New-York tribune., 1900-05-15
MILK NOT CORNERED YET.
Trust PROMOTERS SCHEME SEEMS
FEEBLE.
AK ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY POINTS
OFT A ROCK ON WHICH 1T MIGHT SPLIT.


cay the developments OF the effort to force up the
Yriee Of milk which is being made by William
Graves who Is said to be backed by tharies H.
Flint Graves who asserts that he represents the
rive States Milk Producers Association. last week
ordered the farmers who compose that body 10
hold back their milk unless they got two cents a
Quart for It. instead ot one and three-fourth cents
ae present price. and Saturday he asserted that
the farmers had held back one thousand cans, and
would hold back much more on Monday But yes
,eraay's supply was only six hundred or seven hun
dred cans short according to expert estimates, al
though Mr.. Graves claimed several thousand and
dealers made up their minds that 6raVess attempt
would fail as several previous ones had done.
The MIX Dealers Association held an adjourned
meeting at No u ST. Marks Place in the afternoon
in order to compare notes and learn how far Mr..
Graves's order TO withhold milk had affected the
supply They found that the situation was favor
able from their point of view, especially as reports
from various sources indicated that from four hun
ared to five hundred cans of the milk thus far held
back would be shipped to the city to-day. The
supply of milk has been ample; indeed, there Is
little surplus hand One company had one hun
ared cans left over yesterday. Even this little
duction in the milk supply has been satisfactory
10 the dealers as unless really hot weather pre-
walls there is often considerable surplus of milk
at this season the year Owing to their contracts
with the farmers the dealers are obliged to take
all the milk the farmers deliver
II was said yesterday by a person acquainted
with the details of the situation that the full
strength Of Mr.. Gravess efforts TO have the farm
ers withhold their milk would be developed to-day.
He said that in accordance with a plan decided
upen by the committee OF the Five States Milk
Producers Association, at a meeting held in this
city late last week, telegrams were sent out from
different parts of the State yesterday to the farm
ers directing them 10 stop sending milk on Tuesday
morning This action taken a last resort.
in order TO make the move effective possible,
telegrams were also sent butter and cheese fac
tories which milk is taken by some of the men,
bers OF the Milk Producers Association. The but
ter and cheese factory men stand with the milk
dealers, they do not care TO be coerced into
paying two cents quart for milk any more than
the milk dealers do
Al the Office OF of the milk companies ii was
said that they had been warned that there was
be "a not time" to-day One OF the largest deal
IN the city said that he had no doubt of tho
outcome of Mr. Graves's plan. He could moth
ing but failure in store for * The sending OF eie
grams TO the milk and cheese factories would indi-
cate that Mr.. Graves feared they would assist the
dealers in case of a shortage 1t is not clear that
Mr.. Graves has any hold upon the factories. The
milk dealers in the main had not heard of this move
yesterday afternoon.
Mr.. Graves threw a little mud yesterday ar the
dealers who rejecting his offers. He seen
the Office of Flint O. Co., No. 80 Broad-st., and
naturally ne takes the view that the popular n
tagonism 10 his project is not well founded He
said
Ii is all mistake 10 say that We are trying to
effect a business arrangement which viii beneft
the farmers OF the Five States Milk Producers AS
The total quantity of milk supplied daily
to New-York City is about twenty-t three thousand
cans, of which the association furnishes about
enteeen thousand. The farmers have in the past
for v D weeks to pa e or Gs er
milk and then have in some cases away and
Exchange Peo has ~ aritrary sed the Price oei Of milk nix
the only notice received by the farmer being when
price posted on the bulletin board. The result Of
payment has been that the farmers have been
more and more largely using their milk for making
Tad continued there might in time have been a
serious milk famine our proposed company, how
practically guarantees payment to the farmers for
manency of price for the next i've years. We have
established scale Of prices, according to the
the same in each year ana the farmers Will re-
eeive. averaging the rates for the twelve months.
Yet arranged for any distributing plant in this
the farmers / estimate at from 5,0pe 5000 cans.
me shortage rs pr9ipab. ma, maze up eg the dealers
Milk being even more of necessary than ice,
endeaYers raise the price by decreasing the sup
ply seem even more dastardiy than the actions of
fhe lee Trust and one Of the Assistant District At
forneys told Tribune reporter yesterday that the
action OF any man who ordered others to hold back
ihe supply Of milk from this city to
conspiracy that few judges would be able see
any difference at all. TO support his opinion, he
took down from its shelf Volume 145 of New-York
Law Reports and turned TO the decision of the
Court Of Appeals in the Of the People against
the Milk Exchange. in which the Court annued
the charter OF the Exchange the ground that it
was corporation nimical to trade and commerce,
and therefore unlawful. The evidence showed that
the Board had adopted a bylaw saying that it
should have power to make and fix the standard
or market price at which milk shall be purchased
by the stockholders of the company" Acting under
this bylaw, the Board fixed from time to time the
price Of milk to be paid by dealers. No milk was
purchased by the defendant, but it did a commits
sion business. selling milk for farmers dealers
who would purchase at the price fixed, guarantee
Ing payment and charging a commission therefor,
Judge Haigkt, IN writing the decision Of the Court
said IN part:
:, Il may be claimed that the purpose Of the com
bnaiion reduce the price of milk, and that
II being an article of foGd such reduction was not
ssainst PUBLIC policy. But the price was fixed for
aAd the logical effect upon the trade Of fixing the
2s 5s S6 MT THE Hfs Sc and h1s
leave the dealers in position 70 control the mar.
paie BY the eonsumers This brings the s; ease
We have referred.
You see' said the Assistant District Attorney
before mentioned, that the Court lays emphasis
upon that point Of limiting the supply. and therein
lies the danger OF the scheme now an1er way III
the charter Of exchange could be annulled for
sGch action, what might not Jury DO with an
Individual committing the same offenee|
A man WHO has watched closely 81 the former
attempts in this city monopOlize the milk trade
told a Tribune reporter yesterday q ct ii could
never be accomplished by including The farmers,
but might be done by consolidating or buying out
the wholesale Dealers of whom there are about
nine hundred one thousand. But II would take
about 100000 cash 10 do this, and the trust ouid
inen require another million for working capital
The cause OF failure in all the preceding schemes
lack Of cash, he said and MIR. Graves, IL would
seem. also short of this desirable commodity,
for ne offering the dealers stock IN his new
company, instead Of money for their plants and
good will This the dealers did not want. The Five
States Milk Producers Association, according 10
l,as Her of ah