The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-12-31
HOUSEWIVES MAP FIGHT AS
MILK CONTROL BODY STUDIES
REQUESTS FOR HIGHER RATE
Rise Needed to Prevent IS.
Cent Rate Later, Says
Official.

Members Of the State Milk
Control Board today are
studying financial statements
Of milk distributing COM
panies in an effort to deter
mine whether an emergency
should be declared and a retail
price scale fixed which would
mean 11-cents-a-quart milk to
consumers.
The board recently granted a
price increase to producers of from
Sl.85 to 1920 a hundredweight on
Glass l milk. Both distributors and
consumers testified yesterday at a
public hearing on the distributors
proposal that the board declare an
emergency and fix resale prices.
The distributors, through their
spokesman Winfield Hunt. eXecu-
tive secretary Of the Indianapolis
Mix Council, declared they can
not pay the 1920 price to the farm
er without raising the retail price
of milk ChiSeling and price cut
ting have brought about a chaotic
condition in the indianapolis mar
keting area, they insist.
rrice Termed Necessary
Figures are to be presented to IN
dianapolis housewives, to convince
them that a milk price increase is
necessary, Mr.. Hunt, said today.
Distributors are aware that an
increase probably will work a hard
ship on the relief families in the
county" Mr.. Hunt said But they
do not feel that because there are
these numbers of needy families the
burden of supplying them with
milk should rest on the shoulders Of
26 distributors
IF this slight increase Is not
granted, We are threatened with a
15-cent quart of milk next year, and
probably with milk strike Farm
ers no longer can produce milk at
the prices which they are getting.
Dairy Cattle Sold
Many of them now are selling
their dairy. cattle for beef House
wives may realize this by calling the
stockyards and learning of the num-
berS of dairy cattle which are being
brought in daily to be sold as beef
The trend of Marion County and
the entire state is out Of the dairy
business. More than a 1-cent in
crease now is going to the farmers
in order to keep them in the dairy
business"
Mr.. Hunt quoted figures to shoW
that distributors were operating I'm
the red.
Explains Three Qualities
The consumer does not realize
what Glass /, Class and Glass 3
milk means" he explained. 1T does
not mean that they are different in
quality When milk is bottled, IS
per cent of it goes into Glass /. Milk
which is left over, ana is the same
quality as that which goes into the
bottles, is placed in Glass ?. 1t is
sold as cottage cheese and other
products, at a lower price than
that in bottles. but it is the same
milk. from the same cows.
Twelve per cent goes into Glass
2, and quantity of the same milk
3 per cent-goeS into Class 3, at
an even lower price
If all milk could be placed in
quarts, break-even price would be
s. 13 for 100 pounds of Glass l milk.
Through the loss in bottling it in
smaller containers. the $3.50 price
ordered paid producers is not pos
Sible without this retail increase. .
Figures Are Cited
Mr.. Hunt called attention to evil
dence given before the board yeSter-
day by William o. Wheeler, reStau-
rant proprietor
Mr. Wheeler showed in figures
compiled over a period of years that
while food costs in general had in
creased 8 per cent. to restaurants.
milk had increased only .009 per
cent. In those figures is the eX-
PLANTATION of why distributors feel
the housewives should understand
that this increase in necessary"