Norwich bulletin., 1917-06-02
MUNICIPAL REGULATION OF PRICE
Local Daymen Says is the Most Practical Method of Rem edying Milk Situation Hereabouts- Consumer Should Meet the Farmer Halfway

was going to cost them something to nave to spend the best part of the day peddling milk. One producer told how if he hadn't raised his price from ten to twelve cents in the middle of April he would not have had enough to pay his grain bill So it was with serious realization of the necessity of their action that they unanimously voted to charge twelve cents. per quart.
 Their patrons were very reasonable and offered no objection until they were informed that some milk could because they did not give the ques- tion, Should I pay twelve cents when can get it for nine?" more than su- perficiai thought they allowed them selves to be influenced by the single consideration of economy ana 90 bought of the man with the cheap milk This tendency on the part of the patrons of the association mem to force several out of business. The situation called for immediate action and another meeting was held. After much discussion it became clear that either maintain the price and be forced out of business or meet the price of the cut-throat competition. For many of them the first choice was impossible; for, having dependent families they could not afford the i'm mediate heavy loss incident to a com plete change in type of business Con sequently it was the lesser of two evils to meet the price of their com petitors and operate at a loss until they had time to make a change with out sacrifice. The intelligent farmer knows that he cannot afford to re- tail milk for less than fifteen cents per quart if he is to mafnsafn soil fertility to the point of diminishing returns, and get a labor income that will remunerate him for working hard twelve a week: It is therefore only a fool or a philanthropist who will continue to sell milk at ten cents per quart.
 A Depierabie State.
 These conditions are prevalent throughout New England. Except in those fortunate localities where the majority of the farmers are intelli- gent enough to demand a fair price and fight until they get it. our dairy farming-the essential founoation of prosperous agHculture-is in a de- plorable state. Because the selling price for the products of the COW has not kept pace with the increasing costs of production, many cows are daily going to the butcher, (15 per cent. in the last 50 days) If something is not done to stop this there is certain to be a shortage in the future supply of milk. Now of all the effects of war none can be more disastrous than famine: and an insufficient supply of
 
 it's high nutritive value as compared to other foods will make it no longer available as an essential constituent of the economical diet of the great triotic reasons if for no others every intelligent citizen should strive to prevent the hardships that would be incurred by a milk famine.
 There are two causes for this un- fortunate economic condition. The first is the ignorance of the farmers Tn averaSe farmer has not the business acumen necessary for keeping proper farm accounts and therefore, not knowing the actual worth of his pro- duce, he is willing ta take what ha can get. The small minority of intel Hgent farmers is unable to cope with the narrow-minded opposition to CO., operation caused by the ignorance Of the majority. Every time those few farmers who know their cost of pro duction because they keep accounts. have tried to get a fair price for their goods they have been undersold by the isnoraInus.
 The Second Cause.
 The second cause for the unpros- porous condition of our farms is the ignorance of the consumer. Based up- on the single consideration of econ omy their pinch penny policy is dFiv ing the intelligent farmer off the farms in favor of that land parasite who drains the soil of it's fertility in order to underseII his neighbor.
 The superficial thought given the ma tier by the average consumer does rot disclose the close relationship ex- istins between soil fertility and the cost of living. A very little logical deduction will show that the reason for the high cost of living is due to the lack of balance between the num- Der of producers and consumers. As the number of producers decreased the number of consumers increased; this decreased the supply and increased the demand for foodstuffs and result ed in a rise in prices. The causes for the decrease in farm population are directly traceab1e to the failure of the farmer to maintain his soil fer tiiity. For by exhausting the fertil-