New-York tribune., 1919-11-15
Straus Says
Horton Keeps
Milk Cost Up
Continued from pago I

committee not to believe stories Of the
high cost Of pasteurization. He spoke
briefly Of his dealings with Lotion Hor-
ton. He said he met him frequently
years ago, during the controversy or
pasteurization. He added that he
hasn't spoken to milk man since.
"What would do to Mr.. Horton II
he refused to help reduce the milk price
wouldn't sound nice at ALL" MIR. Straus
said.
Mr.. Horton insisted last night that
he had never disagreed with Mr.. Straus
on the question Of pasteurization. He
declared that at the suggestion Of the
philanthropist he had made extensive
experiments, the successful results OF
which have practically become the ma
tional pasteuriZation standards. He
maintained that he was selling milk as
reasonably as possible, and that he was
prepared to do all in his power to u.s.
sure the children Of the poor suff.
cient supply of milk. He cited his let
ter to DR.. Copeland, which was read
at yesterdays meeting.
In this letter he told the commits
sioner that he did not have any plan
to suggest which might immed ediately
reduce the milk cost. He suggested
however, that the baby health stations
of the Department of Health could be
used as distribution centers for bottled
milk, which he would sell to them al
IL cents quart, "a cents below the
regular price. He asked that the milk
bottles be either returned or paid for
by the city, and suggested that the
city sell the milk at even O lower price
and stand the expense.
"You wanted some plan Immediately
to reduce the recently increased price
Of milk" his letter said in part. 81
have no such plan. If l had known
any way to meet 5000 a week, over
a million dollars year, added to my
labor pay roll and half cent a quart
buy this month, other than adding it to
my selling price, I would have done it.
81 perhaps ought to have said more
than | have during the last year to my
patrons by way Of explanation and in
answer to the falsehoods in the yellow
press and more recently at public meet
ings by people who ought to know
better.
"My company, like everybody else
has to take conditions as it finds them
and govern itself accordingly. When
butter, cheese and condensed milk are
in great export demand, milk is bound
to be worth its export price. If we are
to have it to drink. we shall have to
pay the farmer that price. Human
labor Is high-prced; and milk which
has to be handled and rehandled, and
pasteurized and iced and trucked and
inspected and bottled and regulated, has
to pay its labor cost like everything
else"
Fox Tells of Losses
Mr.. Horton said in his letter that he
was against regulated monopoly. Mr.
Fox, -peresident Of Borden's Farm
Products Company, read to the com
pany what he termed a rough draft
of plan for reducing the price of
milk In this city. A regulated monop-
oily would do the trick, he said He
declared that his company would be
ready to join if it were assured a
profit Of onehalf cent a quart The
Borden company has not paid divi-
dends in the two years in which it has
been operated independent of Bor
den's Condensed Milk Company, and
during one year it suffered actual
losses, he said
Mr.. Fox said he was not certain inst
how much could be clipped off the milk
price, but he thought the cost could be
cut.
Mr.. Mapes's suggestion for reducing
the milk price embodied a complete up
heaval of the present system. He
thought refrigerator cars with huge
tanks could take the place of the box
cars and forty quart cans of the pre- s.
ent, while the milk could be sold in
paper containers from wagons in the
streets, and not delivered as at present
besides Drs. Copeland and Day, the
committee members present include ed
Mrs. William Randolph Hearst, Dis
trict Attorney Francis Martin of The
Bronx, Assistant Corporation Counsel
Crowell, Lee Kohns and Sophie Irene
Loeb.