Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-29

MILK MAKING COSTS
A. s. TRUNDLE TAKES ISSUE WITH
MIR. CoCKERELL.
Discredits Figures Presented by Pro
ducer-Local Milk Dealers Views
on the Subject.

Inc various statements appearing in
Inc Star of October q, and attributed to
+. L. Cockerell are so lagrantly erroneous
that they should not be allowed to stand
before the public who are not in a position
to know otherwise, uncontradicted," said
Mr. A. G. Trundle, milk dealer, to Star
reporter today. Passing over Mr.. Cock
erelrs excuse for the existence Of the organ
ization of which he is part and parcel, and
his claim as to its objects, and leaving for
the present at least, unexposed the hidden
hand. and thereby the interest intend ed
finally to be subserved, 1 come to figures,
Mr.. Cockerelps figures. which it has been
said cannot be made to lie, and this, am
more than ever convinced is true-though
under Mr.. Cockerells manipulation they are
certainly very deceptive, unless. indeed, we
are to look upon the local dealers as OBJ
jects Of charity and the milk-prodhcing
farmer as the most philanthropical gentle
man of the age.
"Mr. Cockerell claims that on the average
a ten-thousand-dollar plant is required to
produce fifty gallons of milk per day. Next,
he tells us that to handle this fifty gallons
the services of three men required, and
While he does not state just what these
three men are to be paid. l presume he will
not consider it unreasonably high to put
each at SO per month, especially since he
further claims that the cost of labor has
advanced from 30 per cent to 100 per cent.
Then he says we have to count interest on
capital invested, and, further, Is per cent
depreciation on stock and machinery, which
he places at $1,000. He claims it costs -
cents per day to feed COW, and one and
One-half gallons milk to the cow Is a high
average, thus making the COST he says, of
each gallon of milk 10 cents, when feed only
is considered.
ITO this he says must be added 2k cents
atrIf hn np1y H.
mate he gives, according to my way of
thinking and figuring. This brings the
actual cost to the farmer at 17h cents
per gallon, feed and freight only consid-
cred. Now the highest price the farmer
has ever realized during the fifteen years
that have been in business is an average
of 10 cents per gallon the year round-12
cents for six months and Is cents for the
remaining six mOnthS-and right here l
want to say that this is advance of
cents per gallon on both winter and
summer prices since the advanced prices
of food products was first inaugurated.
And further l would state that this adj
vance was brought about without any CO.
ercion on the part of the farmer. But to
our figures!
Accepting Mr.. Cockerells figures, the
cents per gallon-differaace of cost and
average selling price. This means on his
shipment of fifty gallons $1.25 per day or
$t56.25 per year. feed and freight only con-
S1QereQ. MlnQ you, TO tnlS MI. COckerell
says we must add our ID per cent depre-
citation of values in stock and machinery,
which as stated he places at $1,000. This
represents another $500. Further. add
wages of three men at $50 each per
month and we have $500 more. Now he
says We must add our interest on capital
invested. viz. 100000, which at 6 per cent.
would amount to 5000. Thus the farmer
has an actual loss of 81 25625 each year
on a shipment of fifty gallons of milk
daily.
Can the confiding sympathetic public be-
lieve this statement of Mr.. Cockerell? No,
figures won't lie, but, they are sometimes
very deceptive If you take other peoples
hgures and l want every one who reads
this to get The Star of Thursday, October
q. and read under the caption, Views of
Producers, take Mr.. Cockerelrs figures
and figure for themselves. If they notice
closely, they will l have omitted two
further losses referred to by Mr.. Cockerell,
viz, cans, and per cent loss on live
stock, or two out of every forty head of
stock. which, as Mr.. Cockerell puts it, is
not included in depreciation of stock.
Il have but one further suggestion to
make and that is that this organization
formed to raise and control the price of a
putting itself in defiance of very import
ant United States statute, one of the pro-
motors going so far as to say to me, You
can be made to pay it, referring to the
advanced price, or go out of business
Surely many of us will go out of bust
ness If this contribution on the part of the
farmer of So, 256.2j to every fifty gallons of
milk shipped daily to Washington is to be
withdrawn