Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1910-05-12
PRODUCERS HOLD FIRM.
Little MIX Being Shipped from This
Locality During War.

When il became nOised abroad lasi
week that the White Cross Milk company
was shipping whole milk to Boston-s
thing it was not known to be in the habit
of doing-and that, Furthermore, tbs
milk was being sent in the cans and in
the car of the contractors, Hood a Sons
ito whom the farmers OF this section arr
refusing to furnish milk until they pas
the price demanded, the patrons OF tht
White Cross thought the time had come
to ask for an explanation.
W. w. Jones wrote to q. e. Miller,
manager nf the White Cross, at his Bos'
ton address and stated that from the
farmers, point OF view this shipping Of
" bole milk from the local plant to the
city contractors was simply aiding the
contractors to secure indirectly from the
farlners the milk they had determined not
to sell at the low price offered. II the
producers should continue to patronize
the White Cross company while that com
pany supplied the contractors with the
milk they could not buy directly from
the farmers, the latter would defeat the
very ends for which they organized their
Producers unions and entered upon the
widespread strike in which they are en-
gagged. Personally Mr.. Jones felt that II
his milk supply could not be kept out Of
Boston, 1t wonid be better for him to emf
pIoy as middlemen the Brigham people,
who offer higher price than the White
Cross.
Mr.. Miller thought best to come to
Randolph and reached town Friday. 1t
was arranged for him to meet the patrons
OF his company in Grange hall Monday
evening but, owing to the hard rain, not
many of the farmers put in an appear
ance. The producers standpoint was
again made clear to Mr.. Miller and in re-
ply be said that he supposed that after he
had boug ht the milk he mad right to do
what he pleased Nth It. He added, how
ever, that be had been shipping whole
milk to Boston lately because he needed
IL and, though it went in the Hood cans
and the Hood car, it was drawn immedi-
ately upon arrival in the city, to his own
place. Being short on cans, be had bor-
rowed those of the Hoods and the use OF
their car was merely another aceommoda-
tion.
The meeting vas not altogether salts
factory and did not result in any clear
understanding between the producers and
the White Cross.
A dozen of the White Cross patrons,
W hose supply of milk is roughly estimat
ed at 1000 pounds, have been carrying
their product TO the Cooperative cream
cry since the milk war began. Since the
meeting Monday night w. w. Jones has
| transferred his patronage to the Co-opera-
| tive concern. This creamery paid for
March "a cents pound for butter fat,
OF which 1t received 5S4, ,s96 pounds. II
made 711s pounds OF butter, sold for
$685.. 26, and paid its patrons s212O OF.
farmer who did his own hauling to the
creamery realized two cents more a pound
for butter fat.
Locally, the farmers remain Arm 10 de-
handing winter price for summer milk
from the Boston contractors, and no milk
is being shipped directly in Hood q Sons
car. The Northield News reports the
situation in that locality as follows:-
"Not a can of milk has been loaded al
this station for the Boston dealers since
May 1, when they, attempted to reduce
the price, The car goes through each day
as usual and while il carried a little stor
age milk and few cans which it was
able to pick up along the line the past
week, it looked as IL it must be run ut o
considerable loss to the dealers. In the
meantime the farmers are taking care OF
their milk at the creamery or otherw ise
and realizing as much or more than when
they sold for shipment to Boston. Fred
A. Rogers OF Meriden, president of the
branch of the Milk Producers union.
having its center at White River june
ton and including the towns Of Hartford,
Hartland, Sharon, Plainfield and Leba-
non. states that the farmers in that sec
tion are well satisfied with the refusal OF
the contractors to grant continuance OF
the winter rates. At present the msjor
ity CT the farmers are using the milk 10
their dairies where butter can be made to
sell at from 2S to 80 cents per pound,
cheese and cream also finding a profitable
sale. The sale OF the butter, cheese and
cream will be more to their advantage
than sending the milk to Boston even at
winter rates. When the contractors
grant the price demanded, an outcome Of
which Mr.. Rogers is certain, he thinks it
is probable that only about one-tenth OF
those formerly sending milk 70 Boston
will resume so doing. This agrees with
the conditions in Central Vermont
A. d. Evarts OF vergennes writes to
the Free Press Of similar trouble in his
section with New York contractors. He
says:-
"During last winter we were offered
20. 10 per hundred for our milk to be
shipped to New York. This milk was
sold in New York at &c. per quart. This
price has now been reduced TO &c.; about
il per cent of. The price now offered
and paid for milk is s1.2O per hundred
about 10 per cent off. We are asked to
take s1.10 per hundred through June; IS
per cent off. Il is reasonable to suppose
thar hen this milk cost %. 10 per hun
dred and sold at &c. per quart there was a
living profit. What is this profit today ?
The president of this New York company
is quoted as saying to a reporter OF the
Boston Globe lin discussing the milk
war now on 10 Boston Let me impress
this upon any and sll who are interested
ia the subject selling milk is our busi-
ness, and we are in the business to make
money. Sentiment plays no part. We
are IN this business not for our health
but to sell milk
"The writer Is milking 90 cows The I
cream is going into butter, the milk into /
hogs This skim milk is worth IS per
cent Of the price offered for the whole I
milk.
''Fellow dairymen, get out your PEN
cils.