Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-11-16
VIZ AsHINGTON, D. c., Nov II. - Milk
w supply is just now pressing prob
lem in many cities

lem In many cities.
Dairy farmers say that they do not know
how they are to continue milk production at
their present rate Of profit The children s
bureau has for some time been urging that
children between eighteen months and
twelve years of age should drink pint and
half of milk day. This is much more
than is now being consumed, and the moth
ers OF poor families, and even those in Or
binary circumstances, say they cannot con-
tlnue to buy even SO much milk as hey do
now, II the price scars higher. And while
the price and existence of the milk supply is
argued over and made a subject for strikes,
health officials are busily fighting for greater
sanitation in milk handling.
OF all the angles of the milk problem only
the question of price seems to impress the
ultimate consumer. He hears the health
department Of his town has banned milk that
Fis- not subjected to the tubercuin test and
he is vaguely pleased if he reacts at all. A
week later he finds that the price of milk is
to adynce two cents a quart, and he is STIR
red to indignation, language, and OCCASION
ally, action
The price difficulty, as in other branches
of agriculture, is that the farmers claim that
they have not had a square deal. The dairy
man never knows, when he sends his milk
to market, exactly what he will get in re-
turn If the demand for condensed milk is
cut down, as it is now because less is
ported, the cOndensories take less milk of,
shut down entirely, and dealers in the To-
cality have so much milk offered them that
the price to the farmer is lowered. In such
cases there is often nothing for the dairy
farmer to do but take the proffered rate.
Milk is purely local commodity. 1t can
seldom be shipped with profit more than a
hundred miles because Of it's bulk and ten
dency to spoil. So that when condenseries
in New York release so many gallons of
milk it does not mean that milk shortage
in the south is to be helped at all.
Farmer Organizations Help
Where the milk producers are organized,
as in the greater part of the northeast and
around the Greak Lakes, they are better
able to fi4d an outlet for their product in
such instances, and to get fair share of
profits. They claim that cooperative asso-
Citations of dairy farmers are the main hope
for the business The farmer working alone
and unassisted will always be at disad
vantage in dealing with the middleman, and
the dairy farmers in particular are rapidly
getting discouraged.
jamestown, N. Y, is trying in another way
to use cooperation to make the farmer and
milk consumer contented. The milk prob
lem has been made political issue in James
town, and, a result, plans are under way
to set up a municipal milk plant-a city
ownership proposition. With duplication of
effort eliminated and efficiency in full swing,
jamestown hopes to cut down the consum-
er's milk bill and give the farmer a fair
turn.
But while the rest Of the country waits
for jamestown to show what city milk
plant do, producers and consumers con-
tinue to squabble over prices and conditions,
with the prospect for the consumer that
while milk is still rising in price, it has
about reached a peak. If it goes much high
err, sales will be cut down more than the bust
ness can stand, and the dairy herds, which
should be almost doubled to give everybody
in the country a fair share Of milk will be
reduced because, OF the lighter demand for
milk. Since milk prices began to rise in
New York, the health department announc-
ed that the total supply OF milk used by the
city dropped Is per cent, and in the tene-
ment districts milk consumption dropped 5 0
per cent.
Sanitation Costly
With price wars going on in various cities,
it is difficult to push sanitation campaigns.
They mean more careful attention to pro-
ductiQn, and often more expense for equip [
ment and, consequently, the already har-
raised dairymen are not enthusiastic. Still,
health departments are trying tu impress the
public with the fact that while it is desirable
that milk should be cheap enough to be
within the reach of everyone it is equally
important that milk, of all foods, should +"
clean.
Washington is one of the cities where an
argument over clean milk is now in progress.
The capital has fought for good milk from the
line when people began to understand that
there was such thing pure and impure
milk. Children of presidents, congressman,
IiDlOmatS and federal employeS are depend