Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-12-02
THE MILK SHORTAGE
Supply of This Necessary Food a
Problem in Many Cities
Producers Dissatisfied with Their Pro-
hts and Consumers Claim Inability
20 Pay More-Snnitation
Desirable but Costly
(By Frederic 7. Hasirin)

Iltny cities.
DAIRY farmers say that they do not
know how thoy are to continue milk
production at their present rate OF pro-
III. The Children's Bureau has for some
time been urging that children between
IS months and l2 years of age should
drink pint and a half of milk a day.
This liz much more than Is now being
consumed, and the mothers of poor
families, and oven those In ordinary cir
c'irstances. say they cannot continue to
buy oven so much milk as they do now,
TX the price soars higher. And while the
price and existence of the milk supply
Is argued over and made subject for
strikes. health officials are busiy fight
ing for greater sanitation in milk hand
ling.
or all tho angles Of tho milk problem
only the question OF price seems to in.-
press the ultimate consumer. He hears
that the health department of his town
has banned milk that is not subjected
to the tuberculin test, and he Is vaguely
pleased, II he reacts at ALL A week
later he finds that the price OF milk Is
to advance two cents a quart. and no
is stirred to Indignation, language. and
occasionally. action.
The price difficulty, rs I'm other
branches OF agriculture. Is that the
FARMERS claim that they have not had
square deal, The dairymen never
knows. when he sends his milk to mar
ket, exactly what he will get in return
II the demand for condensed milk is cut
eown as 1t IS now because less Is ex-
ported. the condenseries take less milk
or shut down entirely and dealers In
the locality have 80 much milk offered
tenn that the price to the farmer Is
cd IN
nothing for the dairy farmer to do hut
AXE the profrered rate Milk is purely
local commodity. 1t can seldom he
shipped with profit more than a hum
dred miles because of the bulk and ten
dency to spoil. SO that when condenser
les In New York release so many gal
Ions of milk 1t does not mean that a
milk shortage in the South Is to be help
ed at ell.
FARMER ORGANIZATIONS HELP
Where the milk producers are organiz-
cd. as In the greater part of the north
east and around the Great Lakes, they
are better able to find an outlet for their
product In such Instances. and to get q
fair share Of profits. They claim tina:
cooperative associations of dairy farm
ers are the main hope for the business.
The farmer, working alone and unassist-
3D. will always be at a disadvantage In
dealing with the middleman. and the
dairy farmers in particular are rapidly
getting discouraged
jamestown. New York. Is trying in
anoti,er way to use cooperation to make
the farmer and milk consumer content
ed The milk problem has been made a
political issue in Jamestown, and. as a
result. plans are under way to set up a
ivo1 mil liz r1a In
proposition. with duplication Of effort
eliminated and efficiency in full swing
jamestown hopes to cut down the con-
sumer's milk bill and give the farmer a
fair return.
But while the rest of the country
waits for jamestown to show what d
city milk plant can do, producers and
consumers continue to squabble over
prices and conditions. with the pros
pect for the consumer that while milk
is still rising in price. 1t has about
reached a peak. II it goes much higher
sales will be cut down more than the
business can stand and the dairy herds
which should be almSst doubled TO give
everybody in the country a fair share
of milk, will be reduced because of tn,
lighter demand for milk. Since mill
prices began to rise In New York, tn,
health department announced that thu
total supply of milk used by the city
dropped % per cent, and in the tene
ment districts milk consumption dropped
80 per cent.
SANITATION COSTLY
With price wars going on in various
cities. 1t is difficult TO push sanitation
campaigns. They mean more careful at
tcntion to production. and often more ex
pense for equipment and, consequently
the already harrassed dairymen ar
not enthusiastic Still, health depart
ments are trying to impress the publ
with the fact that while 1t Is desirsb
that milk should be cheap enough to b.
within the reach Of everyone. 1t !
equally important that milk. OF al! foods
should be clean,
Washington Is one Of tho cities wher
an argument over clean milk Is now II
progress. The capital has fought TO
good milk from the time when peupl
: began TO understand that there wa
such a tbirR az pure and impure mill,
Children CT prepdents congressmer
diplomats. and federal employees are de
y pendent on tho purity OF the Washing
tea milk supply, and the health office
, OF the district Is nsistert that the gov
eminent workers and thor families sha
Z hot have to worry over epdem!cs cause
p by milk.
Twenty-Five years ago, nobody saw
r n few scientists thought very niue
e about milk an disease carrier. bu
\ about that time Mr.. Emile Berliner. IN
. ventor OF important devices connect
= ed with the telephone and talking ms
= chine, and for many years president c
e the tuberculosis Society Of Washington
i began to he interested in milk.
= Mr.. Berllner's baby nearly died. an
I the inventor was convinced that impur
!, milk was responsible. He began to II
o quire about conditions in daries, chance
n for bacteria to be transmitted from T.
: COW and the mixer into the mill
= chanches of infection from these ba
v terra Mt. Berliner organized mil
= society In Washington and helped
6 get together tho most important scion
Il lists and health experts In the countI
/. for tho Washington milk conference
r 1901. Ho pointed out - the people thi
a. ono baby In four died In Washngtc
a In It's first year. ara tina: undoubted
4 impure milk was the cause OF lart
IA percentage Of these deaths. The trui
- Of this claim Is conceded now. Wher
If as 20 years ago, one baby in four die
to-day, with a well-guarded milk su
~ ply, the loss has been reduced to OF
?, baby in twelve.
in Washington's present milk trouble
= over tho tuberculin test. New York al
= Pennsylvania dairy farmers offer to su
- ply the District Of Columbia with mi
AZ at slightly cheaper rate than &
"a Maryland and Virginia farms, but tn
IA refuse to subject their cows to the t
4 herculin test which is required Of