Evening star., 1939-11-19
Milk Hearings
May Decide 7c
Price for Poor
Series Of Meetings
Opens Tomorrow
In Wurrenton
BY BLAIR BOLLES.

4ltC pOSSiDlilby o1 t-SClAO lllAAh
for Washington's poor will be the
paramount question as far as the
District is concerned when the De-
partment of Agriculture tomorrow
opens its three-day public hear
ings on the proposal to establish
Federal supervision of the Washing
ton milkshed. The suggestion comes
from the Maryland and Virginia
Milk Producers Association. whose
member farmers supply 80 per cent
of the milk shipped into the Capt.
tai.
Tomorrow's hearing begins at 10
am. in the courthouse at Warren =
ton, Va, and probably will be over
by milking time. Tuesdays hear
ing is at Winchester Hall, Fred
erick, Md, and Wednesdays in the
auditorium of the south building,
Agriculture Department. Glen j.
Clifford, from the office of the solici-
tor of the Agriculture Department,
will preside at the hearings. From
the testimony offered the depart
ment's Division of Markets and Mar
AClllls lSl CClilCllIo WllA oSSAuS
whether it is desirable to promul-
gate a milk marketing agreement
and order, which would be signed
by Secretary Wallace.
The chief feature of milk
marketing agreement and order
would be the establishment of a
scale of minimum prices to be paid
to the farmers by the dairies and
the setting up of the Government
as the watchdog to see that the price
agreement was adhered to. Accord
ing to B. B. Derrick, secretary of the
Maryland and Virginia association.
the price to the consumer would not
rise In the main, the prices pro-
posed by Mr. Derrick for all farmers
are the prices which the association
members now receive.
Schedule Has Unique Provision.
The association has inserted a
unique provision in the complex
schedule of milk prices. While the
minimum for class milk Cused for
fluid milk, chocolate milk or whole
milk drinks is set at $317 hun
dredweight. there is special class
price OF s271 on milk to be sold or
disposed OF under any program
which the Secretary of Agriculture
may approve for distributing milk
inexpensively among low-income
and relief families. The aim is a
retail price of 7 cents a quart for
these families.
The Washington Consumers Milk
Committee yesterday issued a state
ment that this low-income distribu-
ton would make for a general in
crease in milk consumption. The
committee said that it believes
present high retail prices block
consumption. 1t expects to make
representations in favor of, the low
income plan at Wednesdays hear
ing. The committee stated its posi-
ton in favor of the special low price
thus:
THE committee bases its plan on
q study of the milk situation here
and other cities in the United States
It has discovered that cost of milk
in Washington is almost the highest
in the country and, conversely, aver
age consumption is far less than in
comparable cities
The committee hopes for s.
cent price to the low-income fam
lilies. Most milk in Washington now
retails for IA cents quart.
Pact Would Set Prices.
A.. for &C +loo fo o,,,,orc cbinpipp
milk into Washington are concerned
and there are more than 1900 OF
them, as far away as Pennsylvania
the Upper Shenandoah Valley of
Virginia and the Eastern Shore OF
Maryland-the main question in the
proposed agreement is whether it
will raise their incomes. In Wash
ington milk put on the market is
divided into classes /, 2 and and
the agreement would set the prices
in all classes
Glass milk is used for cream,
cream buttermilk, cottage cheese
and all milk not used in classes l
or g. The proposed minimum price
is S198 hundredweight. Glass 8
is milk used for ice cream. The
proposed minimum is to be deter
mined by an intricate formula based
on the price of butter.
There are other complications in
the price structure. The proposed
agreement includes a schedule OF
differentials based on quality pre-
miums adjudged from the high
health ratings accorded barns and
cattle. The agreement also pro-
poses deduction of As cents hun
dredweight on class l milk disposed
of by handler from a plant lack
ing a permit from the Health De-
partment to sell milk or cream in
the District.
Consumers to Be Guarded.
In order to insure that the Wash
ington consumers interests are
guarded. Howard J. Fedderson, from
the office of the consumers coun-
sci, Department of Agriculture, will
be present at all the hearings. The
department will be represented also
by E. o. Mather from the solicitors
office, Paul L. Miller economist in
the dairy section, division of mar
kets and marketing agreements, and
L. K. Wallace, another economist.
Without the low-price arrange
ment a milk marketing agreemen,
and order were in operation here
three years ago for short period
before Justice Oscar Luhring in Dis
trict Court ruled it unconstitutional
He was overruled later by the Court
of Appeals and since then the Su-
preme Court has upheld the con-