The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-04-03
Consumers Up in Arms Over
Raise at This Time.
Feed for Cows Cheaper Now
Than at Any Time.
DOES ONE COMPANY CONTROL ?
Question of Increase in April
on May Contracts.
A Decrease in Consumption
Seems To Be Only Remedy.
New Milk Price Facts.


On IL butter flat basis. farmers selling
whole milk to milk depots and milk com
panies here receive y cents gallon; or 81
/ To obtain this price farmers must produce
milk that tests per cent or better
| Price paid farmers. per quart. S .0oA
Price paid milk companies by
consumers =,
Dealers gross profit -.........-- -O6"4
| The gross profit of dealers, milk com
panies aud depots is greater than the cost
! of production and the producers gross and
net profits combined.
| The Topeka Pure milk company. from
whose prices these figures are taken. was
the first Topeka company to increase its
retail price to sr eSnsupers tS %i,r + een1s
| furnished about two-fifths of the retail
supply of milk here and certain consumers,
after investigating conditions. claim that
this one company controls Topeka prices.
| A chain of protests from consumers
thruout the city has been launched
upon Topeka milk dealers and COM
| panies because of the latter's action
| in increasing the price of milk to IL
cents a quart, retail. In some in
stances the protests reached the point
of threatened restricted boycotts.
housewives threatening to cut down
the daily quantity of milk used.
| In the face of the fact that milk is
| cheaper to produce at this time of the
year than at any other season be-
| cause of the spring pasturage. con-
sumers see in the present increase
only public feeler" put out by deal
ers preparatory to boosting the retail
| price to 3 cents next fall.
Newclrs Charges.
| The Topeka Pure Milk company, the
| first Topeka concern to boost prices to
IL cents, is charged by consumers with
controlling local retail prices. John
w. Newell, a consumer and prominent
fTs,ra 1axn q hat
was u well known fact that the com:
pany would refuse to furnish milk to
dealers and deliverymen if they sold
| below the standard" price. Newell
called up the milk company and was
informed that the company paid SO a
hundred pounds for milk delivered By
farmers. He talked to an official
Later a reporter called up the COM
pany, represented himself to be d
| farmer with milk to sell, and was in
formed that the price paid was s2-4t
a hundred, delivered at the milk com
pany's landing at Fourth and Jackson
streets. providing the milk tested
per cent. Under this price the skin
milk was returned to the farmer. but
the company would keep the skin
milk if desired and pay l cent gal
lon for it. This is equivalent to ap-
proximately Il cents a gallon fol
whole milk, butterfat and all. such as
the consumer buys in bottles.
In selling their milk for the quoted
prices, farmers pay cents gallon
for its delivery to the milk company
address.
Farmers Make Enough.
! In making profit of q cents on
the product, milk dealers and COM
panies are making a gross profit
create. than the entire cost of pro-
duct:on and gross profit of the pro-
ducer combined. Farmers today de-
clared they were making money or
the milk but declared milk compan-
les were profiteering. Roy Marken
E1mont today stated that farmers
were promised an increase by the
milk companies at the time of the
retail increase to II cents. That
promised increase, he says, has never
been paid.
Both the farmers and consumer
. are up in arms over the retail pric,
increase. Talk of organized action /!
. being talked of by the consumers
: tCo-operative distribution for retail
consumption is being talked of b!
|, farmers in different parts of tn,
county.
| Several Topeka housewives toda!
) took drastic action to cut the. pric,
| | down Each one called up ter
women acquaintances, asking tn.
acquaintances to cut down on thei
milk consumption. Each of the tel
women called were asked to call tel
t additional women each and keep tn,
] -rnipp in epdleSs ha