The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-10-02
Only About One-Third the
Usual Amount Delivered
Today
BRATTLEBORO CAR
GOING BY FREIGHT
war with Contractors Begins as Prom
ised-Final Meeting with Members of
Firm of Alden Brothers - Officials
to Investigate.


War between the milk producers in
this section and the contractors in Bos-
ton began in earnest YESTERDAY morn
! ing, Oct. l, as voted by the producers az
a meeting in Bellows Falls last week
IN the event that the contractors failed
to pay the price demanded.
Representatives Of the producers who
have furnished milk for what is known
as the Brattleboro car, the milk car
| which runs from Brattleboro to BeIIo-7s
Fails and takes milk at stations along
| the line for Alden Brothers of Bos.
ton, met one of the firm, Mr.. Alden, in
| Bellows Falls Saturday for a final con
/ ference. The situation was talked over
| and numerous questions were asked, but
the producers got little satisfaction out
of the conversation except that Mr.. Al
den said he would pay as much as any,
body.
| Yesterday morning the car, which
previously had been hauled over the
route on passenger train, became part
| of freight train which leaves here be-
tween and 9 clock, arriving at its
destination much later than formerly.
| Hugh Crawford of Brattleboro, who
/ IS IN charge of the car, was employed
/ by Alden Brothers previous to this
week, but is now in the service of the
Boston & Maine Railroad company, the
company having taken over the con-
troll of the car. In this connection a
statement made a few days ago bv
President Colby of the New England
Milk Producers association is of in
| terest:
F'If the dealers don t give us the
price we ask we will not sell milk to
them,' said President Colby eve
can, after Oct. /, ship our milk to Bos-
ton ourselves and we will and can sup
ply the people of Boston ourselves.
There will be plenty of dealers to buy
1t at 90 cents a can and there will be no
milk famine. Previously we could not
, ship milk to Boston because the con-
tractors controlled the cars. Now we
! can, and we will unless they come to our
terms.
The producers who have supplied
milk for the Brattleboro car have been
farmers in Brattlcboro, Chesterfield
Dummerston, Putney, East Putney,
Westminster West, Westminster, Bel
lows Falls and Alstead In accordance
with their vote last week a large ma
jority of them cut off shipments Sun
day, Alden Brothers having failed to
meet the demand for an increased
price. The amount shipped from Brat
tleboro has been relatively small, the
! bulk of the milk being delivered at the
East Putney station
| A few of the shippers have declined
to stand with the others and have CON
tinued their shipments. At the East
Putney station today, for instance,
about third the usual amount was
/ taken aboard
The collector on the Westminster
West route picked up all the empty cans
on his last trip, and those who deliver
their own milk have turned over all the
cans they have belonging to Alden
Brothers, except those who will continue
to send their milk to that firm.
| Some of the farmers who are with
holding their milk are using it temporari-
| ly to feed stock, while some are making
butter or separating the cream and send
ing it to creameries They believe they
can make as much or more profit in
that way than by sending it to the car
at the old price.
In discussing the proposed increase a
few days ago United States District At
torney George w. Anderson of Boston
said: . 1t is my duty as United States
district attorney to make an investiga-
tion of anything that looks like COM
Ibination to increase the price of com
Imodities, and / intend to do So The
United States attorney general is the
only authority that has the right to
bring action against such combina-
ton, but it is a part of my duty to re-
port such matter Accordingly | shall
inquire into the proposed increase of the
price of milk by the New England pro-
Iducers. -
4 Farmers on the line of the Rutland
RAILROAD between Bennington and Rut-
land, who ship their milk to C. O.
Brigham & Co., of Boston, and who
i recently became members of the Yer,
mont Dairymen s league, also are pre-
pared to maintain the stand taken for
better prices and yesterday many with.
held their milk. Wallingford farmers
and other producers in that section are
preparing to separate their milk and
ship the cream to the Manchester Dairy
company.