New-York tribune., 1899-07-25
MILK Producers COMBINE.
THE FIVE STATES MILK PRODUCERS AS
ISOLATION SAYS 1T HAS A CONTROL OF
METROPOLITAN BUSINESS

Binghamton, July 2i--Several thousand farmers
OF New-York, Pennsylvania, New-Jersey. Massa-
chusetts and Connecticut, comprising the Five
States Milk Producers Association, believe that
they have at last about perfected the milk pro-
ducers' trust on which they have been working for
over a year, and that they now have matters 20
arranged that they can control the production Of
milk entering New-York city. and that they can
compel the dealers to accede to the higher prices
for which they have long worked
The members OF the association say that they
control about 1900 of the 2o0oo cans Of milk daily
shipped into the metropolis. They have entered
into a compact with certain wholesale dealers to
handle their milk at the increased price demanded
and it Is stated that the dealers have given large
bond TO carry out their end OF the compact. The
price which the farmers have received for their milk
heretofore has averaged only about one and three
quarters cents for the entire year. The contract
which the members of the association are signing
Il Constitute and appoint J. c: I,atimer Of Tioga
Fe1sre b Aiken of M MMeckenbnrg c s r. r. and FTana;
B. Hoffman, OF Deckerlown, y. j., my true and
Lawful law ri d1n s se and % CONTRACT M ali %
milk produced by the cows owned and controlled
by except sss & fsa ye a y ee 1S
less than "a cents quart for milk produced DUR
Ing hs mpeas Of na & nS IL seas
quart for milk produced during the months OF
mpr & 10 nss ss .pad or al as monthly On or b:ore
the 10th of each month. for the mix delivered the
month previous
With the purpose Of substantiating the report,
which alleges that the Five States Milk Producers
have effected a combination which will raise the
price of milk one-quarter of a cent quart inquiry
was made yesterday by a Tribune reporter among
the prominent milk dealers OF this city.
Charles II. Beakes. president OF the Beakes Dairy
Company which handles about fifteen hundred cans
a day, spoke plainly about the rumored milk trust
There has been more or less tax, he SAID,
"about this combination for the last two years.
Only last March II was announced 0y tns same Or
ganzation that the inevitable had come. state
ments even made that the undertaking had q
heavy financial backing In Wall Street. Time. how
Last June another melting was held by the Five
States Milk Producers. at Binghamton. y Y AT
that time 1t was stated tnat ni1n naG geen per per.
with their business just as they nave IN the past
THE real trouble" continued Mr.. Beakes IS lust
this: Two years ago the freight rate Tor an DIS
was % cents can The farmers near the metropo-
lis grew restive under this rule since they had no
advantage their more distant neighbors. al
though incurring greater expense because or nsher
rents. Accordingly they petitioned the Interstate
Commission for differentlal rate. The petition
granted. with the result that three cents was
added 10 the old rate for every sixty miles OF dis
tance from this city. The price paiG In the New
York market for ten gallon can OF mix Is u q.
Ferry charges are about oneeighth OF the value or
the milk. Therefore, after paying frelgnt ana ferry
charges the farmer sixty miles away realizes a net
price of two and one-fourth cents quart. whereas
the farmer of Binghamton receives only one and
attempts to combine; but / can truly say they will
never succeed until the cows within a radius or
12o miles from this city go entirely dry.
II was also learned that New-YoFks consumption
of milk day is estimated at about twenty-sx
thousand cans, nearly twice as many the Five
States Milk Producers claim they can control.