Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-12-21
FROM " ARIOUS
POINTS OF VIEW
Observations by Courier Readers
Who Gross the Paths of the
interviewers. & 8 e e
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City Solicitor Clyde G. Sparks has
received the following communication
from II, W. Stecher, secretary and
treasurer of the Ottumwa Telephone
and Electric Co.. in regard to the poor
service of the Ottl'7,rv-a plant. MIR.
Stecher in his letter says: ~,
Il have before NJ Jar letter Of
December 4th. 1909. and desire to say
that regret exceedingly your I'M
pleasant experience with the people OF
our telephone plant, and am taking up
this matter with Mr.. England with a
view of having him understand the I'M
perative necessity of absolute control
over the operators and other employees
of the company with view to elimi-
mating sucn trouble in future. | will
leave no stone unturned to place the
responsibility and inaugurate such
changes as I may find necessary.
Il hope that you will appreciate our
situation, being distant from our plant,
and the impracticability of taking
some sumptuary action without the
risk of placing ours Ives in an embar-
RAISING situation. and would personally
request you to be as patient with us as
You can. We are making strenuous eff
forts to interest some strong parties,
with view to furnishing capital to put
the plant in first class shape and also
with view of taking over the man
agement, as owing to the distance of
the plant from the owners, it is ex-
ceedingly difficult to control the prop
erty satisfactorily, and hope to be able
to report some results in the near fu-
ture."
A we'll known owner of a large dairy
herd has few words to say on the
dairy and milk situation on behalf of
the mllkman. His attention being call
ed to the matter by news story stat
ing that Ottumwa faced a milk short
age and asking why. This dairyman Is
apparently familiar with the situation,
that the milk dealers have been facing
TOR some years past and he produces
some interesting figures to show that
the milkman's way is not necessarily
a creamy way. The reasons for the
shortage of the supply. this man of
the herd says are the following:
Did it ever occur to YOU said he.
that there is no profit in the milk
business today in Ottumwa? That at
the present prices, and they are
thought high by the consumer, the
milkman cannot break even unless he
is an expert financier.
Doubtless you do not see far into
the milk problem like the man who is
vending the dairy product or still
more, like the man who owns. feeds
and milks the cows. You wonder how
it is that some few years ago you
could obtain twenty milk tickets of
quart each for one dollar from your
dairyman, while today you get but
fourteen or may pay eight cents per
quart for the bottled product to some
of the grocers. 1t is not easy to I'M |
derstand this unless you give The
dairymans end of the business some
thought
If you will but probe into the mat
ter you will find that the dairyman is
somewhat of philanthropist to sell |
the milk at the prices prevailing to-
day. The matter of cost TO the dairy
man has doubled since the days of the |
five cent quart of milk and a look into |
as they have changed since |
the days. of the cheap milk will bear
me out. For instance some ten years /
ago the elements that go to make the |
selling of milk business were of
much less expensive nature to the |
owner of cows, than they are today. /
If you will but take up few of
fhese things that may be termed the
elements of the dairy business and /
contrast the past with the present, it |.
will be very apparent that the dairy
man is fast losing money and if he
-ries to get out of the business, do not
blame him
First, take the COW herself and YOU
will see that The milk giving animal
hat sore five to ten years ago
s25 to $40. will now bring s35
o 500, and the latter price is quite
common for a good cow
The feed for the COW is essential
+ you would have her produce milk.
Hence you will take up corn for in
stance. 1t is not far cry to the day
If the twenty-five cent corn: today It
S near sixty-hve cents per bushel.
rhe hay that not long time ago sold
or IS TO Sc Per ton, now brings Sl4.
You will say, well the COW depends
more on the pasture than on the
winter feed. The condition you meet
lere is land that sold ten years ago I,
or s25 and $50 per acre, is now not
Easy to get at from $50 to s125 per
scre. Still there is the labor The I
lairymen if they have enough cows to
all it dairy, cannot do all of their
'wn work. What do you find here. La
,or that could be had for SIS per
Month, now being paid $50. So you
ind that feed, care, and all OF the Gle 4
nents that enter into the business OF
airying have advanced double and the
lairyman to make a fair profit should
ell ten tickets for a dollar instead Of
wenty.
The consumer may protest and call
robbery, but little mathematical
DEDUCTION will find the above price
lecessary one for the milkman 10
make a profit. You cannot go on the
market today and buy cows and feed,
nd then break even Then, too the
life of the dairyman is the worst of