Evening star., 1937-10-11
D. c. MILK PRICES
DRAGGED |NTOQU|z
Parry Asked Possible A.
feet on Capital if ArIing-
: ton Cost Cut.

dren Is being undermined" because
of the 14-cents-per-quart retail price
set by the State Milk Commission, 1t
was testified today at a hearing
marked by debate over what effect
letting milk distributors make their
own market price in the Arlington
Alexandria sales area would have on
the retail price in Washington.
Appearing as the first witness at a
hearing in Arlington County Court
o House on the question of whether the
l4-cent minimum should be waived
q for the 10000 milk drinkers in the
nearby Virginia area, George P. San
ders OF the Lyon Park Citizens As
.sociation, declared:
? THE people in the 1000 homes
IN the area I represent believe that
AS the price of milk goes up, many
families are unable or unwilling to
purchase milk as before. This an.
plies especially to the poorer. fam
lies. The failure to have the milk
is undermining the health of certain
cnlIoren IN our neighborhood."
hAcCt Oh IL. u. frlCe.
A short while later, the question
OF the possible affect of allowing milk
distributors set their own price would
have on District consumers was in
Jected into the proceedings while A.
B. Parry. Federal Trade Commission
economist, was testifying as a private
Citizen and consumer of Arlington
County. Parry was asked by j. Stuart
AgneW, chairman of the Milk Com
mission
II a distributor can sell in Arling-
ton for what he wants, won't it de-
press the price to the farmer? And if
virginia farmers produce one-half of
The milk distributed in the District.
would not that affect the production
price for all milk that goes in the
District?"
Parry replied that milk company
selling for what it wants would not
affect the farm prices, unless it grew
very big"
Parry, who two years ago managed
Tor the F. T. c. the only thoroughgoing
investigation of the cost of milk pro-
duction and milk distribution ever
made in the United States asked that
the commission permit the Highlands
Farms Dairy Co. to sell milk for IL
cents quart on cash and carry basis.
Pays Producers More.
In his argument against the 14-cent
retail price, Sanders said that con-
sumers in the Arlington Alexandria
area paid - cents a gallon more for
milk than they did before the COM
mission set up the minimum three
years ago. He added the producer gets
about 4 cents of that sum, and the
'other 8 cents probably goes to the
distributors"
Parry told the commission that it
costs Highland 16 cents a quart to
pasteurize milk and deliver it to the
stores. Highland has natural advan-
tage in not having to deliver its milk
from house to house and makes
tremendously high rate of profit on its
operations, he said
If you take away that advantage
by making Highland sell at the same
price as diaries which deliver from
house to house, you may be protecting
the farmer, but doubt it, On sworn
testimony made before Department of
Agriculture Investigators last year.
Highland pays its producers more
than the dairy farmers cooperative
pays its producers"
No U. S. Regulation.
Many of the inhabitants of Arling-
ton County and Alexandria, Parry
said, are people who moved out from
the District of Columbia in order to
live more cheaply, but the price of all
milk in Arlington is IA cents, in ac-
cordance with the commissions three
year-old ruling. But while most
milk in Washington is ID cents, it
can be bought more cheaply and there
is no governmental regulation Of the
price
Parry was interrupted consistently
by members of the audience in the
court room. At one time the specta-
tors became so outspoken about the
conduct of the hearing when Sanders
was on the stand that Agnew threat
ened to halt the proceedings.
The crowd, $50 strong-consumers,
farmers and dairy men-felt that |
Agnew and his two fellow milk COM |
missiOners were too insistent that |
Sanders show technical knowledge of |
the intricate matter of the cost of |
producing and distributing milk in
order to back up his cancellations.
Loud in Applause.
The spectators were respectful but |
loud in their applause when l. Chance
Buchanan, president of the Airing
ton County Civic Federation, followed |
Sanders to the stand and told the
commission that 81 groups of citizens
in the area demanded an end to con-
troll of the milk price.
Consumers, farmers and dairy rep
resentatives crowded the Circuit Court
room at the opening of the hearing,
which may mean saving Of S150,0OO |
q year in Arlington Alexandria.
There has been lot of talk that |
the regulation was put into this area
haphazardly and in such a way that |
it injured the consumer,' Commits
sioner Agnew, who himself is dairy
farmer from Burkeville, Va, said as |
the session began.
Gave Matter Serious Thought.
ION the contrary. We gave this
matter very serious consideration. Dur
ing the three years the control has
been in effect we have constantly
been investigating the cost of milk
production all over Virginia and in |
other parts of the United States.
I'VE feel We are conversant with |
the production cost of this area. How
ever, we have called this hearing be-
cause Of the protests of many con-
Sumers in this Alexandria Arlinpton