The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1900-06-16
skirn1niux stations.

4 The snbjoined item from the Oldham
Register prompts the GRAPHIC % say 9
few words about skimming stations in
connection with co operative creameriss,
Ia matter that would have been referred
to in these columns long ago. had not
more pressing features Of the creamery
business crowded 1t out-and q great
deal of space has been given over to the
creamery Industry BY the GRAPHIC as
IL Is: =
We understand the farmers In The
vicinity of Badus are In favor Of Operat-
Ing the creamery at that place. Some
are In favor Of making u Q skimming
station In connection with the Oldham
creamery, but we have not learned
will be operated Independently. Some
are of the opinion that not enough milk
isreceived to make II prof ofitable 10 oper-
ate the plant independe dently of another
creamery, hut are In favor of making 1t
Ia skimming station, as by 30 doing 1t
would save them the long haul TO Old
ham.
Generally speaking,a hklmmiDg sta
tion In connection with a cooperative
creamery is more profitable for the pat
rons Of the skimming station than q full
creamery would be. provided the same
price is paid for milk or hutter fat at
both places. and not as profitable to the
patrons OF the main plant as would be
the case If no skimmiDg station existed.
In other words, IL is never a paying In
vestment for q cooperative creamery
company to establish skimmlng sta
tions and pay a uniform price for milk
no matter how great the advantage to q
private company doing the same thing.
Astock company, firm or individual
can establish skimming stations to ad-
vantage because their profits from the
business either lie in a certain fixed
charge pei pound for making the butter
or In the price per hundred they levy for
handling the milk. But where COOP.
eratiye company divides all the profits
above actual expenses with the patrons.
lit is losing business, for the very sim
pie reason that it costs more to operate
a gkimming s9ation than creamery.
Every station established means an in
creased expense beyond any advantage
that may accrue from the increased
amount OF butter made. w
A properly equipped creamery can
handle 10000 pounds Of milk daily with
one man. A skimming station handling
any amount ofTmllk, from 5000 pounds
up, requires two-one to do the skim-
mtnx aud another to haul in the cream.
The one man at the main plant may be
hired for, say $50 "a month, while the
wages OF the two at the skimming sta
tion cost from S75 a month up. There
are stations where one man does both
the skimming and the hauling, hut 1t Is
rarely it is done satisfactorily. Even
were the milk receipts at the station
equal to those at the main plant, it
would still cost nearly double for labor.
The expense for fuel is about the same,
figuring in the expense OF hauling. Not
only this. but when skimming station
is established, it becomes in most ill-
stances necessary to pnt a second man in
the main plant to help take care Of and
churn the cream from the station. II
will thus be seen that ffa creamery
handling 10000 pounds Of milk daily
with one man, should establish skim
ming station, it would have to employ
three extra men In order to get 1900 OF
5000 pounds OF extra milk and a good
share OF which it would probably get
anyway.
It will bo seen, therefore, that q skim
ming station always means q loss to the
patrons Of the main plant when and
where the samo price is paid for milk
and nearly all creameries pay q uniform
price, despite the injustice Of 1T. The
l)esmet creamery established q skim.
ming station this spring, but before do
ling 80 made an agreement with the pat
r0ns of the station to pay three cents less
| per hundred for their milk. This ii