The New York herald., 1921-11-02
BIG QUEUES LINE UP
AT MILK STATIONS
Pail Carrying, Rendered Al
most Obsolete by Volstead,
Comes Back Again Here.
HOSPITALS GET SUPPLIES
Companies Deny Drivers
Charge That Babies Were
Neglected by Them.

New York was in the position yes
terday Of being surrounded by milk, but
having little OF it to drink. few
families. the hospitals and babies milk
stations obtained supply, but the
majority of the people OF the city drank
their coffee black. 1t was day in
which the pail which went out of fash
ion with the rise Of Mr.. volstead, came
back into its own not only in the poorer
sections but even along Fifth avenue.
from where maids rode in upholstered
limousines to points at which they might
obtain milk.
Although large crowds Of men, women
and children gathered around the whole
sale plants of the companies In the diff
ferent boroughs they We're orderly and
inclined to be cheerful. These stations
We're under heavy police guard. and al
though pickets were In evidence every
where the first day Of the strike passed
without any violence worth mentioning.
Most of the milk that came into the city
Monday night and was held up at the
railroad terminals by the strike was at
the terminals last night. but in most
instances In Ice houses, where It will be
held until the milk companies are in a
position to remove 1t.
The hospitals, unable 20 wait until
the milk companies with their limited
facilities could get milk to them. i'm
pressed their ambulances into the haul
ing service. Most of the institutions
had enough milk on hand to provide for
the patients breakfast and by noop
their ambulances We're arriving filed
with milk cans. Delegates of the
drivers union said they found it i'm
possible to carry out the promise made
to Mayor Hylan Monday night because
the companies would not let the men
take out wagons to deliver milk to the
hospitals and baby milk stations.
Hospitals Get Needed MIX.
This charge was denied by the New
York Milk Conference Board. But, dis
regarding the counterclaims of driver
and distributor, the outstanding fact
was that the hospitals got all the milk
they needed and without any great
delay.
Every New Yorker went to bed Mon
day night uncertain whether the bottle
would be on the front porch in the morn
ing, but one glance out of the window
yesterday morning told them in terms
fully as convincing as the headlines of
the newspapers that the man with the
white coat and peak cap had not been
around. 1t was a case of pull on the
trousers rapidly and dash to the nearest
grocery. II he did not have any milk
why the fellow further down the street
probably had some. and so on. The
search proving fruitless, Mr.. Average
New Yorker bought a can of evaporated.
condensed, powderedlzed or some other
lied form Of milk. While not like the top
of the bottle the substitute at least filled
the gap.
Lines began to form at the milk
depots son after sunrise and about the
time New York really was awake the
| milk can army was descending on the
| depots at the ratio of about twenty per-
sons for every available quart OF milk.
Mothers with babies In arm We'd with
| barefoot urchins for strategic places on
! the line, and no matter how hard the
policemen would plead and implore, the
| line would twist and bend. AT few
| OF the stations in widely separated parts
of the city strikers jeered at the milk
| can carriers but few went any further.
The milk wagon horses. inseparable
| companions of the drivers, were the OBJ
| ject of much concern during the day.
II is part Of the drivers job to feed and
care for his animal. Some of the sta
bles have as many as 800 horses, and
aside from the drivers there are 40
other facilities for caring for them.
Dispute over the Horses.
At some barns 1t was stated at noon
that the horses had not been cared for,
but Gtsorge w. Briggs. general auditor
and receiver Of the Milkmen's Union.
said this was not true. In the absence
OF proof to the contrary Mr.. Briggs's
word seemed to prevail.
Officers of almost all the milk COM
panies issued statements placing blame
for the strike on the drivers and char
acterizing the tactics Of the union dele
gates as arbitrary. The distributors as
serted their suggestion for arbitration
was turned down by the drivers. They
pleaded for the patience of the public.
and said they would ask the police for
all protection necessary to reestablish
their distributing systems.