Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-19
MILKMEN OF STATE
 WIN BIG VICTORY Interstate Commerce Commission Ruias Against Milk Co. and Rail- roads.

The Connecticut Dairvmen's asso- clatiOn, Connecticut State grange and l the state board of agriculture won a distinct victory over milk mOnOpOIieS 1, ln the recent decision of the interstate commerce commission, compelling va rlous railroad companies to cancel the schedules of rates for the transp0rta- ton of milk. Alleging that the dairy industry ill northeastern Connecticut was being gradually retrOgvessed by Q Boston monopoly, the Connecticut in terests were opposed by the Elm Farm
 Nilk Co. of Boston in hearings before the interstate commerce commission in Washington, Herbert Knox Smith of FarmingtO1 represented the dairy nen's association and the state grange and Leonard H. EIealy, secretary of the state board of agriculture, repre- sGnCed that body.
 It was not so much the direct re- suits or the monopoly which the Con- necticut interests protested against, but the effect on the fertility of the soil in northeastern Connecticut. In brief, their argument was that the policy of the Elm Farm Milk Co. was dlscOuraging the dairy industry and, by so doing, was causing the richness Of the soil and it's power to produce human food to decline and the cost of food to rise. They advanced the ax- iOm that in farm science a certain number of cattIe-preferabIy dairy cCws-shOuld be permanently kept on the soil to keep it fertile, about one cow to every three acres. One way in which the COW is valuable on the soil is that she eats herbage which, II allowed to grow unhamp pered, would consume much of the soils fOOd-pro- ducing power. With the dairy indus try on the wane, much of the soil in that part Of the state nearest Boston was beginning to decline, according to the protesting dairymen and grang- CTS, on account of the existence of the Boston monopoly, which was alleged to have made the milk business profit less.
 The chief area involved was the north half of eastern Connecticut, in it's relation to the Boston milk mar ket. 4 similar situation of lesser de- gree existed also in the south half of Providence, R. I. All milk which has been going to Boston from the north eastern area for many years has been carried on two leased cars," so called, both controlled by the Elm Farm Milk company of Boston. The rate has been S1A5 a mile each year for zach car. These cars have been running respectively from Jewett City and Willimantic daily over different lines, cOnverging at Putnam, and thence over the same track to Bos- ton.
 
 ing up milk at eight points in Con- necticut and two in Massachusetts, averaging six miles apart. The ave rage daily load has been 752 cans of eight and one-half quarts each and the total loaded nileagesi eighty eight The Willimantic car has been picking up at seven points in Connecticut, av-, eraging three miles apart, and then making a jump of 39 miles, picking up at two points in Massa chusetts, eight 51IJ . has been 894 cans and thegtotal loaded mileage eighty nine. On each car, the Elm Farm Milk company maintained a caretaker who performed! some cler- ical work and put broken 9ice on the cans in warm weather, the ice beingd furnished by the milk corzpany, which had exclusive control of these cars and. carried on them only milk bought by it.
 The tariff of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad com- pany has been fixing the rate for milk II; n sins single < cans Efrom k stations a along