The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1922-03-16
COOPERATIVE DAIRY PLANTS
AND THEIR FEDERATION
he subieci 81 IA Address BY r. 5.
Brigham At Burlington Recently.

AHt4aAAtH vs. - ahA "sA IS R+tAtftt
ton before the Ne~ England confer
saoc = Farm Burcs ~. Commissioner
u Agriculture +. S. Brigham discus
sd Cooperative Dairy Plants and
Their Federation HIS address is a.
follows.
The speakers preceding me have
outlined comprehensive plans licking
% the solution u the entire marketing
problem Of the regions supplying milk
70 the great consuming eenters of the
New Enlgaud and Middle Atlantic
groups q states Ny subject covers a
narrower field II Is simply 70 outline
70 you the cooperative creamery sys-
ten which, partly through necessity
and partly by design. has grown up in
the State Of Vermont, and also 70 out
line to you the plans devised for feder-
ating these plants into q larger unit
for the purpose ~ doing collectively
some things which they cannot do in
dividually.
First Of all, I wish 10 point out 10
you that the State Of Vermont has a
peculiar interest in the dairy industry.
and has also a marketing problem diff
fering somewhat from that Of any
ether state represented here at this
conference.
Vermont has s23 cows per 1000
people, or considerably more than
three times the number Of aly other
state represented here. Because Of
her large ratio Of ds.iry cows in pro-
portion TO her population, Vermont
has the largest e1portable surplus OF
dairy products and a correspondingly
difficult marketing problem.
II has been customary in recent
years 10 refer TO all milk produced in
excess Of the demands Of the market
for fluid milk as surplus and TO speak
Of IL as undesirable, because such sur
plus has been the ghost always pres
ent at every conference called to fix
the price Of milk Vermont, be
cause Of her large per capita produc-
ton and because Of transportation
barriers, formerly erected against a
large portion OF her territory, when
the milk business was being developed,
Is the region where this surplus exists
20 the greatest degree
Prior TO the Interstate Commerce
Commission decision Of July 1916,
milk was transported in New England
in accordance with what was known as
the leased car system. BY paying the
rate per mile from the point Of origin
Of the car to the point Of destination,
the dealer was given the privilege Of
loading in milk at any intervening sta
ton without extra charge. There was
a provision in the tariffs that less than
carload shipments could be transport
ed in baggage ears, but at a rate so
excessive and with a service so poor
that no shipper could use il and COM
pete. This made the shipping Of milk
by individuals and associations Of in
dividuals impossible, because at the
outset none were large enough to make
carload shipments and thereby avail
themselves Of the leased car rate.
Furthermore, the maximum charge on
the leased car was computed for dis
lance Of 1876 miles on the Boston &
Maine and Maine Central railroads
and was increased no more, even
Though the car was started at extreme
northern terminals Of these roads.
The charge on shipments originating
on the Central Vermont and Rutland
railroads was computed from the point
of origin on these lines TO the junction
point at which these lines met the Bos-
ton & Maine and then re-computed 10
the point Of destination on that line,
thereby subjecting the milk from the
richest dairy sections of western and
central Vermont to the levying Of two
charges. which, combined, greatly ex-
ceeded the cost Of transporting milk
from equi-distant points in Maine and
New Hampshire This system OF
transportation aid Of computing rates
naturally threw the milk business into
the hands Of large dealers Or contract
ors. who were impelled from the
standpoint Of self-interest 70 60 for
their milk supply 70 Maine, New
Hampshire, and nearby states because
Of the lower freight charges Finally
the demand for milk al certain seasons
Of the year outgrcw the supply from
these favored regions and dealers be-
gan 10 purchase creame.es in Yer
mont. 50 that they could control
supply ~ milk. which could be drawn
upon in periods of shortage and az
ether times manufactured into butter
ana cheese. The ne. result q an this
vas th-t tire surplus burden q the
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