New-York tribune., 1919-01-11
Public Defied
By Both Sides
OF Milk Strike
The Governors Commiss;o,
Fails to Bring About an
Agreement as to Price
Dairymen Sell Cattle
Farmers Say Co.operatiye
Plants Would Prevent tho
Recurrence of Shortage

Inc commission appointed by Gov.
ernor Smith on Tuesday to settle u.
price differences between the milk rro
ducers and distributors held its srst
Official session yesterday and adjourned
with the breach as wide as. if not w;de,
than' ever. Official confirmation was
given by the representatives Of TIM
opposing factions to the oft-repeatea
assertions that only the complies
crushing of one of the parties can
terminate the milk war.
Chairman Robert Z. Dowline. in
whose Offices, at 165 Broadway, tho
conference was held, was the sole reu.
resentatlve of the consumers as Health
Commissioner Copeland cd not attend.
The Dairymcn's League members. Ros'
wen II. Cooper and John D. Miller, and
the representatives of the New YorE
MIX Conference Board OH the com.
mission, Charles A. Weiant and Isaas
a. Van Bomel. were present.
AS reported at the close of the coz.
terence by Mr.. Bowling, the producers
and distributors delivered ultimatums
on their prices for January milk He
said that Mr.. Cooper told of the deter
mlnatlon of the members of the league
expressed at meeting, to adhere to
the price of S4.01 a hundred pounds for
milk during January. The distributes.
on the other hand, reiterated that $500
was their maximum figure.
Il told them to strike the word 'ulti.
matum' ont OF their vocabularies.n Mr.
Bowling said. "We want no ultimst.
ums, or other means of ending the con.
troversy will be found.
81 made the proposition that the
dairymen let their milk come into the
city as usual while the price discussion
was under way. This could be done. as
they would not be paid for January
milk until February 10. My PROPOSE.
ton, however, seemed to meet with the
disapproval of both sides. The farm.
crs and distributors will hold confer
ences independently and report to me
later
He added that he notified Governor
Smith of his efforts to make progress.
and the latter adjured him to "keep
at it,"
The Health Departments report on
the. milk receipts of yesterday showed
an increase of 50,S35 quarts over
Thursday, the total being 1,446,073.
The milk came through the Penrsyl.
vania tube and via the New York Cen
tral Railroad. Staten Island received
its quota via the, ferry from Perth Am
boy.
at is almost fortunate that we have
the strike on our hands now," said l.
Elkins Nathan, secretary OF the New
York Milk Conference Board yesterday.
"We receive about fifty carloads a day
On the Pennsylvania Railroad, which,
before the strike, brought in scarcely
more than two or three carloads. This
is not being held up at present, while
milk from the old source would have
been tied up
Mr.. Nathan added that the days total
was higher than anticipated, as eigh-
teen carloads, expected on THURSDAY
had arrived yesterday. He said that
to-day receipts might show 4 slight de-
crease.
According to II. J. kershaw, direc-
tor of the Dairymen's League. twenty
nine carloads, containing 5,607 cans,
were received by the distributors at the
Pennsylvania Railroads terminal iD
Long Island City yesterday morning.
Mr.. kershaw supervised an investiga-
tlon of the date of billing of these cans
and learned, he said. that some were
shipped on January 7.
Albert Manning, secretary of the
league, in a statement yesterday, de-
clared again that scores of dairy farm
ers are selling their cattle to butchers.
The official bulletin issued yester
day by the Dairymcn's League called
attention to the resolution passed 81
the meeting in Utica, or Thursday 10
stand behind the league until the price
of $4.01 a hundred pounds is OBJ
tanned; that there be q concentration
of effort toward building cooperative
plants, and that the officials of the
league be &C mmended for their actions
A telegram, sent from the meeting
to the Governor asking that the dis
trlbuters be compelled to accept the
farmers price, was made public ,,
President Cooper yesterday.
Mr.. Cooper declared that cooperative
plants were springing up Throughout
the state, citing one at Oxford, n y
where one of the largest Of the Bor'
denis Farm Products Company is stu
ated.
DR. Royal S. Copeland, Health Com
missioner, telegraphed yesterday 70
Governor Smith requesting him to sp'
point substitute on the Milk Commis-
sion that is striving to reconcile the
differences between dairymen and milk
distributors.
He was ready, he said, to do all he
could to assist in the difficulty, but the
Health Department is charged, ne
pointed out, with preservation of the
public health, and might have to take
action concerning the milk supply,
Consequently, he explained, he believed
that he night seriously handicap MN
self" by becoming "a party to fixing fN
yrico Of o,ll-