The Newtown bee., 1900-10-19

Farmer published at Port Jervis, has q
strong article in the New York Sunday
Tribune on the situation of the milk mar
ket. he emphasizes certain truths which
will be heartily applauded by Housaton-
ic Valley farmers. Among other things
he says: According to q study of pro.
ducing milk made by Prof G. B. Lane at
the New Jersey experiment station in
1897, 1898 and 1890, the average cost,
food, labor and interest amounted to 2.19
cents = quart. This cost was necessary
in station where, presumably, all the
conditions favored economical production
far mere than would be possible on the
average farm. Furthermore, 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 to say that the majority
of farmers with diaries ranging from 10
to 20 COWS are just now perilously close
to the three cent notch in cost of produc-
ton. Even If they can keep the cost
down to the station notch Of 2 10 cents q
quart, your readers will be able to figure
out what an extremely small margin of
profit the producer has. The 80 cent
zone farmer nets 2 So cents a quart. If
he put 2.19 only into cost, he comes out
with a profit of .16 cent quart, or ga
cents on 40 quart can. II he produces
10 cans day, bis daily profit will be GA
cents. At ten cans day, If he losses
nothir G on bills non. collectible,. be would
clear the magnificent pre- fit OF 1928 60 in
year. 1t is against this magnificent re-
suit the farmer is protesting. 1t is q
matter of fact that at present, with hay
at $1s to $22 ton. as result Of the
drouth, there are hundreds of producers
who have not come out even, on their
milk business for the past six months.
It is this state Of affairs, reaching back
over years, that called the Five States
Milk P4oducers' association into exist.
ence. When the New York Consolida.
ed Milk Exchange had every thing its
o wn way there seemed to be no sbottom
price, for milk. For EXAMPLE, during
the month Of June, 1898, the producers
Of milk in the 80 cent freight zone were
forced to take 81 OF q can in Jersey City,
from which Exchange price they had to
count off cents for ferriage, 81 cents
for freight and 20 cents for station hand
ling, total charge Of 81 cents, leaving
them just A cents for 40 quart can Of
milk, that probably ccsi them at least
81 cents to produce. Did the city mid
dlemen in June, 1898, put down the re-
tail price of milk to city consumers :?
Your readers ought to know that the
milk for which they pay the retailer from
6 to II cents quart nets the producers
less than 2.35 cents now, while in June,
1898, 1t Melted the farmers only IL cents
a quart. Knowing this, the city consul
mers will be in position to Judge the pro-
ducers fairly and to understand what the
Five States Milk Producers association
aims to do. That az association, in spite of
all the contemptuous belittlements of it
by the Exchange,is a powerful organiza-
ton. OF the 2e 900 to $4,000 cans of
milk re ceived in New York City daily, it
furnishes from IA 1000 to 16, 900 cane.
Its members number 10000. It is able,
in case it is compelled to use It's power
as the possessor of the milk, to produce
in the city milk famine Of the acutest
stripe. 1t has refrained from using that
power, although the Exchange has given
it provocation continually to use it. The
Five States Milk Producers association
members believe that the time has come
for the New York Consolidated Milk Ex-
change to step down and out from its po-
sition as trust that risks nothing but
merely exercises the despotic powers OF
an irresponsible middleman, screwing
down the price to the producers while
keeping up the price to the consumers.
If affairs 80 shape themselves that the