Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1917-10-05
MILK PRODUCERS
DECIDE TO RAISE
Charge Retailers Cent a Quart
More Beginning October IS
Boost Cream Five Cents Quart-In-
crease Cost of Cows, Labor and Grain
and Loss of Ensilage the Cause.

Milk and cream will cost the Brattle
boro retailers more after Oct. Ia than
it does today, as on Oct. - the pro-
ducers in this locality are to charge
seven cents a quart for milk and 40
cents quart for cream. The present
price is six cents for milk and 40 cents
quart for cream.
| The decision to advance the price
was made at meeting of producers in
the Brooks House Saturday night, at
which w. l.. Sylvester presided. Four
teen producers, two of whom also were
etailers, attended the meeting, and they
represented practically all of the % or
more producers in this section, those
who could not attend having delegated
others to express their sentiments. The
sentiment for the raise was unanimous.
For the benefit of those who do not
know what the situation is it might be
stated that only part of the retailers
of milk and cream in Brattleboro make
the product which they sell. They buy
it Of dairymen and peddle it out at an
advance, buying milk for six cents and
selling it for nine cents in some in
stances 10 cents, usually nine unless it
is bottled.
boosting the wholesale price were dis
cussed. One was that cows have adj
vanced in price about 90 per cent since
the raise earlier in the year. Another
was that similar advance in the price
of grain has occurred. Help costs more
also, and the loss in ensilage by the re-
cent freeze was given due emphasis. 1t
was brought out that producers in some
other places are receiving more than the
producers here, and if only one reason
for putting up the price was necessary
it was found in the report of the govern
ment commission that it costs six cents
quart to produce milk, whether the
local producers knew it or not.
Not voice was raised against charg-
ing more, and when the motion was put
to advance the price Oct. 5 every man
present voted in favor of the motion
One said that he should increase his
price regardless of what the rest did
When the price was increased before
there were some producers who thought
a one-cent jump was not enough and
there was some discussion about making
the price a cent and a half more, but
the consensus of opinion was that one
cent advance was about all that the buy
ers would stand. At the Saturday night
meeting there were some who advocated
an advance of two cents.
What the retailers will do as re-
suit of the extra charge by the pro-
ducers has not been determined. They
are making more profit than the pro
ducers are, getting from three to four
cents quart for peddling milk, whereas
they used to peddlc it for two cents
profit. 1t was predicted in the meeting,
however, that a retail advance would be
made, cream possibly going to 60 cents
quart, as that would be easy change.
A. j. Tate, speaking in behalf of the
retailers, outlined to a Phoenix reporter
Wednesday the reasons why their profits
are not as large as might appear Where
they are now paying six cents
quart to the producer and peddling the
milk from the can at nine cents and
in bottles, 10 cents, Mr.. Tate says it
looks to the consumer as if their mar
gin was greater than it really is, but
that this is not so.
A retailer may buy 100 quarts of
milk continued Mr.. Tate, "but he
can t bottle 1t as the shrinkage will be
fully one-half a cent on every quart.
On the other hand % per cent of our
business is to stores, soda fountains,
etc, where we make charge of only
seven and half cents a quart. In han
ding the product there is another small
loss and then we are OBLIGED to stand
for occasional souring. Bottles and
caps cost money and they are higher
today than ever before. AnotheFthing,
the consumers are not careful about re-
turning bottles and there Is another loss
which we have to stand. During the
hot weather we must have ice and fur
Their every dealer must also keep two
horses. We have to buy grain as well
as the producers. Taking everything
into consideration we hardly make two
cents a quart
There will be meeting of the retail
ers on Saturday evening to take ac,
tion made necessary by the raise in
price of one cent quart by the produc
ers beginning Oct. IS.