The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-04
FOOD PRICES FALL,
BUT NOT TO PUBLIC
GOuging Distributors and Re-
tailers Reaping All the
Benefit.

Although food prices are falling fast
N many cases there is no market at ALL
the consuming public is reaping no bene-
fIt whatever. but is being compelled by
souging distributors and retailers TO pay
the same old topnotch figure for every
thing
From Long Island there came yester-
Gay wall that farmers are receiving
only rs cents bushel for potatoes.
despite the fact that retailers are asking
as much as they charged when the crop
FOLD at s1.30 and 81 40. simultaneously
reports from upstate indicated that the
price of apples had dropped to $3.50 a
barrel, without any hint whatever of a
Cecline in retail prices
/ Roswell d. Cooper. president of the
Oairymens League. also came forward
with a statement that manufacturers Of
condensed and evaporated milk arc re-
| rusing to buy from the farmer, thus
'epriving him of market for a large
part of his product and forcing him into
position where he may be compelled
| t. slaughter part of his herds thus
| forcing down future production.
The effect Upon the farmers every
| where is said to be disastrous. They
Fave reached the conclusion that 1t is
| better to let their apples rot on the
! ground to hoard their crops and to
limit production, rather than throw their
goods away to distributors who refuse
to cut retail prices and consequently
deliberately restrict the market.
! Mr. Cooper, in revealing the serious
| ness of the situation as 1t affects the
! dairy industries, said: IF the producer
selling to the manufacturer is deprived
of his market, he cannot keep on feed
| ing his cows. He must sell them for
| beef If cows are slaughtered in great
numbers the supply of milk might fall
! so low there would not be enough TO &c
! around when market conditions again
| become normal, either for the manilfac-
turing or the fluid milk market. Then
the price of milk to the consumer would
| be exceedingly high.
IF condo nsed milk were sold in an
| unrestricted market the retail price To
the consumer would be greatly reduced
To-day storehouses are filled with man
ufactured milk products, and the manu-.
facturer tells us he has enough stock or
hand to last for six months The con-
densed milk was made with high priced
sugar Sugar has dropped nine or ter
cents a pound within the last two
months. The manufacturer now pro
poses tc get rid of part or all of his
high priced supplies before he makes VI
| new lot of condensed milk with low
priced sugar
1.-The present situation does not mean
| there is a surplus of milk. The fluid
market is demanding more milk than
ever before at this season of the year
Prohibition and a better understanding
by the people Of the food values of milk
are responsible in part for a large in
crease in the demand.
when Europe was demanding Amer
lean milk products, the manufacturers
did their best to supply the demand and
succeeded in reaping a handsome har-
vest Some of the larger concerns
reached out and took over not only con-
denseries, but creameries, cheese fac
tories and other milk plants. BY dis
mantlng butter and cheese plants they
reduced the opportunity of converting
milk into butter and cheese, thus shut
ting off more of the farmers market.
The manufacturers put condensing ma
chinery in these dismantled plants and
| manufactured for export to the limit.
They believed that Europe would con-
tinue demanding condensed milk during
her reconstruction period. They banked
everything on their guess and guessed
wrong"