The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-11-24
M|LKFARMERS
THREATEN CITY
WITH BOYCOTT
800 Angry Producers Are
Restrained by Adroit
Minority Moves.

Militant Indianapolis milk shed
/ farmers, melted to speak out in
meeting over the present milk stu
alton last night were prevented only
by adroit parliamentary maneuvers
from taking definite action to keep
their milk on the farm and off the
! city table.
Lacking a radical leader and
guided b compact minority Of
I conservat4 yes, 300 Of them from
eight counties gathered in the COM
munity hall at Greenwood, finally
compromised by delegating to nine
of their members power to raise and
lower prices and even to declare a
milk holiday if it seemed necessary.
The power so intrusted now rests
with the operating committee and
the price committee of the farmers
now running the Greenwood diaries
as a cooperative venture.
Fhis venture was launched for the
express purpose of bringing large
indianapolis distributors into line
on a price to the farmer, now set
by them at $1.85 a hundred pounds
of 4 per cent milk, purchased on a
! fat basis.
Milk Holiday Suggested
Although only 300 of the approx
mately 5000 producers in the milk
shed attended, it was assumed by
| leaders that many of them actually
we're neighborhood delegates and
carried with them proxies for hun
dreds not there.
Even C. w. Gregg, R. R. 2, Green
wood, chairman of the price COM
mittee and a member of the con-
servative group, declared aG one
point that a milk holiday might be
/ necessary, and Leonard Clure,
Franklin farm operator, who once
sought to be state Governor, told
the assembly that IF you men think
/ it's best, I'll keep my milk at home. P"
The farmers were particularly Bit
ter about operation for seven years
of the base and surplus plan, now
discarded by distributors, whereby
distributors, they said, virtually were
insured a profit and the farmers,
with bad prices, loss. They also
said that so long as the distributors
employed present 'wasteful methods
of collection and distribution" the
situation would remain bad.
Offer Milk for Nothing
Several farmers who lived outside
a profitable hauling distance from
/ Greenwood offered their milk to the
new cooperative for nothing if some
way could be devised to collect it.
I've been giving my milk away
for three years, 1 might as we'll con-
tinue," one shouted.
Milk sent to the Greenwood is
pasteurized and distributed. The
proceeds pay the overhead and any
net profit is pro rated among par
ticipating farmers.
The Greenwood now charges 3
cents a quart to groceries, 7 cents
delivered to homes and threatens to
go lower to further embaraSs city
distributors.
One farmer, plainly annoyed. Sug-
gested that they keep home the milk
on the basis that the city man will
pay Is cents for bottle of beer
and won't pay 10 cents for milk.
Keep it home till they're ready to
buy it,"
Indignation Is Expressed
Another declared, Il have six or
seven fresh cows now and they're
running with the calves. Ill keep
EN- there til can get price for
the milk thatll pay me 20 milk
them"
John Meyers, Greenwood grocer
and farm owner: III give my milk
away I'm not getting anything for
it anyway"
Charles Henry, near Greenwood
Keep it down on the farm and it
won't be two weeks till they'll be
begging for it,"
What did you do before you
MIXED cows?" another asked. I'VE
don't have to milk cows all our lives.
We can live. 1 say get out Of the
business if we can't get those dis
tributors 10 be fair"
Late in the night they passed al
most unanimously motion empow-
ering the price committee to deal
for them with producers and the
operating committee to declare a
milk holiday IL necessary.