Evening star., 1939-11-21
War Increases
Cost Of Milk,
Hearing Told
Feed Prices Up 1919,
. Labor Needs Heavier,
Derrick Asserts
BY BLAIR BOLLES,
Star STAFF CORRESPONDENT

FREDERICK, Md, Nov. 21.-The
war in Europe has sent up the cost
OF production of the milk Washing
tonians drink, B. B. Derrick. man
ager OF the Maryland and Virginia
Milk Producers Association, told
Glen j. Clifford, representing the
United States Department of Agri-
culture Department, before a hall
filled with the Maryland farmers
whose COWS provide much of that
milk.
In arguing for an increase in the
price paid by the Washington dairies
to the farmers for the milk. Mr.. Der
rick pointed out that since the wars
outbreak the cost of feed has gone
up 10 per cent. The opportunities
of farm laborers for higher pay
have become more clamorous, and
the price OF TIN from which tools
and equipment used in the milking
business are made, like pals and
cans, have increased.
Daniel j. Thomas of Frederick,
who markets the milk of "a COWS he
raises on a 230-acre farm, said his
costs have risen from 10 to Is per
cent since September l. AS for
wages, it was brought out yesterday
at similar milk hearing in Warren
ton, Va, that while farm labor paw
is Is cents an hour, the w. P. A.
level is Is cents an hour.
Forecast Price Boost.
Mr.. Derrick and the farmers
agreeing with him think a price in
crease for all the farmers supplying
the Washington market will come
from the proposed milk marketing
agreement and order which would
establish a Federal supervision of
the District market and institute a
scale OF minimum prices for the
various classes of milk. He esti-
mated increase of producers income
by cents per hundredweight.
The agreement on which Mr.. Gif.
ford is holding three-day hearings
in behalf of the Secretary of Agri-
culture was suggested by the asso.
citation which Mr.. Derrick manages.
1t supplies more than 80 per cent OF
the milk shipped into the Washing
ton shed.
Hearings End Tomorrow.
The question of whether a retail
increase in the cost of milk in
Washington would follow the adop.
ton of the proposed agreement ans
order has not been debated at thu
hearings so far. 1t is expected tc
be brought up at the last day o;
the hearings in Washington tomor-
row.
One aspect of the suggested order
is the establishment of system Of
supplying low price milk to relief
families in Washington as we'll as
non-relief low income families. A
Dse in the retail price in Hyattsville,
Md, was openly urged here today by
o. w. Anderson, who produces milk
for the Hyattsville market on
farm near Rockville, Md.
The proposed agreement would
apply minimums to milk produced in
Maryland and sold in the Maryland
suburban area of Washington.
Hyattsville retail prices range now
from 9 to 13 cents quart.
Plaintive Plea.
Yesterdays hearing was in War
renton, Va. The most plaintive plea
in behalf of the egulation-which
would be in the form of a milk
marketing agreement and an order
signed by Secretary Wallace-came
from w. M. Kline, a farmer who
milks 26 COWS on his place near
Manassas, Va. Mr., Kline observed
that his hired help have been asking
for more pay since the war began
(the hands now get Is cents an
hour. Then he commented:
I've got two boys, one 9, the
other II. They're right young to
hitch up to the dairy business, but
milking I want them to get into
the business. l like it and l want
them to like it. So you can see I
was right discouraged when the
youngest boy was milking the cow
across from mine the other night,
and said, Dad, I'd rather be truck
driver than a dairy farmer
I'VE ought to make the dairy in
dustry profitable enough so the boys
will be willing to stay down on the
farm"
His Costs Are Up.
Mr.. Kline said that under present
circumstances he is just about hold
ing his own. The argument of the
farmers yesterday was that they
took cut in price in 1888 and
fSee MILK, Page A-3)