Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1909-11-26
FIVE CENT MILK AND
THE REASONS FOR IT
The Following Article Presents
Comprehensive Review
of the Milk Situation

of the Milk Situation
From the Woodstown Monitor Register.
A special meeting of the Executive
Committee of the Milk Shippers Union,
upon the call of the President, was held
in Philadelphia on the 18th inst. The
situation. as it has developed since the
first Of the month, was given due con-
sideration, aud the committee, byavote
ficient reason to justify the recommen-
dation of a price lower than five cents
for the last half of November. Two
members were absent and the President
did o vote.
L wish to state for the information of
shippers some of the reasons thati in my
opinion justify our action. Some of the
committee have information from a
well-informed and reliable source, in
close touch with the Philadelphia mar
ket, hat conditions fully warrant five
cents at this time. 1t is known to us
that Jews are bidding as high as five
and one-half cents, and these men are
never to my knowledge, more than
one-half cent above a reasonable price.
The Jews | speak of have bought for
years in the same section, and have al
ways paid their bills. 1t Is also known
that mif+~S>ckers, who Buy TO resell to
Philadelphia dealers, are keen for milk
at a price equivalent to five cents in
Philadelphia. These men probably
make, in a stringency of the market,
from one to two cents per quart.
The prices on the Philadelphia plat
forms cannot be taken as a true barome-
ter of conditions. Some of us believe
thai the dealers, while they scour every
nook and corner of the country to get
sufficient to meet their needs, do not
bid for milk at the platforms for two
reasons: n is that there is but little
milk for sale there in a time like this,
and the other, that if a real effort was
made to get a supply there, prices
would go killing skywards sc rapidly
dbO CO q thob IL NOuAd O1l1B APOlAt liz
dealers such a demand from the farm
ers for higher prices to them that it
could not be resisted, and would aus
them great loss. But recently the
necessity of one of the largest dealers
became 80 imperative, hat he sent a
man to n of the platforms and bought
all for sale at eight cents per quart.
The ruling rates are quoted to us at
five and one-half to six cents.
The scarcity of supply has forced the
retail price i'll Boston, New York, Balti-
more and Washington to nine cents.
This enables the dealers lnlthose cities
to pay such prices for a supply that
Philadelphia dealers cannot go else
where aud get milk that will cost them
less than five cents, If they can get it at
that figure. | firmly believe that no
farmer need accept less than five cents
for the last half of November, if he will
notify his dealer that he will not sell
for less. Some dealers may attempt to
bluff it, a. some have done before, and
when the farmer stopped, as he said he
would, he would not only get telegram
or telephone message to send it on at
the increase, but would have the dealer
on the farm in person the next day
begging for it,. Ofmen who try that
game an extra one-half cent should be
exacted before the dairy is returned to
them. A few lessons of that kind
would have a good effect.
Milk should retail at nine cents. The
dealers make a mistake in not selling
at that price, but that is their business.
1t is not for the farmer to incur loss be-
cause the dealers are too obtuse to rea-
lie the situation. l thiuk milk will
yet 20 TO nine cents in Philadelphia. !
cannot conceive of the little dealers
voluntarily committing financial
suicide by selling at eight cents milk
that will cost them five cents at least q
portion of the winter, aud possibly all
winter, though that is as yet uncertain
and might be un wise in the long run
l conclude by saying that l believe
that the cost OF production, the present
demand, the difficulty of getting {
cheaper supply from outside territory