The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-12-04
CITY WILL NOT
DISPENSE MILK
Wassman States Diaries Can
Be Forced to Make
....... Deliveries. /,

There is TO be no distribution of
milk by the city from the market
house or from any other point, but
ordinances compelling creameries to
make deliveries of their product are
to be rigidly enforced, according to
Commissioner Emil Wassman, of the
dep a rtment of public utilities, who re-
turned to the city hall Thursday after
two weeks illness.
The commissioner plans to have a
meeting Of the fair price committee
and creamery men in his Office prob
ably Friday morning for the purpose
Of trying to adjust the situation. He
has taken the position, he states,
that the public is not to suffer on
account of a milk shortage when
creameries have enough milk on hand
to supply the demand.
The probable installation of zone
system of delivery was discussed by
Commissioner Wassman. He 81 ties
that this system would confine dairy
men to deliveries within their own
territories and there would be no use
of deliveries being made on Cameron
HILL for instance, by a creamery in
Ridgedale or some other point equally
serve the same purpose, and vice
versa.
Must Operate.
"Creameries must not shut down
on milk supplies il they have milk
coming in to supply the demand"
stated the commissioner.
"They will not be permitted to cre-
ate a milk famine from which the
public, including little children, will
suffer. do not favor the handling
of the problem, which would make
it unfair to the health of the city,
because of imaginary prices that can
be adjusted, and | intend to ask the
fair price committee and creamery
men to meet with me here and an
effort made to adjust the situation.
Il have thought it would be a good
idea to establish milk zones, within
which territory only certain dealers
would be permitted to operate. So
many creameries have certain terri
tories now, absolutely neglecting
other territories This, it seems to
me, with the proper working out of
details, would eliminate overhead ex-
pense materially. For instance, a
man delivering in Ridgedale or some
other point may have some customers
on Cameron hill. which, of course,
he must make deliveries to. The
trip to and from increases overhead,
which, under the zone system, would
be eliminated. Working out of these
zones can be done satisfactorily by
the CO. o-operation of milk dealers.
II fully realize milk dealers are en-
titled to a fair profit for their busi-
ness, but I think the present situa-
ton should be dealt with in a hu-
name manner. / think there are city
ordinances compelling them to make
deliveries, and If there are, these, of
course, will be enforced. If creamery
men think the price they are charg-
ing for milk is all right, why, let
them proceed with charging this
same price, and if they could con-
vince a jury there was no profiteer-
ing, there would be no convictions"
Prices Being Violated.
According to Chairman w. B.
Swaney. of the federal fair price
committee, a number of local dairy
men selling milk in Chattanooga are
openly disregarding the prices fixed
by the committee. Milk is being sold
right along in Chattanooga for 20
cents a quart by a number of dairy
men, it is charged. However, some
are conforming with the prices an
nounced by the committee. The ac-
tion of the United States government
towards those violating the prices
will shortly be determined by District
Attorney Kennerly. as 1t is merely
the duty of the fair price committee
to fix what il thinks and believes,
after a thorough investigation, to be
fair prices.
In reference to the high price OF
milk in Chattanooga Chairman Swa-
ney declared this morning that he