Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1916-11-24
For City MIX ControI.

| Inc lTl-otate MILK COMMISSION, COLI
posed of representatives of Maryland
Pennsylvania and Delaware. who were ap-
pointed by the Governors Of the three
States, met yesterday in the Fifth Regi.
ment Armory and heard statements from a
number of men interested in the milk bust
ness In one way or another as to produc-
ton costs. distribution costs, manufacture
and disposal of by-products, etc.
While DR.. Clyde Lyndon King, chairman,
made it plain that the commission was
seeking information affecting the three big
interests in the milk situation the pro-
ducer, the distributor and consumer-and
to that end it received mass of rather
technical testimony. the feature of the
hearing was speech by Judson c. Welli-
yer, the Washington newspaper and maya
zine writer. advocating municipal mo-
nopoly Of milk distribution in large cities,
and somewhat caustic impromtu cross
examination of Mr.. Welliver by Asa b.
Gardiner, head of the City Dairy Company,
which Mr.. Gardiner subsequently stated,
distributes something like one-third OF Bal
timores milk.
Mr.. Welliver spoke not from the stand
point Of the individual or the writer upon
public problems. but from that Of man
interested in the milk question as chair
man of the Maryland and Virginia
Milk Association. He has farm in Mont
gomery county and is engaged in the dali
rying business himself, in some measure.
THE bottom trouble" he said. lis that
it is impossible to expect people to stay in
the milk-producing business with world con-
ditions such that the farmers get prices for
wheat and other products which make 1t
Improbable for them to devote their in
vestment and labor to dairyns." He con-
tinued by saying that in handling the ques-
tion of milk prices 1t would not be sufii-
cient merely to increase now the sums
paid the farmer by fiat percentage, but
that the problem would have to- be solved
in way that would make it permanently
worth while for the farmer to dairy, He
said he had been informed that there WERE
or soon would be. 1000 head of dairy
cattle for sale in Montgomery county.
Mr. Welliver argued that there were two
difficulties in the way Of profitable dairy
ing. The first was the constantly increas-
ing restrictions put upon the farmer in the
way Of sanitary measures. Against this
he made no objection. The second was
the cost Of distribution. And to overcome
that difficulty he proposed the municipal
monopoly in distribution.
lie stated that the great percentage of
the price paid by the consumer went for
distribution expenses. Then he explained
that Investigations in Washington had
shown 20-odd milk wagons starting out in
the morning on the same street, each to de-
liver "a couple of bottles in block" That
method caused great waste, he argued.
Further, he said that the numerous small
dealers had not sufficient capital to install
manufacturing machinery to turn the sur
plus milk. which they have at certain
times. into by-products, and that the cost
of the waste OF the surplus was added to
the general costs of distribution.
He commended that municipal monopoly
of milk distribution would eliminate the
excess cost Of delivery and waste of sur
plus. and that this would so reduce total
distribution costs that. at fair prices from
the consumer, II would be practicable to
pay the farmer enough to warrant him In
his dairying business. as
against devoting himself to raising crops
Mr.. Welliver said that a municipal mo-
nopoly In Washington had the support of
the local authorities. the Department OF
Agriculture and. he thought, Of the Dis
trict Committee Of each branch Of Con
eress. He predicted that Washington would
have a municipal monopoly Of milk distri-
button in three or four years, and likened
the functions to that Of municipal water
supply.
Mr. Gardiner sarcastically asked what
would become Of the dealer, and Mr.. Wei
liver replied that he was "curiously indif-
ferent" to him, and interested in the pro-
Queer and consumer Then. still sarcasti-
cally. Mr. Gardiner wanted to know just
how the municipal monopoly would hold
down the price to the consumer, or would
force the farmer to accept the wholesale
price determined by the monopoly. and in
timated that the Welliver plan would put
both farmer and consumer in the grip Of
the wise. And to that Mr.. Weliver CURLY
replied that he suspected he was being
questioned by a distributor. and that he
always had found intense concern in the
consumer and the farmer upon the part OF
the distributor. when the municipal plan
was proposed.
There was a deal Of testimony caring
upon the restrictions placed upon the farm
or by law. and considerable discussion
whether pasteurization would not meet
sufficiently to warrant lessen
ing the rule against tubercular cows. Re-
eardine costs OF feeding. Hugh Jewet. Of
Darlington, testified that he paid $3.50
per ton for grain food in 1914 and $28.40
this year.
The commission will meet next in Phila-
delphia.
Fire Department Organized.