Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-05-11
Is Continued With Great
vigor on Both Sides.
Denied That the Vermont
Farmers Were Threatened.
Mrs. Putnam Scores Cheap Milk
At legislative nsarlRg.

Boston, May 1O.-The milk war was
| continued with vigor today by the
contractors and producers. Contractor
w. A. GrauStein offered a reward OF
$500 for the detection of persons who
are reported to have emptied milk in
Vermont intended for shipment to
Boston. Mr.. Graustein stated today
that Jonas Bemis, vice president Of
The Milk Producers Union, was ship
ping milk to Worcester from which
city it could be easily sent to Boston.
Regarding the report that farmers
in Vermont friendly to the contractors
were being threatened and interfered
with, Secretary Walter A. Hunter of
the Producers Union said today:
We have always frowned on any
action of this sort. We have realized
from the start that this sort of thing
would only lnjure our own cause. The
milk that was tipped over in Vermont
was spilled by boys. 1 am sure that
none of our members have made any
threats to poison farmers cattle or
to burn their buildings. The charge
that they have. is ridiculous
A number of producers, including j.
Lewis Ellsworth of Worcester. secre-
tary of the State board OF agriculture,
testified before the special commission
investigating the milk situation at the
State House this afternoon. Mrs. VIM.
Lowell Putnam, speaking for the Wo-
mems Municipal League, said that the
consumers will pay a fair price for
milk II they are assured that 1t Is
clean and fresh, and recommended
that the Boston authorities establish a
rating for the daires In this way
she said, the good producers would
not have to compete with he poor pro-
ducers. If there was no milk sold at
five and six cents a quart, as is now
being done by low price stores, she
said, the people would save money as
there would not be so much sickness,
principally among children. Secretary
Ellsworth gave many facts and figures
to show that the firms were losing
money selling milk at the low price at
present offered. There are $4,000 farm
ers in Massachusetts, he said, 10000
of whom are engaged in producing
milk, which is the greatest agricul-
tural industry in New England The
value of agricultural products in this
state is $73,000,000 Of which $22.417,OO
is dairy products and $1S,S20,000 of the
dairy product is milk Farm labor, ne
said, costs a third more than a year
ago, and the price of cows has ad-
vanced one quarter. In short he tes-
titled, it costs about six cents to pro-
duce quart of milk. He also filed q
number of bills for feed with the COM
mittee, showing increases in cost.
George Albree of Concord explained his
attempts to have the governor remove
railroad commission from what he claim
ed was a dereliction of duty in not re-
porting the facts to the Legislature. The
railroads are allowed to charge as much
for transporting milk 20 miles into Bos-
ton as other roads are charging for car
rying it 100 miles from Berkshire to the
New York market. He claimed there was
a division Of the New England producing
field among the Boston contractors, so
that the farmers could not take advan-
tage of competition, and intimated that
there was sort of understanding with
the New York milk firms so that the
Berkshire county territory from which
they draw portion Of their supply shall
not be invaded by Boston contractors.
President Stanley H. Abbott Of the
Boston Cooperative MILK Producers As
ISOLATION and Chas. d. Sage, producers
of North Brookfield. also spoke.
The hearing will be continued tomorrow
and 1t Is expected that the producers will
close in the forenoon, when the contrac.
tors will be called upon to testify.