The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-01-20
MILK STRIKE COSTLY
TO BOTH FACTIONS
City's Shortage in 10 Days
Equalled Total Needs
for Four Days.
LEAGUERS RETURN HONE
Dowling's Commission Gets
Agreement to Arbitrate
Prices in Future.

The eighteen day milk strike az 1919
has gone to take its place in city history
with the thirteen day milk strike Of 1915
and the members Of the Dairymens
League are just as pleased to-day a,
they were at the windup OF hostitio
with the distributors in the autumn Of
1915.
Taking the Department of Health fl.
ures Of 100000 quarts as the normal
daily receipts OF milk at this time Of
year, there should have been received In
this city during the strike period 10000.
900 quarts. In reality only 24,O57,9js
quarts came in. This was accomplished
by the great energy of the distributors
in reaching out into new regions for milk
and shipping in the surplus supplies o,
Chicago. Cleveland, Washington +. C.;
Philadelphia, Boston and other cities
and milk from regions not controlled by
the Dairymen's League. 1t was an ex.
pensive Job for the milk dealers. bu,
they did 1t and did 1t well, and ths
longer they kept at it and the nearer
they brought the daily supply UP TO nor.
NAL, the more stubbornly the Darymen,
League farmers held out for their price
OF S401 per 100 pounds of 3 per cent
milk for January.
The milk that New York city should
have had and did not get amounted dur.
ing the eighteen days to 6.542 oN
quarts, or enough to keep the whole city
going for nearly four days.
Dealers Losses Are Hesvy.
Just what the milk distributors lost
in money in their second big scrap with
the dairy lesguers isn't known. and m.
body would tell anyhow. Assuming that
they had been able to get an average Of
IL cents a quart for the 6,54l,O41 quarts
they fell short of supplying, the total
would reach s7s5,O44s2 They lost III.
profit on that amount Of sales, plus tire
expense Of fighting the strike
II has been estimated that the Dairy.
mems League members have been send
ing to the metropolitan district between
800. 900 and 100000 quarts per dap
About 100 independents and twenty-five
or more members OF the MIX Conference
Board have been buying milk from n.
league and sending II TO New York DIR.
ing all or part of the strike period The
farmers who sent no milk Whatever %
the New York distributors, will, it Is be-
lieved, be at least S1,000.0O0 short in
their monthly milk checks az n result
of the strike.
However. milk held back in the coun.
try was converted by farmers into but.
ter and cheese and the farmers were
able to cut down their losses, but ever,
man who took part in the strike su'-
fered more or less financially. AS the
making of butter and cheese does net
insure such returns as straight sales Of.
fluid milk.
1919 Losses Were s1.536,414.
II was figured by experts in the De.
partment OF Health that the milk strike
OF 1915 cost the distributors sl,o34.j1
and the farmers $500.940.' The citTs
shortage of milk for the thirteen dau
amounted to lO.se0.00O quarts. al, NJ
which goes to show how much better ne
distributors took care OF the necessit a..
of the people during the recent strike
than when the Dairymen's League vasel
it's first war on the dealers
II Is expected that several da,- W.
elapse before the distribution OF mlk
will be normal in this city. Cans Vl'.1
the MIX Conference Board dealers ave
been using TO get milk from new sources
are widely scattered around the coun.
try. They will have to be brought r
and sent back to the farmers w he
Dairymen's League territory. TAcrt ~
many other things involved u ne
Strengthening out OF the distribution ma.
Chinery. which has been badly d.st.."'..
by the recent troubles.
Officers of the DaIrymen's Leac. e
sent out kilograms to league branches q,
six States on Saturday afternoon ale
| vising farmers that the "strik, bal
| been won" and directing them g. r-'
lease their milk. Many kilograms w'ra
received from sceptiCal farmers Who
wanted to be sure before they l., =.
y number expressed surprise tia '''-
fight was all over 80 soon and nd
they thought 1t was going to keep ?
until February l at least.
] Leasuers Back 10 Farms.
For the first time in several No, u
league officers packed UP thr'r :
boughten grips" and took trains t~ =
| country to get acquainted with 'N+!
families and get good drink ' .'N d
milk" At least two men who hlN, ''-'
| eating in restaurants and hot..s
| they were tired of powder u,,r a..
| yearned for the taste OF the rrat 1--WE
r p. Cooper. president, went 't ''@
| Falls: Albert Manning. secre'r' .
Otisville II. ]. Sherbournr
burne and l.. d. Kirkland I" i0
John n. Miller, vice-rres'3'
counsel, took a trip to Albany
The farmers insist that they 60 %
| they Started out to get, =. oil ir'r'
January 1854 for February a'l ~ J
for March. In January, l9ls, t.''
$S.52: in February, 1913. $3.50 a.I 10
March, 1918, $40.
Before the first milk strike ,A" ID '.ro'
uters fixed the price to the farr'.- ~
to the second strike, except da't't :
period the prices were fixed by thu '-I
Administration, the producers ANU
the figure.
As a result of the hard ~.rt %
Governors Milk Commission. ~
Robert F. Bowling Is chairm'r "'
mite understanding was made
ducers and distributors with
mission that In the future MARI. ""'
tions the value or milk in is
TO by-products will be taken
count In liking the price In We
ture prices are TO be determine ''7't
the mediation of a commission 81 w
all parties. including the c""a4H.'
public. will be represented
|