Evening star., 1939-03-13
Milk Prices and Purity

MIX rrIceS and Purity
Out Of the welter of charges,
counter charges and Investigations
pertaining to the sale of milk in
Washington there have emerged two
rather well-def1ned issues, both of
which have an important bearing on
the health Of the residents of the city.
The first involves the purity of the
milk sold and the second concerns
its cost.
Enough evidence has been adduced
to date to justify a thorough investi-
cation Of charges that the Districts
health regulations, which admittedly
have resulted in the sale here only of
the best grade of milk from a health
standpoint, have also materially in
creased the cost of the product and
have contributed to the creation of
virtual monopoly in the sale of milk.
Milk sells here for fourteen cents
quart, price as high or higher than
that prevailing in any other city.
DR.. Frederic C. Howe, former con-
sumers' counsel for the Agricultural
Adjustment Administration, pointed
out that f1fty-six per cent of the dis
tribution in Washington is controlled
by one corporation. The health regu-
lations practically limit the supply of
milk to Washington to the eleven
hundred-odd members of the Mary
land-Virginia Producers Association
and three hundred or so independent
farmers. Through control of the
pasteurization plants the distributors
more or less effectively keep out new
competition. And by means of the
milk code the producers are protected
to large extent against competition
from the dairy belt of the Middle
West. Yet there is serious doubt that
prices here would be reduced should
the code be amended to allow cheaper
milk, or a larger quantity, to be i'm
ported from outside the Washington
milk she'd" The farmers in the
Capitals area receive a cent and
quarter quart more for their non
surplus milk than the average for the
country, but less than is paid pro-
ducers in the Boston district. At the
same time, milk retails here for ap-
proximately two cents quart more
than the average and a cent more
than in Boston.
The crux Of the monopoly charge
lies in the statement of DR.. Howe
that the principal lever used by two
corporations to gain control of the
bulk of the dairy industry was the
purchase of pasteurization plants, the
vital points in the war of health de-
partments against bacteria laden
milk. Profits from pasteurization are
negligible; it is through the control
of purchase and sales that the mo-
nopoly is said to exist.
The Districts milk code is based
upon a model drawn by the Public
Health Service and adopted by some
nine hundred communities WASH
ington citizens campaigned for years
to obtain its adoption. And it has
proved its worth. The bacteria count
per cubic centimeter was a million,
eight hundred thousand here in 1920,
and by 1885 had been reduced to less
than three thousand. In the same
time the quality of the milk had i'm
proved as indicated by an increase in
butter fat. There should be no action
taken by any agency which would
tend to lower this standard. It may
be found possible to maintain these
standards and still permit the i'm
portation of Outside" milk. And it
may be possible that regulatory ac-
tion regarding the distribution agen-
cies may bring about a reduction. In
view Of the fact that some large cities
can purchase healthful milk for six,
seven or eight cents a quart, an in
vestigation by Congress, Washing
tons only legislative body, is in order.