Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1919-08-01
MILK PRICE TO BE III
ADVANCED TODAY
Retailers Forced to Charge More
Cover Wholesale Increase
One Cent Quart to Be Added, Making
Price 10 Cents by Can and IA Cents
b by Bottle. i ar9jH uria't


Milk producers in this locality were
notified Friday by n committee of their
organization, chosen recently to make
u survey of the milk situation and fix
n price for milk and cream, that they
had decided to make the minimum price
to producers nine cents Il quart for milk
and 55 cents a quart for cream; that is,
the farmers are to receive this amount
from the distributors or peddlers at the
point of delivery, such place to be
agreed upon between the producer and
distributor. The new schedule is to go
into effect today, Aug. |. At present
The farmers receive from the distribu-
tors seven and three-fourths cents,
eight cents or eight and onc-fourth
cents, and for cream 45 cents to 30
cents, the price depending upon the To-
cation.
The committee consists of Warner
Thomas, c. A. Whipple and Luther j.
Stockwel. This committee cannot otatc
whether the new prices will hold good
for the entire fall and winter. That
question depends almost entirely upon
the grain market and the labor supply.
In view of the decision of the milk
producers to charge an increased rate
to the peddlers or distributors the re-
tailers find it necessary to increase the
price, effective Aug. |. a. j. Tate has
seen all but two or three of the peddlers
and they have agreed to make an adj
vance Just enough to cover the pro-
duction advance.
This will advance milk from IL to Is
cents quart from the can and from
13 to II cents a quart in bottles. Cream
will be advanced from II cents Il half
pint to 10 or 90 cents.
About 1000 quarts of milk are con
sumed in Brattleboro daily, and it is
| delivered by IS peddlers Persons who
have studied the situation believe that
this entire amount could be delivered
by two automobiles, which would save
large expense and probably would allow
reduction of two cents quart in the
retail price. The producers control the
situation and they have considered au-
tomobile delivery to some extent, and ii
may be that some time they will decide
to try out the scheme.
| Local producers of milk for Brattlc-
boro held a mass meeting July Is in the
Farm Bureau Office to see what should
be done to meet the continuous and rap
id increase in the cost of milk produc-
ton. A marketing committee was elect
ed at that time and instructed to make
such price and distribution arrange
ments as would in some measure relieve
the almost unbearable feed price condi-
tions which recent grain market quota
tions have brought about, and this com
mittec is the one referred to above
After several meetings of this com
mittee, during which the cost of produc
ton conditions were carefully gone into
plans were made for concerted action or
the. part of the dairymen.. ., 49,.
1t was found that the cost of grain
concentrates, such as arc locally used
for dairy cows, has increased by more
than 10 per cent in the past six weeks
Labor costs also have experienced the
same continuous rise that has affected
industry during 1919.
Many producers have found it neces
sary in the past three weeks TO with
draw from their producing herds those
cows which were not in a sufficiently
flush condition of lactation and turn
them into back pastures, thus decreas
ing the amount of milk reaching The
! Bratteboro market during n time whcr
consumers would naturally use the larg
est amount of milk and would feel the
shortage most kcenly.
In order to prevent the supply from
suffering continual decrease during the
remaining weeks that precede fall feet
or the drop in grain prices which every
one hopes is not far away, the commit
tee decided to announce new schedule
5 of prices TO go into effect today.
) 1t is desirable from the farmers
: viewpoint to maintain the price of mill
where consumers can Use it as a larg'
} part of the home food supply. 1t il
} commonly said in large cities that tn,
| increase in price of one cent quart 70
/, milk decreases the amount used by con
, sumcrs approximately 16 per cent From
, this principle of loss of business it i
plain that the milk producing industr,
: is one from which price cxtortion SHOULD
+ not be expected, as excessively higl
$ prices serve to the dctriment of the far
$ mer bv seriously diminishing the amour
- of milk which the public is willing t.
buy.