Evening star., 1936-07-20
BY BLAIR BOLLES.

l
consumer cost OF milk.
BY BLAIR BOLLES.
Coleman Gore, full-voiced Leesburg
Va, independent milk broker, today
drubbed the Maryland Virginia Milk
Producers Association and its pro-
posed milk marketing agreement fol
the District.
1T means absolute destruction fol
! $50 to 800 shippers on this market,
Gore told 500 suntanned dairy farm
ers in the Agriculture Department
Auditorium.
With a tear" in his voice, Gore
kept up a running fire of sarcastic
comment on the II 900 members OF
the association and refused to answer
the questions of association members
When the Agricultural Adjustment
Administration officials on the audi
torium platform suggested that he find
a better proposal. Gore permitted H
J. Gerten to rise in the audience and
remark:
1T stayed up lots until midnight and
my brother stayed up with me until
midnight trying to figure out what this
proposition Is going to do to me.
can't answer the proposal until ]
know that and haven't figured it out
yet"
Cores diatribe was delivered after
Alden w. Potter. a six-cow dairy
farmer from Montgomery County
laShed as q farce" the hearing on the
proposal to fix the price to be given
to producers supplying Washington
with its milk and to fix the amount
of milk each producer can sell ir
that market.
At one point, Potter said:
This meeting and this plan per-
petrate essentially fraud. The lit
tie fellow has about as much chance
of getting any real consideration hert
as a snowflake in the dust bowl
Almost at once came the first of {
series of angry interruptions, most o
which set the countrymen in titters.
He's Allowed to Talk, However.
II want to know something abou
time" said ]. B. Nichols. Purcellville
Va. IF this representative Of half I
dozen COWS Is going to take an houl
or two to talk about them. I'd like Il
know it now. We got to get home II
our own cows"
Potter snapped back: 1T doesn'
| take more than one COW to make ar
economic fact"
Under interruptions which came on,
a minute, Potter insisted on reading
his paper until E. o. Mather. the pre-,
siding officer, calmed the assembly b,
telling Potter he could talk for JUS
10 more minutes.
Potter was the first of q long lin,
Of witnesses for and against the agree.
ment, which was explained by P. L
Miller, principal agricultural econ.
omist Of the dairy section Of the Agri-
cultural Adjustment Administration
as more Of general program for the
betterment of farm prices"
The hearing was called at the sug-
gestion Of the Maryland-Virginia
Milk Producers Association. This or.
ganization includes most of the dairy
farmers in the Washington milk shed
which reaches as far south as Albe.
marie County, Va, west to Rocking
ham County, Va, north to the Penn.
sylvania border, and east to Queer
Anne County, on the Eastern Shore
Of Maryland.
The agreements purpose ID to fl
the price Of milk paid to producers
but 1t does not Ak or mention the re.
tail price or the resale price, or the
price the consumer pays.
The agreement would establish tn,
producer price for class l milk al
$3.0S per 100 pounds, the price at
present paid by all handlers to mem.
bers Of the association.
Others outside the association, how.
ever, now have no assurance they will
receive this price, fact which sup.
plies one Of the reasons for the pro-
posal to extend price control to al
producers In the milk shed.
Sales Amounts Limited.
Reason No. 2 arises from the fact
that association members are limited
in the amount Of basic milk for clas.
milk they can sell at $3.08. Thii
Is done in order to equalize marketing
opportunity fc- all producers and make
it possible for them all to get return
on their dairy investment.
The nom association producers. how
ever, are under no such obligations
The association contends that thi,
situation makes possible oversupply Of
vicious competition, to the detriment
of all producers and all consumers.
The agreement under consideration
calls for the appointment Of o market
administrator by Secretary Wallace te
enforce the agreement and set the
price for surplus milk (milk in excess
of the basic amount allotted each pro.
ducer). He also would set the base fol
each producer, and make sure that thu
handlers paid the producers properly
Upon the acceptance Of the agree.
ment by Swo-thirds Of the numerical
producers or by the producers Of two
thirds OF the volume Of milk sold tt
washington handlers, the Secretary
of Agriculture would issue an ordel
setting forth the provisions Of the
agreement and calling for Its enforce
ment.