Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-08-09
MILK MAY ADVANCETO
EVEN HIGHER PRICES
Burlington Consumers Beginning to Inquire
Whether They Are Getting What They Pay
for, and Whether Conditions Warrant Exist
ing Rates.

Practically all Of the milk which is re.
tailed in Burlington costs II cents quart,
while cream costs 20 cents a half pint.
The farmer says the high cost is due to
the increased cost of grain feed, the adj
ditional price which ne must pay for farm
labor, and the increased cost Of nearly
all milking equipment and material The
dairyman and the milk retailer say they
must pay higher price for the milk and
that they can't sell II at less than eleven
cents quart and make a profit. Mean
while. the poor consumer pays the bill.
and the poor baby cries in vain for milk
during the hot summer months. or, II he
gets 1t, 1t is sometimes Of such a quality
that he would be better off without 1t.
There Is talk Of even higher milk prices
In the fall and 1t would not be sur
prising during the winter months to see
II fixed at Is cents quart. 1t might be
remarked, In passing. that in Rutland and
Barre, the Vermont cities that rank next
to Burlington in population. milk Is selling
at retail for nine and ten cents a quart,
respectively.
DO YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR?
The farmer will tell you. and a large
number OF people agree with him. that
milk at Is cents quart Is a cheap food,
but 1t is very. very doubtful, IL Burling-
tonians are getting any milk that Is worth
fifteen cents a quart, or even eleven cents
An inspection Of a number of diaries in the
surrounding towns and several in the
city was made yesterday by Free Press
man, accompanied by a milk inspector. a
copy Of the city ordinance governing the
sale Of milk and cream in the city was
taken along on the trip--and only one out
Of the total number of diaries examined
compiled with the ordinance in every re-
spect.
That doesn't mean that they were not
good diaries. for the average. on the whole
was good. The first two examined were
bad. The stables were anything but light
lean, dry and we'll ventilated" as the ordi.
nance requires they shall be, and It was
not surprising to find that, according tc
the inspectors report. not a clean sample
Of milk had come from that dairy. The
milk from these farms Is not bottled, but
sold to dairymen.
| Most Of the other diaries were good, the
chief fault seeming to be lack of steriliz
ing facilities. Only one dairy was found
where the bottles and cans were sterilz
ed by steam: in some others hot water
was used. One dairyman, who runs a farm
where every aid is furnished to him tc
produce clean milk, but who has not beer
meeting with good results. intimated thai
he didn't care whether the inspector mark
ed his milk as clean or not The reputa
ton OF his farm was such, he said, tina,
he could sell all the milk he produced
or could get. regardless of the inspector.
report.
There Is a marked reluctance to accep
responsibility for dirty milk. The farmer
says that the milk Is clean when he sell.
1t to the dairyman or tho grocer, and tina
he should not be held responsible IL tn,
latter handles It carelessly. The dairyman
OF course. replies that he handles tn
milk very carefully and that It must b
dirty when he gets 1t. And there you are
But the poor consumer pays the freight
TUBERCULIN TESTED COWS.
All Of the stock is in pasture at the pres
ent time SO that It was not inspected Blu
there Is little clause in the city ordi
nance which reads: mo milk or crear
shall be sold or supplied. or kept for sal
or supply. within said city, = unles
the cows supplying such milk have bee
tuberculin tested within two years."
a simultaneous demand should be mad
upon all dairymen to produce a veterir
ary's certificate that he had made tn
, test within the time limit named In tn
ordinance. all Of the veterinaries in tn
city would probably have their time full
occupied during the next few days.
However. 1t Is not the condition Of tn
barns. nor the diaries. nor the stool
that Is the main point. but the quality {
, milk for which Burlington people are pay