The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1916-08-25
GUARANTEED m! PURE MZk DARE !
7s Rs s "a Ss e ssst t3F So Hse4
Profit in Distributing Milk

NuSn as cream, putttts Dullci-
milk. fermented milk, cream
cheese. and some add matted
milk and condensed and evap-
grated milk and eyaporated
cream to the list Here.
il the farmer would only al
low himself to realize II. is
the proiit-making part Of the
business.
These companies would be
better off financially il they
could drop the delivery Of bot
tied milk entirely. Why do
they not' Simply because this
line OF business is the sprat
thrown TO catch the salmon
They take millions OF quarts
OF milk. but the greater pro-
portion goes into the oommodi-
ties that make large profits.
not into quart bottles.
Probably condensed milk i
what makes tho bulk OF the
money for the milk companies.
In normal times this by-prod-
uct OF the dairy. as We may
call il, is exported 10 China,
Cuba. Panama and Mexico 90
the value OF about 81 10000
a year: while in 1915 the war
IN Europe ran the total up 10
about 100000. In the ten
years beginning with 1900 the
condensed-m industry in tho
United States trebled. ice cream
factories taking vast quantities
OF the unswectcned variety.
Some OF the milk dealers in
large cities make ice cream
themselves very profitable
side line AT fifty cents a quart
Swcetencd condensed milk is
sold in barrels 20 bakeries and
confectionery establishments.
as we'll as in the familiar cans
the retail stores handle in
cities for family trade.
Then there are cyaporated milk
and cream. In which there Is an
eyergrowlnk business. buttermllk
tho so-called commercial" kind.
made not from ehlrning butter but
from milk with starter added
cream cheese, for which there Ia n
ready market. and lately cRsein IN
large quantities. since IL has been
discovered that Il can be used In
explosives.
In 1914 casein WAS valued q, six
and a half cents a pound. early
this year Il was quoted At twenty.
three cents. The use TO which IN.
cRscin VAS ordinarily put was To
aid IN making the coating for en-.
amcied paper I have seen large
slabs OF this by-product In the sta.
lions OF one Of the iarKe milk com.
panies. and learned that great
deal of II Was sold
The MIX companies' Public Service
Then. too. there is large vol.
tics at twelve or fourteen cents
bottle. This also is a line that Is
more profitable than the milk in
bottles. Matted milk. BY thousands
upon thousands of pounds. Is an.
other profit maker.
These have been enumerated as
showing that the larger milk com.
panies who after all Is said and
done are the concerns thst pay the
big diyidends-need milk In simply
enormous quantities TO supply the
demand they have created. They
have contracts with iobbers and
with institutions and with foreign
buyers. and the materials must be
forthcoming. 30 they contract with
farmers for a stated period. agree.
inE TO take oil the milk produced
Originally the milk business was
for the purpose of giving families
their daily supply 81 fluid milk. and
from this family quart spranE the
gigantic organizations ~ today.
which may explain how II IL that
when the price Of milk is discussed
almost every bod. and most Ger.
tainly tho farmer. sees In the
minds eye a bottle OF milk.
Having started with the intention
OF supplying the family trade. the
milk companies are exactly In the
position OF the hunter who needed
somebody. not TO hold the bobcat
but to help him let 90 OF H. They
have a public service to perform
and must carry IL on Besides. they
have large sums locked up In build.
ings. equipment. and 80 on. for this
line. which they could hardly get
rid Of without heavy loss
a milk dealer is supposed 10 sup
ply milk. In whatever form n Ia
wished. to the public The public
calls for bottled milk. so It must
be ready. TO get milk to bottle.
he dealers must take all there Is
They do. but pay for all on the
same basis. Using the Improbable
family.supply sprat to catch the
very lucrative condensed-cream-
caseir .buttermilk salmon.
Tho net. absolutely net. profit on
n quart OF milk half dozen wears
ago was u quarter Of a cent To-day
= Is givcn by the Representatives
OF tho largest companies as from
nne.tenth 10 one-siXth OF a cent
This. of course. does not include
certified milk, which costs tho deal
ers from seven TO ton cents and
brings from fifteen to twenty. The
difference between the apparent
profit of one. two or three cents
ovor delivered cost Ia pntpn IN
down to the hone Of the small frac-
lions OF ceut, by those ever greedy
and always.present charges for
buildings. equipment. taxes, insur-
ance, interest on the money In