Evening star., 1916-10-21
STOP M|LKSTR|KE,
PLEA TO OFFICIALS
Citizens Think Commissioners
Should Take Steps to
Safeguard Supply.
WANT THEM TO MEDIATE

The District Commissioners should act
to prevent a milk strike, which would
| cut off the milk supply of Washington,
and which has been threatened by milk
producers who ship milk to the Dis
| trict, in the opinion of citizens OF the
! ca pital. They contend that it would be
| unwise to permit the struggle between
| the milk producers in Maryland and
/, Virginia and the milk dealers in WASH
| ington to reach such stage that it
would bring about milk strike.
None of the District Commissioners
was in Washington today. and their
views on the matter were not optain-
| able. Commissioner Newman Is not
expected to return to Washington for
several days Commissioners BroWn-
| low and kutz were at Occoquan. on
tour of inspection.
The suggestion was made today that
in the event the District Commis-
! sioners were unable for any reason to
undertake to bring about an ADJUST
ment in the milk fight they appoint an
impartial committee of business men
to attempt an adjustment.
On the one hand the milk pro
ducers farmers and dairymen in
! Maryland and Virginia contend that
they cannot continue selling milk to
the dealers in Washington at the ex-
listing prices and make a living profit.
On the other hand. the milk dealers
in Washington insist that they can
not AFFORD to pay the producers more
for their milk without receiving more
for the milk that they retail to the
consumers here.
Neither side cares to- advocate at this
stage an increase in the price OF milk
charged the consumer. it is said.
The question arises. also, should
there be concerted effort on the part
of the producers and dealers to increase
the price of milk to consumers in the
District whether the Department Of
Justice might not step in If plea is
made that the antitrust law Is being
violated
Proposal for Mediation.
E. c. Brandenburg. president of the
Board of Trade, expressed the opinion
| that if the producers and dealers were
willing to have their contentious sub
mitted to a board. whether the District
Commissioners or an impartial board
of business men. the situation might
be relieved. He pointed out that on
the showing made so far the producers
are not making profit on their milk
owing to increases in prices OF feed
and labor and that the milk dealers ap-
parently are paying as much as they
can for the milk which they retail here
and make reasonable profit. An in
vestigation of the whole matter by an
impartial board might bring out the
whole truth in these matters.
He suggested that if it was shown
that the milk producers could not con-
tinue to produce milk at existing prices
and that the dealers were only making
tributed here, the consumers would
have to pay more for their milk II the
milk supply is to be maintained.
P. T. Moran. president of the Cham
| difficulties between the producers and
the dealers would be adjusted soon,
and that it probably would not be nee
essary to have the matter referred to
the District Commissioners or any
| other board for adjustment. He said
there was no doubt that the farm
ers who produce milk for consumption
in Washington are now paying far
| more for their raw materials' than
| they did in the past. He said that cot
| tonseed meal. which is fed the cows
| now brings s42 ton and that it used
to be SIS ton Bran. he said. was
selling at 1872 ton instead Of $40. as
| formerly. Cornmeal. used for feeding
cows. he said, was selling at 81 cents
| a bushel, when it used to sell for about
| so cents.
Troubles of Distributors.
Mr. Moran pointed out also that the
distributors of milk in Washington
| have had their expenses increased ow-
| ing to the increase in the cost of feed
| for their horses; and labor, he said, was
higher today.
| ut may be that it will be necessary
I that an increase in the price of milk
| charged consumers must follow until
! the abnormal conditions due to the Eu-
| ropean war and the tremendous exports
| of foodstuffs to Europe have ceased to
| exist.
| The executive committee Of the Mary
| land and Virginia Milk Producers AS
| sociation is to meet again Monday. Oc-
| tober 80 At that time reports viii be
received from the organizers sent out
| to get the 1,400 farmers and datrym m
| who produce milk for consumption here
into the organization. The executive
| committee is counseling mo strike il
| avoidable."
| The opinion was expressed Here today
| that neither the producers nor the dis
| tributers would object to having the
of an impartial board before milk strike
was called by the producers. or be-
| fore an increase in the price of milk to
Z, the consumers was ordered by the dis
| tributers.
| A complaint that associations OF
| farmers, dairymen and dealers in milk
in Pittsburgh are violating the anti
| trust laws was filed with the Depart
ment of Justice yesterday by James F.
| Burke, a former member of Congress
| There was no evidence accompanying
! the complaint and no statement was
made by the department as to what
steps would be taken to investigate
| The department has nothing to say,
it was stated.