New-York tribune., 1921-11-07

Conference Board, the trust, Is holding
out to US the golden bait Of a penny
reduction in the price of milk While
ne IS in the business Of promising he
might as we'll make it five cents. For
all the needless inconvenience suffered
by the New York public, milk should be
furnished free of cost for long time
to come.
TO influence public opinion, it is all
very we'll to say that 10 or 80 per cent
OF the milk is being furnished. How
ever, this is gross eXaggeration. My
Office informs me that the total sold is
about 55 per cent of the normal for this
season of the year.
Let it be understood, too, that fifty
one or the small milk companies have
broken away from the trust and have
made peace with their employees.
These fifty companies are delv-
ering their normal quantity, a total of
100000 quarts per day, practically all
of which goes to stores and restaurants
Therefore persons in the habit of going
to stores for their milk are not suffer-
ing, but the rest of society is clamoring
for relief. | have had rome scores of
letters and telephone messages from
T poor mothers who have to walk blocks
and stand in line for hours to get their
supply. BY the time they are reached
the milk is old, and in many instances
not to be had at all, because the supplv
is gone.
Babies Who Need Milk
."In the city are $4,000 babies under
one year of age They are used to bot
tied milk of certain grade. Now the
mothers are forced to give them dipped
milk, with ALI the dangers of contami-
nation and the positive danger that re-
suits from a change of milk.
"The other day as stood at Mr. Hor-
tons office window and looked at the
people coming for milk he said: why,
doctor, these people will come all win
ter. They insist we must break the
union My reply was: The persons you
mean are not Inconvenience in the
least. The folks down there are the
liveried chauffeurs who have come in
lmousines for the milk of the house
hold. Of course, they can keep it up
all winter. But what about the poor
mothers?' n
ing to my office of poor and stale milk
being sold at outrageous prices that
we are completely swamped. We are
going as fast as possible, and already
have discovered a great deal of wa
tered milk-in one instance as much
as 1900 quarts. The remarkably pure
milk supply we have boasted of and
which has resulted in the lowest in
FAINT death rate ever experienced by
any community in the world is in seri-
Gus danger. Already grave charges
concerning the quality of the milk sold
have been prepared for court action
by our legal department. We have
serious complaints regarding protiteer-
ing and the sale of unlawful milk.
Protection for Health
"To protect the health as far as pos
sible we have placed inspectors in all
the large plants-but, of course, have
not enough to cover every source of
supply For this work we are taking
men from other important food inspec-
tion work, and this will be reflected
later in conditions of further disad-
vantage to the public.
"The milk barons are playing poll
tics and are taking advantage. Of Elec-
tion Day as an excuse for their failure
to make house deliveries The Police
Department is always ready to do it's
sworn duty. SO the matter of police
protection cannot be given truthfully
as the reason for delay. But this is
not the real reason deliveries have not
been attempted. 1t is because the com
Ps-H'So iioPC w ole'i We tlelI OIu en-
ployees into individual submission
The companies want the old drivers
because they are the only ones who
know where the milk customers are
Ultimately the milk companies will
make peace with their former en-
ployees who are drivers because their
selfish interests will be best served
that way.
The milk barons still harp on the
50 increase. In their newspaper ad-
vertsing to-day they continue this un-
truthful propaganda. Why not tell
the truth.
THE men gave up every single de-
mand and have offered to return to
work. leaving it to the dealers to de-
termne the conditions of employment.
Failing to impress the companies by
this surrender of their original de
mands, the employees have made an
other effort On Friday night the
men met and reiterated their willing
ness to go back to work, leaving their
fate in the hands of their EMPLOYERS.
IT the dealers still refuse it is pro-
posed then to submit all the questions
at issue to the Health Commissioner
for arbitration.
Needless to say, ! should hesitate
to accept such trying position. But
no matter how burdensome, | will do
anything to relieve the public and the
Dabes from the annoyances and dan
gers confronting them.
81 sent this offer to every distrib-