The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-09-20
Producers Committee Finds
That Incidental Handlers
Have Wide Range on Sales.
GET 80 CENTS A GALLON
Radical Changes In Methods Of
Sale Are to Be Recommend
ed to Producers.

For three-fourths of the milk con-
sumed in Washington the consumer
pays srocers. hotel keepers and lunch
room proprietors at q rate which varies
from 10 to % cents a, gallon.
Enough distributors receive from 20 to
cents a gallon for this milk, paying
the producer IL and i6 cents in the sum.
mer and u and 70 cents In the winter.
poth the distributor and the producer
confess their inability under present
conditions to remedy the situation.
FOR the one-fourth Of the milk con-
stunned here at the lowest price to the
consumer-an average OF 50 cents per
senon-the distributers-that In. the
milk dealers-receive the highest price.
These are some of the things the
committee Of seven Of the Maryland
and Virginia MIX Producers Associa-
ton discovered AZ q result of con-
ference with fifteen leading distribu-
ters of milk In Washington yesterday.
To Make Report.
The result OF the conference was that
a report will be made to the mass meet
ing Of Loo producers at the Raleigh
hotel Saturday recommending radical
changes In the milk supply system
which are expected to so readJust the
present system OF service to consumers
that dealers and producers will get
better price and the enormous profits
now being made by retailers-the gro
GERS, hotel keepers and lunchroom pro-
prietors-be reduced.
That the consumer pays the maxi
murn price always and the retailer the
minimum, and that the profits In the
milk business are going to the people
who are not In the milk punness =
THAR regular business. were the princi-
pal. facts brought out at yesterdays
'Distributers convinced the producers
i inas t Rsppres ssoi was made that
from one-half to three-fourths OF all
the, milk consumed In the District is
purchased through q third party and
not from the rsgSlsr =, di .Ss iih tS os
distributors estimate, 10 distributed by
them directly to householder.
.S8e Price Forced Down.
The remainder Ii purchased at
wholesale prices by restaurant keepers
hotels. neishborhood grocery stores.
hospitals, etc, Through q system OF
nice cutting that has been going on
Auring the past few months. dis
ts1buiers state the price Of milk has
been forced down to 20 and q cents
gallon. They stated they cannot pay
the producer Is and 16 cents In the
suminer and u and 20 cents In the win
tar for his milk and make profit by
selling It at the present wholesale
pF4cos. even with the price direct to
the consumer Of 36 cents gallonE
which consumers are now paying.
that he handles from 1900 to 1900 gal
Ions Of milk . month. and that his loss
10 enc year on breakage and loss Of bot
ties alone cost him 81. 900 He stated
that he figured the bottle as represent.
min to him. The other items of cost
such an labor. repairs, horses. feed. oil,
gasoline, and other supplies have In
creased an average Of 10 per cent In the
Disstributers gave the producers COM
mittee some illuminating figures Of the
manner In which their business has
ceased to pay profits. They astonished
producers by telling them that vast
81 the pistriot at the the s rate Of % cents
EAllon--milk for which the man selling
Il paid as low as 20 cents q gallon.
Pay Minimum Rate.
They stated that hotel. restaurant. and
lunch room proprietors pay the mini
mum price per gallon for milk. % or q
cents per gallon, and sell It for cents
a mug or glass. A mug or glass holds
half q pint of milk. The distributors
state that some Of the milk bought by
hotel and restaurant people goes into
cooking. but the vast majority Of that
sold to consumer Is sold as milk In
glasses or mugs at the prices stated.
Members Of the producers committee
and the distributors agreed that with Z
uniform wholesale price OF Is cents q
gallon II was thought they could secure