The Washington herald., 1920-05-19
MILKMEN GET
HALFOFPRICE
Survey Shows Only Fifty.
Per Cent of Cost Goes
to Producers.
MANY CITIES REPORT
Returns Show Average of
l5.9 Cents Per Quart
Now Prevails.
MANY CITIES REPORT

1t costs the average housewife in
the United States lS.s cents q cnart
for milk This is the figure based
on returns for April OF ninety-seven
Of the principal cities Of the United
States in every State in the Union.
complied by the Department Of Ar
riculture.
For the milk which costa, the
housewife 1s cents approximately,
the farmers OF the United States get
from cents up to u cents-an
average Of Ia cents.
Thus, Of every dollar spent for
milk in the United States. the dairy
farmer gets only 50 cents. The
other SO cents covers the costs
which come between farmer and
profts Of the middleman.
The range Of prices In April 60
the farmer who produces milk
varied throughout the United States.
Eastern Prices Highest.
In New England the farmer got
from to 10 cents q quart: IN the
East North Central States they got
from 5 to 8 cents: in the West
North Central States from 20
cents; in the South Atlantic States.
South Central region, from Q 70
cents; in the West South Central
States, from 6 to IL cents: In the
Mountain States from 6 90 o cents.
and in ths Pacific States. from 4
TO cents per uQart. --
Savannah, Ga, has the highest
retail price for milk-from IS TO
30 cents quart to family trade.
Many other cities have 2S-cent milk.
The cities with the lowest milk
prices OF those reporting TO the
Agricultural Department. are Seat
tie, Milwaukee and Green Bay
CWis.). where the price e II cents
quart to family trade. Salt Lake
City has price OF las cents q
quart
Every other city Of the ninety
seven reporting have prices shove
IL cents.
In 1914. the average per quart
price Of milk was only cents BY
1918 IL had risen to an average OF
l+ cents; now 1t is nearly 16 cents.
This represent an increase Of
nearly 100 per cent.
Fsrners Not Guilty. .r
That the farmer is not rprohteer-
ing is indicated by the fact that
the costs of all foodstuffs and other
elements entering into the produc-
tion of milk have risen more than
the milk price.
Prof. J. T. Frandson, Of the De-
partment Dairy Husbsndry. Univer-
sity Of Nebraska, has made a COM
parative study Of what the producer
gets out OF the milk dollar"
He shows that alfalfa. which cost
In 1914 an average Of SO a ton. by
1918 had risen to $40 a ton. an in
crease Of 900 per cent Bran in
creased from $50 per ton to $50 a
ton. or $50 per cent. Cottonseed
meal increased from $40 a ton TO
Sel a ton-l03 per cent. OIL meat
increased from S2s a ton to SsI a
ton, or llo per cent. Corn increased
from so cents a bushel to sI.26. or
11o per cent: oats increased from
IS cents a bushel TO 6s cents a
busheI, or 80 per cent: labor costs
increased approximately IOe per
cent between 1914 and 1915, while
building material was estimated as
increasing IS per cent.
Every item except building in
creased much more than the farm
price Of milk. which increased rs
per cent up to 1918. Now the In
f'SNt NoiAApdItu 10 1919 Is almost
100 per cent.
MiddIeman Gets Huge PROFIT.
On the basis of figures compiled
by Prof. Frandson, when the house
wife in San Francisco pays her 16
cents for a quart of milk, the farmer
gets only SIS cents of IL. while the
milk company gets 10 cents.
In Augusta. Ca out Of the 20
cents paid for a quart Of milk. the
farmer gets 10 and the distributor
10. In Chicago. out of the IL cents
paid by the housewife, the farmer
gets "a and the distributor 6.3
cents.
In New York. where the price Is
is cents h quart the farmer gets
8 cents and the distributor cents.
The Clevelond housewife, who
pays Is cents a quart, gives 81 CENTS
to the dairy farmer. and e.3 cents
to the distributing company.
Gut of the twenty-five principal
cities in the United States. the farm
er fares worst and the distributing
company best in Omaha, Nobr.,
where 57.l per cent Of tho price OF
a quart Of milk goes to the company