The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-09-23

for Il. There are sixteen half pihts in q
gallon OF milk. Sixteen times'b cents %
% cents. which Il the ccnsumers' cost "
this case per gallon. The producers
price for five months In the year Is COM
monty lb cents a gallon.
No Assurance From Dealers.
Your committee was unable to ex-
tract any reinsurance whatever from
the dealers. They could not and would
not pay more for milk than they are
now paying. Most OF them insisted that
they are not now making even reason
able prohts on their business, many
a loss.
from convinced that the situation Is
hopeless. On the other hand, II In con-
WINGED that the milk business needs to
be reformed from the COW up to the
consumer.
After the dealers had withdrawn and
the committee sat down for a consider
alton of the facts that had been elected
one member of the committee declared
that he was convinced the milk busi-
ness was the most wastfully. IMPROVE
IDENTIFY, inefficiently, and uneconomic-
ally conducted business In the country.
This indictment does not lie exclusively
against the dealers. either. We farm
ers are VIGOROUSLY ineffective business
Farmers will not 20 on raising milk
at loss while there IL profit In pro-
ducing wheat at $50. hogs at III or
more, and nearly everything else In
proportion. The public, however. must
have milk. What, then, shall be done
about tit
Better Organization the Answer.
1.-THE answer to the milk problem lies
in better organization, better methods.
and higher efficiency. These words
may sound like the very vague general
izations of good but impractical ideas.
AT the very beginning II IL necessary
to recognize that this is a long fight.
II we are to get any action. we must
be determined to stick to the finish.
The finish is likely to be a long way of:
! But II we are sufficiently determined
we can fight our way to 1t, we can save
our industry. and we can perform
great service for the community.
Legislation and municipal regulation
must be secured. dealing with such
problems as the cost and handling OF
bottles. There Is urgent need OF
proper system OF grading milk SO that
II can be sold according to its zeal
value. and at prices commensurate
know when he buws, special milk
exactly what he is getting. The far
mer VIII produces this IL entitled 10
pay for the quality OF milk he has pro-
| duced.
Ideal Of Committee.
THE ultimate ideal OF your commit
tee is to secure. through the efforts OF
this organization. the establishment OF
a municipal dairy. TO be provided by
the city government. to handle, pas
teurize. inspect. grade. and bottle all
milk.
1t is feasible. and that II would ulti-
mately result in a great economy TO
create also single cooperative or
even publicly owned and controlled dis
! tribution service.
This, by eliminating the distribution
| OF routes. would avoid the scandalous
4 waste of having half dozen or half a
! score of milk wagons driving over the
same city block every morning TO make
! THE dealers tell US that from one
half to three-quarters of Washington's
milk, the Wholesale" milk Is handled
at prices 80 low as to make profit i'm
loss in many cases. A properly organ
lied municipal dairy and distributing
establishment would require that the
WHOLESALER milk pay its own way.
The gap between the producers price
OF 10 cents and the ultimate consumers
price of 80 cents per gallon would be
close up by the enforcement of COM
mon sense economies.
| do you tell me that this Is n nope
lessly chimerical proposal? I reply that
in our conference with the dealers the
first suggestion OF a municipal dairy and
municipal distribution came from a
milk dealer. II was echoed by more
than one or two OF the others.
"If you tell US that we are dangerous
and socialistic radicals because we
| make this recommendation. we Will
withdraw our recommendation IL you
will convince us that municipal mon
opolies to provide water and gas. and
ical and liable to subvert our free In
stitutions. ..-.'.
Insists Its Conservative.
your committee insists that Its
proposal In conservative. Conservative
because 1t looks to the conservation
of an industry that is vital to the
very existence OF the community
Conservative because every authoritS
we have consulted, Federal. munici.
that there must be reform in this
business of making and handling
milk, or else presently there will b.
no milk.
1--WE are assured by the municipal
and also the Federal authorities thai
there Is a very earnest desire to worl
with us in the effort to establish here
in Washington a model system o.
handling this problem of milk. Tn,
: the producer and the dealer here II
Washington faces the dealer and tn,
producer in every large city in Amer
lea. Everywhere men are cropping fol
. solution of II.
, Your committee is convinced tina