Evening star., 1936-09-08
Low j. s. M|LKUSE.
ALARMING TOA.A.A.
Survey incomplete in Some
Particulars Shows So Cities
Below Standard.
BY BLAIR BoLLES.

The Agricultural Adjustment Ad-
ministration. through its consumers
counsel, today expressed alarm over
its discovery. after 59-city survey,
that milk consumption in the United
States falls, for the most part, far
below the to. S quart per man per
week standard established by nutrition
experts.
Despite the fact only cities of the
50 outrank 1t, Washington,s average
consumption Of whole milk and evap-
GRATED milk equivalent was set at 2.89
quarts. Only cities average better
than 3 quarts, and only Q families of
1896 provided their members with
an average Of 10 quarts a week or
better.
Washington is included among the
South Atlantic States, which touches
bottom among the geographical groups
-l.93. Charleston, s. c., with large
colored population, averaging only
half quart q person . week, Is low
est, with l.23 quarts. The total aver
age Is 2.44 quarts, with Boise, Idaho,
the highest. 3.3l.
Children Provided Data.
The data throughout suggest that
milk Is not occupying q place in the
diet Of the American family COM
mensurate with its nutritional and
health-protecting qualities" the report
on the survey concludes. The con-
sumption Of milk by families is disap-
pointingly low"
The data were collected through
school children, who were handed ques-
tionnaires entitled Milk and Your
Daily Life" to be filled out anony-
mously by their parents and returned
to the Investigators. In some in
stances, however, families without
children were queried.
The QUESTIONABLE called for infor-
nation on income and milk and dairy
products consumption during some
week in April or May. 1884. A COM
Elementary QUESTIONABLE was sub
mitted to school principals for infor-
nation on the amount of milk sup
piled the pupils at the school.
To obtain a representative picture,
local authorities were asked to select
one school located In a poor or slum
district. a second in an industrial area
and third in middle -class or we'll
to-do section Of the city. before the
questionnaires were distributed. Av-
erage weekly income of the 1927 re-
porting on this point was s24l8.
Income. the Office of the consumers
counsel found after a year spent In
tabulating and studying the answers to
its inquiries. has a direct bearing on
consumption. and so has price, al
though "a widespread belief exists
that the demand for milk Characters
tically is inelastic, and that, conse-
quently, lowering the price would not
result in a proportionate decrease in
consumption"
Price Is Debated Here.
The price of milk has recently been
in the news in Washington in connec-
ton with the proposal to institute
Federal control of the Capital milk
market under the agricultural adjust
ment act. The argument against an
increase sought by producers is that
the increase would be followed by les
sened consumption.
The average income Of the 273
Washington families which reported
on income was $44.89 q week. The
average size Of the family was 497
persons. A table illustrating average
weekly income associated with specific
limits of weekly per capita consump-
ton Of whole and evaporated milk for
the District follows:
1858 a week, i to 4 quarts a week.
$l9.10 a week, S to 9 quarts a week
1861 a week, to 1.9 quarts a week.
S46.16 q week, to 20 quarts a week.
$48.72 q week, to 3.9 quarts a week.
$52.56 q week, to 40 quarts a week.
s57.62 week, 5 to SO quarts a week.
$65 a week, to SO quarts a week
$3.50 week. to 7.9 quarts a week.
$74 q week. 8 to SO quarts q week.
The few 10-quart drinkers were
Hartford, Conn, $50 a week: Charles
ton, w. Va. $35 a week: Boise, Idaho,
$25 a week; Butte, Mont, SIS a week,
onA rhoxyors,a yIyro s.,1.lx