New-York tribune., 1921-11-15
Milk Delivery
Why Grocers Could Not Handle It.
Distributors Attitude

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: +. O. o. in his letter pub
lisned in your issue of to-day sug-
gests that the milk distributors could
take a lesson from the present strike
and avoid recurrence BY arranging
that milk be distributed entirely
through grocers in the future, citing
that the bakers have found this to be
the best way to handle bread.
If this were practicable it is still no
solution, since if another strike did
occur as the result of concerted
union movement the distributors
would still face q walk-out of their
men in the pasteurizing plants, stables
and trucking forces, just as now.
But it is impracticable for two good
reasons. First, milk is highly per-
ishable article; bread is not. Milk
must be handled with great dispatch
and kept constantly at low tempera-
ture; bread can be handled the same as
other commodities. The grocer has
only limited cold storage facilities at
the best, many have none, and if all
the milk supply were handled through
grocery stores it would crowd out most
Of their other stock.
If the grocer made deliveries of the
milk with his regular orders this
would spread the delivery throughout
the day, which would seriously impair
the quality of the milk from undue ex-
posure. If, on the other hand, he
undertook to make a special delivery
early in the morning it would merely
be substitute Of the present system
and at q cost greater than the method
now employed.
Second, as a health matter. the aver
age person consumes too little milk,
but the present average consumption
is due largely to the service, which
brings this vital food right to the con.
sumer's door in perfect condition. II
it were handled as bread, groceries OF
newspapers, rs E. A. o. suggests, the
per capita consumption would imme.
diately decrease. In fact, it is quite
possible that many mothers would, as
matter Of necessity, turn to substi-
tutes for infant feeding if store serv.
ice were permanently established as
the only means Of distributions
Service rather than the milk itself
is what the distributor really sells
The ability to render this with loya
employees whose first and controlling
motive shall be properly to serve the
public is what impels the distributors
to build up an entirely new personnel
which shall be devoted first, last ant
only to the public service.
Tho thought in E. A. O.'s mint
that something should be done to pre-
vent recurrence of the strike Is most
commendable. The distributors be
licve that the confidence and full CO.
operation Of their employees can bs
secured through the establishment o,
joint committees of the men and theil
employers for the adjustment of an,
matters affecting their joint relations
with a permanent arbitration boart
composed not only of employees ant
employers but of representatives O.
the public as we'll, to whom major mat
ters can be referred under an agree
ment to accept their findings as fina
and binding and that tho wheels of in
dustry be kept moving in the interim
While this cannot be arranged TO
until the industry is again on a norma
basis, it is believed such a plan will
render the likelihood Of disagreement
very remote. I. ELKIN NATHANS,
Secretary New York Milk Conference
Board.
New York, Nov. 13. 1921.