Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-31
Blue Eagle Milk

Children of miners and other workers in
West Virginia getting less than a third AZ
much milk as they need for an adequate diet
at minimum cost" according to the National
Milk Survey of the Agricultural Adjustment Adj
mnistrations consumers counsel. In Charles
ton Wheeling and Clarksburg all coal mining
areas, school chidren's families purchased on
the average only half pint of milk or less per
person per day while an adequate diet" means
from one and half pnts to quart.
In the National Milk Survey, an adequate
diet at moderate cost" defined as a safe diet
from the standpoint of health, calls for 3O5
quarts of milk per person per year, or almost
quart day. For margin of safety in health,
an adequate diet at minimum cost there
must be 260 quarts of milk per person per year,
approximately one and half pints per day.
But these families purchased less than The
amount required even for the emergency, or
restricted diet"-"a level lower than the mini
mum of nutrition requirements" the con-
sumers' counsel explains For this emergency
diet unsafe for anything but limited period,
at least 155 quarts of milk year are required
or about eight tenths of pint per person per
day.
In Charleston, average purchases of fresh
and evaporated milk by the families studied
are GA per cent below the requirements of an
adequate diet at moderate cost; So per cent
below the requirements of an adequate diet at
minimum cost; and 30 per cent below the emcr-
gency or restricted diet level
Yet with such situation as this in many
areas and with the L. S. Childrens Bureau
timating that seven million children are under
nourished and in need of milk, production of
milk is falling. Drought and the Agricultural
Adjustment Administration have combined to
reduce the product of milk On June /, 1884. to-
tai milk production was to per cent below
June /, 1888. according to the Department of
AgricultuTe's summary, and there is "uncer-
tainty regarding the probable consumption
later in the year.
With one hand the AAA points out in its
national survey the need of more milk in work
ers families, and with the other it proposes to
reduce production by 10 per cent These contra
dietions are well stated in new pamphlet
called The Way Out for Milk Producers, by Left
DAHL just issued by the Farmers National
Committee for Action tprice cents). Any solu-
tion for the farmers problems must accomplish
three things, the author declares, summarized
as follows
l. Cut down the huge profits of the milk
companies.
q Restore purchasing power to employed
and unemployed city workers.
g. Guarantee the farmer security on the
land
Examining the present situation in relation
to milk production the author finds the New
Deal" has accomplished none Of these things
Milk marketing agreements promoted under
the Agricultural Adjustment Administration
has not given the farmer higher price for his
milk In fact. in some eases they have lowered
the prices, as in Chicago, where the price per
hundred weight for Class | milk went down
from $2.i0 to $l.75; i'm the Twin Cities. where the
price went down from $40 to SLIGO; in Des
Mones, where the old price o. s1.95 became s1,60
under the AAA.