The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-11-05
MILK ORDINANCE
FINDS DEFENDER
Man Who Helped With KeS-
ler'S Law Quotes Figures,
FIFTEEN CENTS TOO HIGH
Milk Profit Large or 0ajymen
inefficient, He Says,


Oklahoma CITY milk ordinance tNng
the price OF milk here at II cents a
quart is defended has been received by
the TIMES from the man who made the
investigation into milk cost, upon
which the ordinance. ialhcrcd by Mark
keSler commissioner Of public safety
was based The letter is IN reply to an
attack on the ordinance by II NJ X
Smith, special Hoover food representa-
tive for 0kahomS The author of the
letter is a local attorney,
II was interested in the purportc'I IN
teryiew Of II. NJ X Smith. Hoover rep
rescntative. which YOU published lu IS.
sue OF November Times
"You charge him first, with stating
nat Is cent milk "i, due to the tact
that the city commissioner, went head.
long into regulating the price withou,
investigating conditions and the cost of
production" Let us see
"Thc cost OF production /, dependent
upon the price OF COWS. .prlcc ot iced,
price OF labor. and the price Of trans
portation. We would be glad 10 have
Mr.. Hoover demonstrate to us how the
head long ordinances affected either OF
these elements OF cost Second, 10
quote Mro Smith. tho commissioners
passed an ordinance and they dld
not make any investigation OF what It
cost 10 produce the MILK and deliver IT
IN Oklahoma City ret lis see
Farmer Gets 20 Cents.
"At that time the ruling price of milk
10 the farmer who produced 1t along
the intcrurban lines within a distance
II twenty miles was 10 cents gallon
II was shipped IN TN cans OF ten and
twenty gallons capacity tcn-gallon
can is carried at 100 pounds The
freight was II cents hundred con
tainers returned irec-So that ten
yallon container OF milk cost - to pur
chase and II cents to transport Total
Sill. Making the milk cost produced
and delivered in Oklahoma City =
cents per gallon. Fixing the price at II
cents per quart, or ~ cents a gallon
gave the dealer 20 cents for bottlug
and distribution Farmers who bot
tied milk and delivered it in Oklahoma
City at cents quart, or 20 cents a
gallon were satisfied among themselves
that they were getting 70 cents OF more
per gallon for their milk in bottles, as
against % cents a gallon ior milk IL
cans.
"At the present time, the farmers pro
ducing the milk are being paid at thu
rate OF Is cents per gallon IN cans del,y
cred to the intcrurban station. h
freight is still II conts on lO'palloi
can or OIL cent per gallon, and the To-
- ,al cost is therefore 1hl cents per gal
lon produced and delivered In Okla
homa CITY
Now 90 Cents Gallon.
The sale price is now % cents per
gallon. or total gain on each gallon
of $50 centS-more than & cents a
quart. II is Immediately apparent that
any product which costs one and one
fourth times as much to distribute III
the city as It costs to produce and get
into the city, is either yielding an IN.
ordinate profit on the business OF dis
,ributiou is incompctcntly handled Ir
ascertaiuing the cost ot hottlng an,
distribution. We were met at every turr
hy conjecture rather than knowledge
Maniiestly, these items depend on mar
human elements not capable ot eNac
calculation and tabulatlon
"For instance. one dealer will have
man who will wash lOO bottles whl
another man is washing 50 bottle
One distributor will distribute ~
quarts in a morning where another vi
only distribute 00-dcpcndrng ON IN
alertness Of the distributor hts polite
ness and standing with the women {
The district, who can either wait on hi
promptly or slowly according as the
ieel disposed and thus hasten or della
their distribution. This IS a bigger 81,
ment than usually understood
II, also depends ON the Compactnc'
VI hi, diStrihutivc district The equlI
ment with which he makes delivery an
many other things not capable OF get
rtalIat,on, but which mus~hc ConSlC
cred IN each individual business An
depend, entirely upon the compctcuC
NI lNf NINIlNNlol dlN MS business z
uclcn.v However. the following ill
urc, would seem to approximate a
average
Driver one hall day ........... 81!
Horse feed one hall day .....
Horse depreciation our.halD day
Wagon depreciation. ono half dav
Repairs and breakagc .........
Total cost OF onc.halt day, de
livery .............. -
Delivery Important
Manliestly IT he deliver, 1iO quar-
the delivery cost would he "a cen,
quart A delivery wagon uugh, to
this at least Ii the driver only dcnv,
100 quarts this would be "a cents
quart II he delivers less than
quarts, he is wasting time which ,ho,
not be paid for by the milk consum
Accepting, therefore, "a cents uu
as cost OF distribution, this equals
rents per gallon. allowing | cent
quart or cents gallon Tor houli
making total cost OF milk product
- -