New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-10-14

According to a study of the cost of producing
milk made by Professor c. B. Lane at the New
Jersey experiment station in 1897. 1898 and 1899
the average cost, food. labor and interest amount
ed to 2l9 cents a quart. This cost was necessary
IN station where. presumably all the conditions
favored economical production far more than
would be possible on the average farm Further
more this cost was the average in three seasons
when hay and other feeds were far cheaper and
when pasturage was more abundant than in this
season of serious drouth. 1t would seem safe IN
say that the majority of farmers with dsiries
ranging from TO thirty cows are inst nov neri
lousy close the three cent notch In cost of nro
ducton Even If they can keep the cost down to
the station notch OF PIG cents quart your read
ers will be able to figure what an extremely
small margin OF profit the producer has The 90
put 2l9 only into cost, he comes out with profit
OF 10 cent quart or ga cents on forty quart
profit will be 81 cents! AT ten cans a day If he
clear the magnificent profit $233 so in a year! It
is against this magnificent result the farmer is
protesting. 1t is matter of fact that at present
drouth there are hundreds Of prodncers b Oh Ine
not come out even on their milk business for the
last six months
II is this state Of affairs reaching back over
Association into existence. When the New-York
own way there seemed TO be bottom price
lsSS the producers of milk in the 80 cent freight
zone were forced to take 81 o. in Jersey Citv
cents for ferrage g Cents FOR 1 fe ie count nd OF
cents for station handling. total charge of 81
can Of milk, that probably cost them at least 81
cents to produce Did the city middlemen in T1ne
1885 put down the retail price of milk to city con-
sumers? Ia
Your readers ought 10 know that the milk for
which they pay the retailer from to II cents a
quart nets the producers less than 2 IS cents now
while in June, 1898, IT netted the farmers only
cents quart Knowing this, the city consumers
will be in position TO judge the producers fairly
and to understand what the Five States Milk Pro
ducers' Association aims to do.
That association, in spite OF all the contemptuous
organization. OF the &c 900 TO 5000 cans of milk
received in New-Eork City daily furnishes from
1900 to 5000 Its members number ten thou
sand 1t is able, in il is compelled 70 1lse
IFS power as the possessor Of the milk, to pro-
duce in the city a milk famine of the acutest
stripe. 1t has RETAINED from using that power AL
though the Exchange has given It provocation CON
tinualy TO use 1t.
The Five States Milk Producers Association
members believe that the time has come for The
New-York Consolidated Milk Exchange to step
down and out from Its position = q trust that
risks nothing but merely exercises the despotic
powers of irresponsible mddleman screyyinR
down the price to the producers while keeping
the price TO the consumers. n affairs so shane
themselves that the producers obliged to enter
consumers will soon find that the change Is good
for them. The producers will have the best and
purest the ceanest and milk AZ frst COAT
TO deliver TO consumers, and they will be able to
retail IL at price below the rates that have FOR
years prevailed in the metropolis under the Ex-
change sway.
The producers at present see the other men maxi
ing all that is made out of their milk At the pres-
euf price the % cent is lust about com
ing out his milk, while he sees the railroad
making s. cent quart IT, the station handler
b cent quart and the retailers from 8 10