New-York tribune., 1919-11-08
Defend l719-Cent Cost to
Consumer, but Ask Mo-
nopoly of Distribution of
Bottled Product in City
Dipped Fluid Attacked
Horton Says Exclusive Bot
tie Sales Might Bring
About a Cut of 3M Cents

Representatives of the milk pro-
duccrs and distributors declared at
yesterdays meeting OF the Fair Price
MIX Committee in City Hall that the
prevailing high milk prices are JUST
fled, but that revised methods Of dis
tribution could bring about lower
prices.
The committee met ostensibly to
devote Its entire session and energy
to the advance in the milk price sched-
ules for November. When Lotion Hor-
ton, president of the Sheffield Farms
Company; William Campbell, of the
Clover Farms Company, and Patrick
Fox. Of Borden's. had submitted fig
ures tending to Justify the increases
the interest of the committee members
present veered to a discussion of new
methods as means for reducing
prices.
Each of the propositions outlined By
the witnesses will be given considera-
tion, DR.. Royal S. Copeland. Health
Commissioner and chairman of the
committee. assured them. He asked
that the projects be formally drawn ur
and forwarded for further considera-
tion by the committee. The plans sub
mitted by witnesses included:
Roswell D. Cooper, president of
the Dairymen's League: "a regulat-
cd monopoly of distribution. This
the milk companies of the city and
result in the elimination of unneces-
sary creameries. vBy dividing the
city into districts for deliveries, the
evil of three or four wagons deliver
ing milk in the same streets and in
the same houses could be eradicated.
The surplus milk, now forced on the
distributors, would be taken care of
in the country. The cost of milk
could be materially reduced in this
way"
Lotion Horton, president of the
Sheffield Farms Company. said:
"Sell all the milk used by the city in
bottles. At present SO per cent or
more of the city's milk is sold as
dip milk in grocery stores. This
dip milk can be purchased all over
the city for II or II cents a quart.
The people who have their bottled
milk delivered to their doors while
they remain comfortably in bed must
bring the total price up to a fair
level, otherwise we couldn't do bust
ness. If all our milk were sold in
bottles we could probably do it for
Ii or 10 cents quart.
Patrick Fox, vice president Of the
Borden's Farms Products Company:
"a properly legallzed monopoly is
the only way to a lower milk price.
Instead of our present system of milk
deliveries. it should be so arranged
that families would receive their
milk during the day. The mllkmen
could begin at 8 o'clock in the morn
~ .-l.% L. ln,v
instead OF the few hours they work
at present. One man could deliver
three times as much as he does now.
Bradley Fuller, president of the
Dairymen's Leagues Cooperative
Corporation: Zone the producing
territory, and have creameries con-
trolled by the farmers in each dis
trict Arrange the disposition Of the
milk supply so that New Iork's share
would come from territory within
two hundred miles, instead of with
in almost four hundred as at pres
ent Erect cheese factories in sec
tions where the butter fat percent
age is low, while have the creameries
where the percentage is high. Long
hauls would be eliminated in this
way and other economies would be
practiced which would materially
reduce the milk price
DR.. Copeland put his five questions
on the milk price advance to Mr.. Hor-
ton. whose replies were submitted in
writing to the committee. The answers
of Mr.. Fox and Mr.. Campbell were
substantially the same as Mr.. Hor-
tons. The questions and answers
were:
/. Q.-With the November price tc
the farmer 1888 per hundred, as
against S3I1 in October, an advance
of 22 cents per hundred, or approx.
mately four-tenths of a cent a quart
what additional cost on this accoun,
arc the dealers justified in adding tc
the price of milk for this month?
Al beg to state that the advance
Is not four tenths of cent per quart
but practically half n cent To be ex-
act it is .413 cents. The price of So;
hundrcdwcight is the base price fol
3 per cent milk. not the actual price
that We pay, RS we pay an additiona
premium for butter fat. With average
butter fat this month the milk VIII
cost us not $3.33, but S377
2. Q.-Does the price, 17lz cents
4or Grade h, mean that the purchase
OF single quart viii pay Is cents? II
so. how much do YOU estimate viii b,
the amount OF income derived from thu.
item of half cent?
Customers who come to oul
stores and buy a single bottle of mill
pay IS cents for ii. We are preparins
to distribute refund checks redeemabl,
ct half cent each. As to the rest o.
our business. i1l2 cents will be tn,
Price charged. There is no increase
therefore in our Income from any item
OF half a cent
3. Q.-"How many employees, BY
classification, are affected by the new
salary schedule and how much rs tn,
actual increase IN salaries ,"
A.-"Our wage increases show tota
increase III weekly salaries. etfectiv,
November /. of S23.Tl4.90." Mr.. Hor
ton submitted schedule specifying tn,
amount of increase to each class O
employees.
4. Q. with the new schedule o
pay for Your employees, what addi
tlonal cost on this account are The
dealers justified in adding TO the price
Of milk for this month"
A. I've are selling weekly over ..
2S7,S59 quarts Of milk and applying tn,
salary increases, S23.7l4.90, to thi.
amount of trade, il means an increase
on each quart of milk handled OF l.0t
cents q quart"
&. Q. Assuming that the peopl.
will endure this added burden and vii
buy an equal amount of milk. deduct
ing the additional pay to the farmer OF
forr- teuths of cent quart. and the
ado, el.al cost of distribution due tc
ths Increased pay Of the employees
wha viii be the Increased income OF
the milk distributors over October by
reason of this raise In prices ~
A.-'"The figures which have beer