The Washington times., 1921-11-21
The Truth About the Milk Situation
Statement of Facts By
w. A. SIMPSON

On October ! when the price of milk advanced |
put out my price notices for IS cents per quart and
cents per pint for milk delivered to homes. At the
time three other dairies in the city put out their
notices for Is cents per quart and per pint with
higher prices for special mks. On October 2. two of
these three dares had notices in the papers announcing
reduction in the price of milk to meet my figures. On
November | cut the price of milk to IA cents per
quart for home deliveries. The extra expense of
bottng and handling pint bottles necesstates diff
ference in the price between pnts and quarts.
On October n. the Maryland and Virginia Pro-
ducers Association. through is officers tried to pull
off, milk strike. whereby several thousand gallons
of milk were diverted from certain local dealers here
without days notice Fortunately. wa. in posi-
ton to supply these dealers with sufficient milk to tide
them until they could make arrangements to get
a supply. Had these dealers been left without milk.
thousands Of babies and invalds would have suffered
from this action Of the Producers Association As it
was. the majority of the producers realized that
they had made serious mistake and came back to
the dealers to whom they had been shipping.
In the meantime. had. through mutual friend.
interviewed Member of Congress and at my request he
arranged for the investigation being conducted by
the House Committee. So much for that.
am not fighting the Health Department but
fighting to break the strangle hold tha. the Mary
land and Virginia Producers Association has held on the
milk distributors of Washington and indirectly on the
milk-consumins public.
Congress can and probably will give US much
needed law that will rsidly protect the milk of Wash
ngton and at the time give the public better and
lower priced milk As the matter stands now, with
limited number of farmers supplying Washington from
so-caed licensed farms. the very independence of
their position tends to lower the quality of the milk
shipped to the city If the milk is not of as high
quality it should be when shipped in it is case of
take it or leave it, particularly when there is short
,se. Moreover this monopoly enjoyed by the socaed
licensed farms enables these producers in the asso-
ciation to dictate any terms they please (provided
they allowed to have their way) and to so manp-
ulae the supply of this food Of babies and children
to nulEfv the effects of the law of supply and
demand With other markets choose FROM the dealers in
Washington could pick their milk carefully and get only the
best. The Producers Association fighting keep this
monopoly intact fearing the loss of the market here local
shippers No dealer here will refuse buy locally produced
milk provided il to the standard it is naturally
preferable to milk produced 50 100 miles further away.
am the only dealer in Washington who get. his entire
supply through his receiving stations located in the
country Practically all Of my milk from Frederick,
Nd the heart of the richest farming land this part Of
the country Recently opened up another receiving station
few miles from Frederick in order myself of
sufficient upplv Of milk all times All the farms shipping
UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE HEALTH
DEPARTMENT. When ! opened this last receiving sta
ton territory and PAID for having the HERDS
OF CATTLE TUBERCULIN TESTED in order that the pro-
ducon Of milk might be encouraged This is but small
phase of the service am building to give Washington ,uh