Evening star., 1939-11-25
Consumers Ask
Milk Price Cut
As Hearings End
Briefs to Guide
Wallace on New
Pact to Be Filed

Pact to Be Filed
Only the submission of briefs from
various affected interests remained
today to complete the record of
milk marketing hearings held by
the Agriculture Department here
and in Warrenton, Va, and Fred
erick, Md, this week to guide Sec
retary Wallace in setting up a new
agreement and scale of prices to
be paid farmers supplying Wash
ington distributors.
The hearings were closed at the
department auditorium yesterday,
after representatives of consumers
in the city had urged lower retail
milk prices and indorsed a proposal
by the Maryland and Virginia Milk
Producers Association for a special
price to families on relief.
Glen J. Clifford, presiding, gave
those who desired to submit briefs
until December to file them
Mrs. S. M. Newman, representing
the Consumers Milk Committee of
the District, suggested that the price
paid producers be reduced for Glass
milk by IS cents hundredweight,
which would place it at $281.
Suggests Retail Cuts.
"At the same time" she added,
1--WE are demanding that the store
price of milk be reduced 3 cents
quart, and that the delivered price
in two-quart containers be reduced
2l2 cents a quart"
This would lower the general re-
tail price from IA to II cents quart.
Mrs. Newman pointed out that a
temporary increase in the producer
price was granted in the fall of 1896,
because of emergency conditions in
the milkshed, and this price had not
been revised downward, save for a
decrease of 10 cents a hundred
weight, which merely served to in
crease distributors margins and was
not reflected in consumer prices
Since 1886, she said, production
has far exceeded the growth of popu-
lation; furthermore, fluid sales, as
represented by association figures,
have Jagged far behind production
and population From 1885 tc 1898.
she added, association sales actually
fell off and its 1888 report has this
to say: 1T is quite evident that dur
ing the last four years the trend in
production has been up and the
trend of sales has been down.
Sees Substitutes Used.
AS result of high prices, Mrs.
Newman said, the consumer has
bought substitutes for less" She
added:
I'VE think 1t TO be an obvious con-
clusion that the producer price for
fluid milk in this area is too high
and that the retail prices are even
farther out of line. Sales have fallen
far behind production and surpluses
have increased. Population growth
has exceeded sales figures to an even
greater degree, which means that an
already shameful per capita con-
sumption figure is shrinking daily"
The Consumers Milk Committee
contended that "the spread between
che local fluid price and manufactur-
ing values is wide The consumer is
paying more for less milk and the
producer is receiving less for more
milk"
Mrs. Newman contended: Some
thing must be done. There are
TOO many consumers who are buying
evaporated milk for cents in pref
erence to paying ID cents a Quart
for fluid, and the number is grow
ing"
The witness made it clear that her
organization wanted the farmers to
make a reasonable profit and was
aware of the role the middle men,
the distributing dairies, played in
marketing milk, but was concerned
at this time with the producer price,
since that was the only issue before
the department.
Cites 1923-25 Price.
Compared with the 1923-25 aver
age, Mrs. Newman said, food in the
District is down % per cent except
milk, which is only per cent less.
Mrs. D. A. Sharb, from the Con-
sumers' Study Group of the College
Park (MdO chapter of the American
Association of University Women,
said she had two small children
and milk represented 35 per cent of
her household budget.
John R. ONeill charged the dis
tributors had threatened the farm
ers with milk bootleggers from out
side the shed to make them cut
down the price" The farmers, he
insisted, should receive go per cent
OF the consumers dollar.
A statement filed by the District
Congress of Parents and Teachers
expressed particular interest in pro-
viding milk within reach of under
nourished children.
w. L. King, a dairy farmer of
Gaithersburg, Md, said he was sur
prised the producers association had
not asked for an increase in the
new agreement.
"If you consumers" he asserted,
paid for milk what you paw for
beer, you'd pay so cents a gallon.
In Washington milk is still your
cheapest and purest food"
The producers organization re-
quested the hearings as the basis for
a marketing agreement to replace
one put into effect for the Wash
ington shed in 1896. That price
fixing agreement was held unconsti-
tutional by the District Court, but
the United States Supreme Court
since has upheld the validity of