
ton market remains the same as last
year, SO cents per can of II pints The
contractors are to carry hlit Oh nor
cent of the surplus. which means that
the net price of milk to the producer
will be lower than it was a wear ago.
AS has often been stated in the col
umns of The Spy. the sllrplus clause
in the price agreement between nroduc-
ers and contractors has long been the
bone of contention. Previous to a wear
ago, the contractors were CARRYING :
per cent of the surplus that is tbev
allowed the producers full price on I'M
sold milk. for : per cent of the actual
l
remainder of the unsold milk was fig
ured as surplus. and was made into
| butter by the contractors. the nroducer
| being allowed the average price of hit
ter for the butter Weld Of the surnllls
minus a certain amount for making
Just a year ago. as the contra ctors
and directors of the union GOT togefher
to fix the winter price for milk there
was a protest from the contractors as
to the amount of surplus they were car
rying. The result of this protest was
a. conprc mise by which the contra ctors
agreed to carry 5 per cent of the sur
plus for three months. and the farmers
to carry all of the surplus for the re-
naming three months. the agreements
lasting for only six months. on account
of the change in price for winter and
summer milk.
This Of course was nothing less than
an agreement that the contractors
should reduce the amount of surplus
carried from & to 21b per cent. There
was an attempt last April. when con-
tractors and directors got together
again to fix the summer price for milk.
to nut the surplus clause back to its
< ner cent basis This was onnosed by
the contractors The result was no
agreement. and during the entire sum
mer the PRODUCERS shipped their milk
n +he Roston market receiving the
regular summer price. but reserying
their rights as to the surplus hoping
in the meantime that an agreement
would he reached
The directors of the milk union
so,,ob+ +o have tba matter adiudicated
by fhe state board of arbitration and
conciIiation The directors Of the I'M
ion and the contractors agreed to a ref
erence Of tha fIifficnlties 10 This hoard
R,It what was tbe consternation of The
nrodncars when fbe hoard Of a,hit,a
tion and concflia tion refused 10 ooneide,,
the matter on fine ground mar II was
MT within tbai,. nrovince their inrieS
diction extending onlv to dificI,lties he
tween emnlover and ernnIoved
THE milk producers ARMED that This
ground was NOT well taken as the san1e
boerd though connosad of differa,,+
members IN fv5o nartias bad considarad
sin,iIa, natition fro,1 +ba cootra c+o,,s
ana nro5ucars aud mad randarad a SAT-
isfactor1r decision on the matter
SonyiIced If thair nosition tbe nro-
d,1oars tbronob Thai, ranrasanto +i,toe
49, ths ~ 49, 70 60 woInntt and
tbe cbief executive aftsr ootisnti,,
haarinp the storv of the natitioners
u,rota p the stata hoard of conciliatIon
on5 a,hitra4ion and adviead tba,o 70
cons;dar tho case The advice vas i'm
n1adiat elv Needed and fine hoard ex-
nrassed :, Willingness to hear the CON
trovarsv but there was another hitch.
THE Contractors declared that thev
,,,o,,id 49, 70 Consider tba eecond raf.
a,o,,ca Of the case n tbe hoard on ac-
aS,,,+ - +l,a ,,e,,r ,,ro,,ieion thaf the ev-
,,o,se - tae bearino should he horne Nv
lne parties 70 ~. uisp e., w IN .i,is
as an excuse, lheS reLuseu ~ SUNNI
the matter and the BOARD had no case
TO consider. Consequently, the differ
crces between the producers and the
contractors as to the surplus clause,