The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1907-11-05
To Raise The Price of Milk.

: During the past week there has been al
e effort on the part of some of the mill
: dealers In Philadelphia to advance tn
t price of milk to ten cents quart. Thi
aroused public indignation to very higl
4 pitch The general impression prevail
that prices of all food products are higl
enough without having advances on thu
r strict necessities. The result has been
| truce and 1t is hardly likely that the ex
, IRENE advance will be insisted upon.
The dealers in Mount Holly agreed some
time ago that they would not change more
than eight cents quart, and the advance
} to that price from six cents brought re-
monstrances from many customers.
Elsewhere in the county the leaders In
the movement have agreed to wait until
after the fight ia Philadelphia between
the dealers and the farmers is settled be-
fore they charge their customers more.
If the farmer fails to get his increase in
Philadelphia, then the milk dealers In the
county will refuse to pay more than four
and one-half cents a quart. The price
was raised last July from eight to nine
cents, but the increase aroused a storm of
protest that has not been dropped, and if
the increase is not made In other towns a
boycott will be declared against those who
are charging the extra cent.
At Palmyra several attempts have been
made to boost the price one or two cents a
quart, but lack of organization has made
the plan failure ''We simply must
have more money or the farmers charge
less. There is no profit under the present
arrangement where l am compelled to
pay five and one-half cents quart and
sell it for eight. said Walton Leap, the
principal dealer in Palmyra. this after
noon.
At Riverton s. A. MacMullin started a
movement to increase the price from eight
to ten cents, but announced Friday that
he would stick to the old prices
Beverly has fought its fight and won.
The first of September an increase of two
cents was announced, but the housewives
formed such an effective boycott that the
increase lasted only one day. That the
farmers will get their increase or go out of
business. is the claim of J. Fl. Coombs, of
Beverly, prominent dairyman, who has
his own wagons for retail and who says:
Feed that formerly cost US $12 ton is |
now worth from $26 to $50, which, in my
mind, is sufficient grounds for the increase
that has been asked. There is no oyganiza-
ton among the Burlington County dairy
men outside of the Grange, but that is
strong enough to hold them together and
win the increase or they will go out of
business. as there is more money in other
lines"
Farmers who supply the dealers have SO |
far made no demands for an increase in |
price at Burlington, but, according to Ezra |
Scattergood, the owner of one of the larg-
est diaries in this county, they must get
more money, while the dealers are just as
certain that they will not pay more than
the present price of ~ cents a quart
Albertus v. Horner, Philadelphia
dealer, says: 1--WE will go out of business
rather than pay an increase. Poor people
in this city cannot afford to pay more
than the present prices cents-and we
will not attempt to change it."
The Florence dealers have been consid-
ering 10 cent milk for several weeks, but
have not made any announcement as to
when prices will be advanced.
The dealers in Moorestown and Mer-
chantville, profting by the experience of
the others in nearby towns, have made no
effort to raise prices and say that no at
tempt will be made for an increase at
present.
The Executive Committee of the Milk
Shippers Union met representatives of
the New Jersey Dairymen's Protective
Association In Philadelphia yesterday
afternoon for the purpose of discussing
the present milk situation, and whether
there shall be any recession from the stand
taken by the farmers in demanding 81
cents per quart from dealers.
Charles s. Atkinson, president of the
Milk Shippers Union which includes
farmers of Pennsylvania, Delaware and
called the meeting, and former
Judge B. P. Wills, of Mount Holly, who
is secretary of the New Jersey Association,
and several representatives attended it.
Nine of the Executive Committee of the
Shippers Union we're present including
Mr.. Atkinson.
The meeting was secret, and 1t was de-
cided to issue statement to the public az
the time of adjournment explaining the
of the farmers and the reason for
whatever action should be decided upon
at the conference.