Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-02-24
NO BIG PROFIT
IN SELLING MILK
SAYS F. {. SE|LEf.
Puzzled Over Indictment, Claims
Company Gets g to Z
/. Cents a Quart.

Ah5 AAAa ~ N"S
derstand the action of the New Yorh
grand jury. which indicted him yester-
day with other directors OF the Consoli-
dated MILK Exchange. Frederick l.,
;setcr, OF saileT Brothers. wholesale
sailli dealers Of Newark. added that he
Ag5:la be able to furnish some facts in
RS examination which arc apparently
sot seraraiIs Known aoR.
we sci; very little milk in New
do.k," said Mr.. Seller today. "And what
we sell there brings but 8 to z cents Il
rs1art. Nc sell no bottled milk In New
cris, and the bottled milk sold in New
DIX brings from Z 70 s cents a quart.
sa,rhof high prices OF milk are caused
~artfftcially by Il firm which is seeking
10 control the milk industry. By keen
Ing upa high price agitation they cSusa
many people TO turn. from fresh milk to
~condcnsed milk. thus serving their pur-
pese.,"
Charles e. Seller, the, other member
" tho firm, characterized the whole
affair as ridiculous. When the jurics
tcorne to indict milk dealers and let
orher monopolies go their way unheeded
Df unchaIlenged Mr.. Seller declared,
HltClo -iliAGL DG 6OiiAttlAhS hAOhb. AlO
said that the exchange is not only made
IMP of wholesale milk dealers, but farm
tbra and producers as well.
There is no profit in milk for the
Wholesaler" declared Mr.. Seller. be
eause 1t is sold too cheaply. Persons
kick about paying s or 0 cents for a
quart of milk, something that is more
beneficial to them than anything else
Bhey might eat. but say nothing of
paying from % to 30 cents Cor porter
house steak, which has to be cooked
and prepared. All of the milk that we
fsoid wholesale was rctailed at 8 or z
gents c. quart and bottled at Z and s
8cents.
T. ftAs an illustration OF the enormous
9tprcfit that the wholesale dealers get out
Ief milk, according to some persons who
NStiow little or nothing OF what they are
talking about, 1 will quote Yo Some
Figures. At the present time the farm
ers arc paid 4 cents a quart. or Si.6o
r. can, for milk. After buying from the
Farmer the wholesale dealer has to pay
all freight charges and have it de-
iiyered al his place and then deliver Il
10 the various retail dealers. He
charges them ct an average OF about
5s5 cents q quart. Where is that enor-
nous pro6t?
There IS a cent and q hale above
9 he pays to the farmer for It.
Don't.you think that a dealers expenses
In bringing the milk to the city from
the country, freight charges, wages OF
men, horses and wagons and numerous
uther things, average to nearly a cent
and a halt q quart. Well, they do.
Tile average retail dealer doesn't sell
over a hundred quarts OF milk a day
hnd TO do this he makes over a hundred
stops. With a route OF a hundred
customers he makes about 50 a day.
which does not include his horse and
Wagon and other expenses.
Milk Is at its right price and II is
elieap at that. The price is not set
%by the wholesaler or by anyone else.
lin fact, but is governed by the supply
and h demand. Everything else is
aigll. 81 why should milk not be high?
stfhe COWS have to be fed. and the prices
% food today arc eScrbitant.
Il am willing to wager that if my
brother and myself turned over U
.7tire wholesale business to any bust
acss man and he had two good part
ners and invested about 5000, 900, he
couldn't make $50 Il week and 3 per
eeit. N his money. l am perfectly
SsNAlling to sell out what ] have invested
n h business n work, il whoever
purchases 1t wanted me for $50 a week.
IT doesn't seem reasonable, does It,
chat IL the profits were as enormous
as they are claimed to be by persons
who know nothing of the business
;laim they are, that I would be willing
10 do this?
|H sNx,t
This action of the Grand Jury of
NEW York, indicting these men be-
cause of the price of milk. strikes me
40 not only being unjust hut laughable.
We have received no word officially
yet, and l knew nothing OF the matter
until 4 saw 1t In the papers. My
brother has been connected with the
exchange for a number OF years. I am
not aware Just what he will do In
reference to defending the action"
In the case of the Meat Trust fndict-
u7ent forms We're prepared in Chicago
by Oliver VI. Pagan, special attorney
general against the National Packing
Company and ten subsidiary concerns
in connection with the investigation of
Che packing industry now being made
by the Federal Grand jury. These
forms win be taken to Washington and
tt1ere zexamined by The administration
officials before being given to the Grand
Jury.
The firms that are named in the forms
SIRE as. follows: G. Fl. Hammond Com
pany. Michigan; Anglo-American Pro-
vision Company. Illinois; Omaha Pack
Ing Company, Illinois: United Dressed
Heef Company, New York. st. Louis
Dressed Beef and Provision Company,
Western Packing Company, Denver: