Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-11
FINISH FIGHT
Seems Imminent Between Milk
Producers and Boston
Contractors.
There Was Trouble at Meeting in Bostol
About Surplus, Thursday, and End
is Not Yet.

A fight to the death seems imminent
between the New England Milk Pro-
ducers' Union and the Boston milk con-
tractors. At least this is the indication
provided the directors of the union show
that disposition to fight that character
lied their conference with the Boston
milk contractors at the American House
Thursday
The meeting was called for the pur-
pose of arriving at some agreement re-
garding the price of milk for the six
months beginning April l. At the di-
reotors' meeting in the morning it was
voted to ask the contractors to nav the
same price for milk as they did at the
stations last summer and carry five per
cent of the surplus.
This proposition was laid before the
tYe milk contractors who attended the
joint conference in the afternoon 1t
was rejected by the contractors as
quickly as it was presented by the-pro-
ducers Then the Boston milk mer-
chants offered a counter proposition,
which met with just exactly as warm
and yet at the same time as chilly
reception as its predecessor, which had
emanated from the other side of the
house.
The proposition offered by the con-
tractors was that they should give the
producers the same price per can as last
year, but that they should take 21a in
stead of 8 per cent of the surplus. Geo.
o. Whiting Of Boston, who is head for
three of the big milk concerns there,
acted as spokesman for the contractors,
and stated that the directors of the
union would be allowed until March 20
to decide whether or not the union was
willing to accept the terms.
Aside from one weak-kneed farmer,
who moved that the union be satisfied
with whatever the contractors might be
willing to pay, the members of the board
of directors were unanimous in refusing
for one moment to entertain the con-
sideration Of the contractors offer, and
both President e. O. Patch of Concord
and Secretary John B. Bowker of this
city said so in words that left no doubt
in the minds of the contractors as to
their meaning.
The Milk Producers Union was or
ganized, or rather, rejuvenated, a COM
paratively short time ago, to compel
the contractors to pay fair price for
the milk. Now the opportunity has
presented itself for action. The IA di-
rectors present at the meeting, with
possibly two exceptions were in favor
of holding out for what they consider
their right.
Another meeting of the directors will
be called for some day next week, in
this city. The purpose of the meeting
will be, not to reconsider their action of
Thursday, but to stiffen up, if possible,
the already strong sentiment in favor
of fighting as against starving to death.
The officers of the union claim that it
would not be very difficult thing to
squelch the contractors entirely. At
present the producers ship their milk
to Boston to the contractors, who, in
turn, sell it to the peddlers. In case of
conflict, the producers say they could
go right to the peddlers, and, by dividing
with them the contractors commission,
carry on the business without any mid
dlemen at all.
To the initiated the term surplus
e -41 .tedly carries very vague ideas.
the actual milk producer, who is
a5 his daily bread by his sales of
difference of 21s per cent in the
- of surplus the contractors are
willing to allow, means great deal.
The surplus means simply that portion
of the number of cans shipped to Bos-
ton by the members of the union that
cannot be sold as milk; and SO, in con-
sequence, the milk is used in the max
ing of butter. About 1000 or 5000 cans
of milk are sent into Boston by the pro-
ducers every day. OF this amount there
may be 1000 or $500 cans that are not
sold as whole milk. Rather than have
it go to waste, it is made into butter.
But there is not so much money in
raising milk for butter as for home con-
sumption, and the loss comes, not to the
contractors who accept the milk in the
first place, but to the small farmer, who
sends it into the market.
Take a concrete case for example.
This winter in Westboro milk has net
ted the producer about "a cents per
can. At least that is the Price he has
received for it when sold as milk. But
when it has to be used for tutter, the
Westboro man loses about 80 per cent.
And this is the reason why. A can of
milk will make about "a OF a pound of
butter, and this winter butter of that
grade in the Boston market has sold for
% cents per pound at wholesale Thus,
when the producers milk is turned into
butter he gets only about II cents per
can, and out of that he has to allow
the contractors something tor churning.
By 2 1-2 per cent surplus, the ratio the
contractors are willing to take, is meant
that these men agree to pay whole milk
price for IL per cent of the milk made
into butter. The members of the New
England Producers Union say per
cent is none too much. II will be on
this point that the fight will come.