New-York tribune., 1919-12-20
Milk Bottle Waste
Will Mr.. Horton Answer a
Question as to Breakage?

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: With your permission would
like to make statement in the nature
of an answer to an advertisement ap-
pearing in The Tribune few days
ago, signed by the president Of the
Sheffield Farms Company. regarding
the condition of the milk market. Mr..
Horton says; "You pay for no waste
in milk, because there isn't any" But
there is waste going on every day
that Mr.. Horton doesn't mention-ths
broken and unreturned bottles-a con-
dition for which l think the milk CON-
.panies are themselves TO blame. The
writer wants to emphasize this fact be-
cause it is Important: Every bottle
Of milk purchased must carry charge
for the millions broken and unrs-
turned"
Mr.. Horton tells US that there is an
approximate waste in eggs amounting
to $150.000, 900 per annum. an enormous
waste of fruit and vegetables right
on the farm, of shinloads Of food
dumped overheard and condemned by
the various boards Of health "al be-
cause the methods of distribution and
handling are inadequate; and what the
public consumes is padded to pay tor
these losses Right here let me ask
Mr. Horton who pays for all the broken
and missing bottles some philanthro-
pist or the dear public?
The writer lives in the Clifton resi-
Dental section of Staten Island,
nave seen longshoremen by the score
enter the shops along Bay Street at
the noon hour, purchasing milk by the
bottle, and in the summer hike to the
shade of my trees or my lawn to eat
their luncheons until driven off, and
when through simply break the bottles
on the curb as the easiest means OF
getting rid of them. have asked
several why they did this, with he
idea to impress them (all foreigners
with the fact that every bottle broken
adds just that much more to the cost
of milk. They. would grin and say,
NO, no; we pay for bot" They seem
to feel that by the high price Of the
milk they have paid for the bottle.
They are not the only ones who de-
stroy bottles. | have noticed many
nat dwellers throw their empty mix
bottles either into the ashcans or into
a basement. Last spring was passing
by some apartment houses (hats) that
mad just been cleaned up on account OF
a change in tenants. Some two hundred
bottles were on the curb of one ana
about hundred from the other tene-
ment house, all Bordens bottles. IN
quired if Borden knew of them and
was told that the driver had seen them
and been asked il he would collect
them, and he said he would not
Concrete evidence such as this is
proof positive that the cost Of milk
is higher than it might be if the leaks
were stopped. Again it is a case OF
the frugal being assessed for me
wasteful. I see no good reason Why
the consumer should not be assessed
for the cost of the bottle when de-
ivered full of milk, same amount to
be refunded when returned empty.
One has to do this when he or sns
goes to the drug store to purchase
medicine that is put up in beer bottles.
Why not. milk? What is the differ
ence? Will MIR. Horton tell us?
While the entire Staten Island field
IS controlled by Borden, and not Shelf
held, nevertheless the conditions are
all the same as far as the fixing OK
the price Is concerned.
w. VOLKHARDT.
New York Dec 1s. 1919.