Evening journal., 1906-12-06
RETAIL DEALERS
MAKE REPLY
Secretary GreenweII Explains
Situation in Present
Milk War
HARSH TOWARD PRODUCER

The war between the retail and whole
sale dealers in milk IS getting warm. on
Tuesday The Evening journal printed a
statement from T. Atwood Weldln ex-
planning the attitude of the wholesale
dealers in the fight and to-day William
Greenwell, Jr, secretary OF the Retail
MIX Dealers Association, makes reply
for that organization. His letter follows:
Editor The Evening Journal.
Dear Sir; Kindly allow me space in
which to make reply to the statement
made in The Evening journal by one Of
the officers of the so-caled wholesale
Producers Association. Ife stated that
the consumers would NOT suffer during the
so-called milk war. Perhaps he has for
gotten the notices sent out by the Pro-
ducers' Association to tho farmers In the
country who send their product 70 this
city, to demand five cents. a quart for milk
and IL the retail dealers refused TO pay,
the producers would fnd a market for
their milk in Philadelphia at five cents a
quart
The retail dealers refused to pay and
the producers are now trying to carry out
their threat by sending iheir product to
Philadelphia and thereby cutting off the
Wilmington supply. BY doing this the pre-
ducers hope to make the retailers pay the
extra cent a quart in order that the de-
mand might be met, or cut the supply
for Wilmington Off altogether. Now II
that is not an injustice to both the re-
tail dealers and the consumers 1 don't
know what is Then they talk about the
consumers not suffering
] only desire to call the attention OF the
Wholesale Producers Association TO the
action the Attorney-General of Penn
sylvania took against the MIX Producers
Association of Altoona, Pa, which at
tempted TO force an increase on the price
OF milk and then take warning. The pro-
ducers in this instance we're glad 10 sell
milk at the old price when the struggle
was over
The wholesale producer in his statement
on Tuesday also speaks o. the retail deal
er being satisfied in summer to pay three
cents for milk and sell It for six cents,
even though under the expense Of buying
ice. / can say and 1 know 1t to be the
truth. that a great many retail dealers
We're compelled to give up the business
because Of the small profits last summer.
The rest of us stood It out until the winter
months when we expected a fair profit.
At the same time II will not be out Of
place 10 say right here, that the Produc-
ers' Association did attempt to raise the
price Of milk even last SKINNER and II
was only by hard work that the retailers
succeeded in keeping it down.
In last August the producers and retail
ers held a joint meeting and agreed on a
price of four cents for an year round
Now the minute there Is a shortage in
milk the wholesalers break their agree
ment and tack on another cent, and
threaten to cut of the supply II It is not
forthcoming. Can the public blame us foi
not paying It.
The men who represent the Wholesal,
MIX Dealers Association are not farm
ers as many suppose who wholesale al
their milk in Wilmington. Some retail
their product here and consequently ar,
not interested in the wholesale business
Others ship to Philadelphia. some NOR,
are cattle dealers and there are also sew
eral who use their product in the sum
mer time I'm the manufacture Of ice cream
Some few Of them do ship to this city
think the public is with us in this fight
for we are right and desire TO do what 4
just by our customers.