The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1921-05-13
FARMERS
TALK or
BOYCOTT
Consumers and Drivers Clash
At Indiana HarhOr.

northwestern lNu4dHds
Clashes between milk deiverym"n
and customers IA the tenement dis-
tricts Of Indiana Harbor and GaTy'
threats Of boycott on the part q
many outraged producers, and hurri>a
conferences O: Officials Q: the MilN
Producers Cooperative Marketing
Company came on the crest OF a storm
Of public Indignation aroused by Ihe
Times expse.
FEDERAL OFFICIALS BUSY.
with the evidence gathered by ThS
Times well on its way 20 the office %
the United States Attorney At lndl-
annapolis. federal agents in this dis
trict were assigned by telegraph 10
the investigation. An attempt will be
made to show that the destruction of
i 400 to roo cans Of fresh SKINNED
milk a day is part Of conspiracy 80
restraint OF trade to maintain ths
high price Of milk. In order TO make
a case against the producers com
pany the government viii have 70
show collusion with the retailer which
viii make the latter equally liable
under the Sherman antitrust act
co. LAUNCHES COUNTER MOVE.
Already a counter move has Deen
made by the producers company. 40
was stated BY officials Of the company
today that they were prepared to as
sess their members or issue stock 20
defray the cost OF the construction %
condensing and cheese plants in Lake
county to. absorb the surplus milk that
is now wantonly destroyed, work on
the buildings to begin Immediately
Admission OF guilt is carried in this
offer. The company made no attempt
10 deny today that the destruction OF
an average Of $1,000 quarts Of sk n
med milk day was a costly food
waste. They admitted that the milk
could be prottably converted into
saleable forms OF food such as dried
milk canned milk. and cheese, but
pleaded lack Of facilities,
one official stated that II The Tim 5
intended keeping Up its attack against
the destruction of milk something
would have to be done because OF tina
public clamor." 1t was intimated that
the surplus milk" OF northwestern
Indiana might be left on the farmers
hands or diverted TO others of the
thirty-eight surplus milk plants
maintained by the company in lndi-
ana. Illinois and Wisconsin. The ofri-
cial said he wasn't sure what would
be done.
Meantime the business OF destroying
milk went on uninterrupted at Gary
and Indiana Harbor although on
scale far below normal 1t was ap-
parent that great quantities OF the
milk were being held back today
pending a decision by the officials OF
the company as to the most advisable
course TO take. It was reported that
the company's attorneys were 6usiiy
engaged examining the law and that
they reported there was no federal or
state statute which made the associa-
tion liable.
GREAT HEARTED PRODUCERS co.
A reporter continuing the investiga-
tion OF the destruction OF milk was
overwhelmed today BY the unbounded
generosity OF the Milk Producers Co
operative Company This was an Gle
ment that completely escaped his no
tice before. It was complete surprise
TO learn that this company that pou.s
$1,000 quarts OF milk into the sewer
each day IN Lake county is so tender
hearted that It cannot bear to think
of a single child wanting for milk.
cited endless instances in which the
company has given milk to the poor
and needy. the emaciated children. the
halt and the blind. charities and hos
pitals. It appeared that the company
was undaunted in this good work by
The fact that many OF It's patrons
didn't pay their milk bills and stole
thousands OF milk bottles.
THE TOUCHING PHILANTHROPY.
According to the story Of the com
pany's representatives. the MIX Pro-
ducers' Cooperative Marketing COM
pany OF 1900 members. is a benevol-
ent order entirely guileless in the small
matter OF fixing the retail price Or
milk at IA cents. and too weak to
dare sell milk at less than the price
in its own retail depots because Of the
fear Of the powerful retailers"
The officials OF the company reiter-
ated their denial that they were in
any way associated with the retailers
in price fixing or that the $1,000
quarts Of milk are poured into Lake
county sewers in order to keep the sup
ply down and the price up in the Chr
cago district They appear to have
small knowledge and little faith IN
the law Of supply and demand
Official admission that the com
pany maintains condensaries and
cheese factories within 90 mile rad
ius of Chicago and that the north
western Indiana surplus milk" could
be sent to those places. detracted from
the 'alibi" The excuse given for not
sending the milk to the factories was
that it would not be profitable,
There has never been so much milk
in the history OF the company as
there is now" said Manager Kiper
I'VE simply can not handle it. -~hen
summer comes there will be less milk
and we Will not have the din. Guilty
we now have in disposing OF It, What
are we going to do with all this rniIk7
It spoils in sixteen hours There is
no market for cheese. We cant con
dense II here"
There has never been so much
hunger in the history Of modern
civilization" Manager Kiper was told.
Can II be that science has SO badly
neglected the dairy business that this
milk can not be converted into I'm
perishable food form to be shipped 10
a market where there is a demand for
it7''
That's asking a great deal Of
young company like ours" said Man
aEer Kper. 1T takes time to WORK
those things out and to build plants