The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1917-11-10
MILK PRICES. TOO :. Z.
H|CH;ASKSF0R
Investigation
|. u. Young Would Have Safety
Commission Probe Local
Situation,

Persistent reports Of milk COM
blnation operating in this vicinity,
coupled with the rapid rise in price
IN this commodity in the last five
months. has led L. U. Young. recently
appointed food investigator by the
Public Safety commission, to appeal
to that body for survey of the local
situation. Since July the producers
organization has increased it's price
from 81 per hundred pounds to 1925
per hundred pounds, which prevails
at the present time. This raise has
resulted in the price of milk to the
consumer being boosted from 81
cents quart in July to ~ cents
Some dealers are charging as high as
Is cents, an increase of 81 cents.
Some time ago the Public Safety
commission made an Investigation OF
the milk situation in the Twin Cities
with the result that the price to the
consumer by the large wholesalers
was fixed at II cents quart with an
equal reduction to the producer in his
price. Last week the Public Safety
commissioners again ordered a. re-
duction and the price in st. Paul and
Minneapolis has been fixed by that
body at 10 cents per quart, operative
from Nov. IS.
According to the information fur
nished Mr.. Young, the Twin Ports
Dairy association, an organization
composed of producers in both Mime
sofa and Wisconsin takes in the terri
tory for seventy-five miles around the
Head of the Lakes. This body met in
Superior the latter part of September
and fixed a schedule of prices to be
charged for the ensuing three months
to the jobbers and wholesalers. This
agreement expires Jan. / and it is
said that a further boost is then con-
templated as the dairymen tried to
obtain 81 per hundred pounds for.
their product but the refusal Of the
wholesalers to accept this price led
to a compromise, the rate being set
at 1925 a hundred.
The milk dealers here as well as
elsewhere throughout the country
claim shortage of milk and the
glutted condition of the packing CEN
tiers is claimed by them to be partly
due to action of the dairymen in SELL
ing off their stock. The price of feeds
has advanced enormously since the
war and with the pastures covered
with snow earlier than usual a pc
culiar situation exists for the milk
man, it is said.
Would Stop Ice Ceam Making.
Regarding the shortage of milk, In
vestigator Young suggests that the
Federal authorities put a stop to the
manufacture of ice cream for COM
mercial purposes during the winter
months. With large quantities of
cream being used daily in this deli
cacy, the result is curtailment of
the milk supply. Sugar, in which
shortage threatens at the present
time, is consumed in the making of
this CONNECTION, and Mr.. Young in
sists that great saving in these two
alone could be obtained, not counting
the other valuable ingredients which
go to make up ice cream.
Regarding the alleged combination
which fixes prices on milk, for this
locality there is some doubt as to
what powers the public safety COM
mission would WELD over this body
since it takes in both states. Mr..
Young is of the opinion that the
United States district attorneys Of
flee will be finally drawn into the
probe and that a thorough investiga-
ton Of the alleged ramifications of
the local milk dealers will be gone
into,