Evening star., 1936-07-22
MRS. BOYLEFLAYS
DAIRY AGREEMENT
ATA.A.A. HEARING
Consumers Chairman
Threatens Finish Fight
if Rates Go Up.
OUTSIDE COMPETITION
PLAN ALSO LIKELY
Congress Action Would Be Urged.
10000 Sign Petition Against
Federal Control.
BY BLAIR BOLLES.

plant and congressional action to per-
init outside competition in the Wash
ington market were two weapons Mrs.
John Boyle, jr., chairman of the
Washington Consumers Council. to-
day threatened to use to prevent an
increase in the milk price here.
At the Agricultural Adjustment Ad-
ministration hearing this morning Mrs.
Boyle promised finish fight against
Capital milk distributors if the price
of milk goes up here Speaking to
farmers and A. A. A. officials in the
Department of Agriculture auditorium,
she declared:
One OF our weapons will be cam
paign for a municipality owned and
operated pasteurizing plant, and the
other will be campaign to induce
Congress to allow milk from sources
outside the Washington milkshed to
compete with the local product"
Mrs. Boyle brought with her a pc
tition she said was signed by 10000
consumers protesting the proposal to
place the Federal Government in con-
troll of the amount and price Of milk
produced for the District.
Held Contrary to Law.
The consumer chairman opened her
statement with general statement
against tentative marketing agreement
designed to effect the control.
1T is clearly contrary to the law for
milk dealers or other merchants to
combine to put out of business an un.
desirable competitor" she said.
Yet this is precisely what the
agreement is designed to do, so that
we have the surprising spectacle Of q
group Of milk dealers inviting the
United States Government to aid them
in establishing a monopoly and to
protect them while engaged in monop-
oliStic practices"
Supporting the Consumers Council,
according to Matthew F. Boyd, Sec
ond vice president of the group, are
Washington's women's organizations
and labor organizations-the Fedora
tion OF Women's Clubs, the Parent
Teacher Association, the Home and
School Associations, the Teachers
Union, the Central Labor Union, the
Typographical Union and the Build
ing Trades Union.
The farmers sat quietly in their
seats as Mrs. Boyle read her state
ment, but they were in a continual
uproar during the testimony of Boyd.
who preceded his chairman to the
stand.
Before Boyd. whose accent might
be called English" was well into his
protest against the agreement, DR.. z.
H. Marstellar, q Manassas, Va, dairy
man. weighing 800 pounds, rose and
shouted:
Il want to know if this man is q
citizen of the United States"
Hardly relevant" suggested z o.
Mather, chairman of the hearing.
We'll, I think he's Just a foreign
labor agitator."
I'm sorry for my accent" said
Boyd.
Il am, too" roared Marstellar.
Called Biggest Liar.
Marsteller late yesterday shook his
finger at Boyd and called him "the
biggest liar in the meeting" The
cow-herding doctor came back to the
battle once again near the end Of
Boyd's testimony, after he had moved
into the front row to be nearer the
consumer representative.
Aren't you talking about something
you don't know anything about?"
Marstellar asked. quivering, after
Boyd had predicted an end to 10-cent
milk in the District If the agreement
went into effect.
We've had more backward and
forward claptrap from him in one
minute than from everybody else put
together"
The 10-cent milk Boyd defended is
supplied by Highland Dairy Farm, dis
tributors of 5000 to 10000 quarts
daily through their own stores, out Of
the 100000 quarts distributed by all
Washington handlers.
"One of the purposes of this order"
Boyd said, lis to eliminate l0-cent
milk Well, we want 10-cent milk, we
want to keep 10-cent milk and we are
going to keep it."
do you favor an even price from
the distributors for all producers?" B.
B. Derrick, treasurer of the Maryland
and Virginia Milk Producers Associa-
ton, a cooperative of lilo producers,
asked.
I'D like to see every distributor
out of business" Boyd replied. we
are fed up with the distributors in
every town, village and city in the
United States"
Question of Effect.
I'm frank to say" cut in Mather.
II am unable to see how this will
eliminate l0-cent milk"
Highland buys on fat-rate of %,
"a and 25 cents a gallon. All other
distributors pay on class differential,
which Derrick says averages 26.5 cents
a gallon. The agreement would in
troduce for all sellers the same gen.
eral type of diffential offered by most
distributors.
Boyd, who insisted he wants low
cost for consumers, high prices for
farmers and a deep cut in the dis
tributors' margin, foresaw an elimina-
ton Of milk from the schoolchildren's
and relief families diet If the price
goes up.
"The farmer must undoubtedly get
more for his milk" Boyd said.