The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-07-12
LOST BOTTLES ARE
 MAIN REASON FOR
 HIGH PRICED MILK
Dairymen Can ouadruple Supply If the Demand Is Made-Is Food, Not a
 Soft Drink
By H. W. sCHAEFER


 Carelessness of Birmingham housewives who fail to return bot ties to dairymen is greatly respon- sible for the high price of milk, heads of concerns who supply milk to the city's population declared yes terday. Bottle loss is the heaviest item of operation.
 As one man expressed it, the
 women of Birmingham expect in-
 dividual serviee, seemingly. They
 get it. but pay slightly higher
 price. Incidents were related by
 this dairyman which proved the
 rule. Drivers are forced to wait
 for tickets sometimes and at
 other times for bottles. Change
 Is required in many instances.
 In short, he declared, enough
 time is consumed serving score
 of customers t9 take care of
 hundred, solely because of care
 lessness.
 Milk sold at wholesale in bottles, with deposit required on each bot tie, shows greater profit by far than the milk sold at retail This statement was made taking into con- sideration the lower price of whole sale milk.
 City Is Last
 Birmingham, although last in a list of 100 cities compared as to per r,cttt araf fjcy, iF,xr -f which compare very favorably with all cities except those of middle Tennessee. considering the South. This city's per capita consumption, according to Dr. J. D. Bowling, health officer. is approximately one- fifth of pint per person Other cities show one-half to one pint per capita consumption.
 Instead of drinking 5000 gall
 Ions of milk daily. the city should
 use nt lenst 25,0OO gallons, ac-
 cordinR to health and dairy au-
 thOrities. The main trouble in Birmingham is that milk Is con-
 sidered nS a drink and not as a
 food, ns 1t should be properly
 regarded.
 Sweet milk costs 10 cents a pint and buttermilk 10 cents a quart in bottles, retail. Wholesale prices are about cents pint for sweet milk and 25 cents a gallon for but termilk. Sweet milk in bulk is sold for a maximum of 121a cents per quart, according to latest quotations
 Cost of producing pasteurized milk, without taking deliveries and bottle losses into account, is about 5 cents a pint.
 High grade raw milk is ready for delivery at from IF to cents per pint. Actual cost of production, when fresh from the COW and be- ing cooled, averages about 31a cents per pint.
 Nine-Cent Bottles
 Bottles range from ' to g cents in price. Requirements ar c much too high, it was stated, mak- ing this item most formidable in overhead charges. Maintenance and icing costs bring the cost of delivery up still farther. Then there is the surplus item which often results in loss, the dairymen say. A supply is always kept on hand to take care of possible breaks in service. When this surplus is not sold, because of slack demand, a loss of considerable proportions is suffered when the milk IS EOIQ as low graQe butter lat.
 Theories which declare a milk
 shortage to exist are secuted by
 n majority of milk distributors.
 Enough milk could be brought
 into Birminghnm, with less than
 two weeks notice, to supply
 demand five times as great as
 that of the city at the present
 time.
 Consumption of milk, or rather lack of it, is another factor in the present prices of milk. Volume con- sumption is absolutely needed to en- able the dairymen to make a profit with lower price schedules, say the dairymen.
 Warning Repeated
 Birming gham housewives are warn ed against the seasonal milk supply offered by the farmer who comes from house to house in the summer. Conditions in his barns are unknown and disease infections areS con- stsnt menace if this milk Is pur- chased, health authorities state.
 The margin of profit per pint Is very low, coming within the one cent margin in most instances, the dairymen show. All reiterate their complaints as to the bottle situa- ton, declaring that the prompt plac- ing of bottles and tickets Is neces- sary education to Birmingham house, wives if they want cheaper milk. ------>.------------