Evening star., 1941-06-25
Fight Threat
Halls Hearinq
On Milk Price
Two Men Near Blows
After Witness Is
Called 'Iiur'

n ISdl lSI llBllJ DtlNEtn al OH
cial Of the Embassy Fairfax Dairy
and an officer of the Maryland
Virginia Milk Producers Association
today caused an uproar at a public
hearing conducted by the Agricul-
ture Department on proposed
amendments to the Federal milk
marketing order for Washington.
Participants were Coleman Gore,
production manager of Embassy
Fairfax. and Bruce B. Derrick, Sec
retary- treasurer of the association.
Mr. Derrick objected to testimony
being given by Mr. Gore, who was
on the witness stand. Mr.. Derrick
shouted that the witness testimony
"is damn lie"
Mr.. Gore leaped to his feet,
grabbed his chair, raised it over
his head and rushed toward Mr..
Derrick. shouting: You're a damn
liar yourself"
Men Are Restrained.
Seton Darr, counsel for the En-
bassy- Fairfax Dairy, lesped from
his seat and restrained Mr.. Gore.
while Haskell DonOho, the presid-
ing officer, restrained Mr.. Derrick,
who had started to remove his
glasses.
Mr.. Gore put down the chair
but made another rush for Mr. Der
rick while exchanging heated re-
marks with him. He was restrained
again as the presiding officer raped
for order and called a brief recess.
Mr.. Donoho then warned both
men.
Mr.. Gore apologized 'for losing
my temper" and promised it would
not happen again.
Mr.. Derrick also apologlzed, re-
marking that he hoped Mr.. Gore
would stick to facts from now on"
When Mr.. Donoho remarked that
| that wasn't exactly the kind Of
apology he had hoped for. Mr.. Der
rick rose again and said i offer
full apology
/ Shake Hands During Recess.
| Later, during a recess period, Mr..
Gore and Mr.. Derrick exchanged
apologies, shook hands, and stood
/ chatting and laughing together.
| The clash began when Mr.. Gore
charged that Mr.. Derrick's aSsocia-
ton has been refusing TO pay old
producers on a fiat price basis. while
permitting new producers to be paid
/ on this basis, instead of the So
called surplus-base basis.
Mr.. Gore had testified that an
association producer had come to
him and said he wanted to get a
I fiat price basis, but that the as
sociation would not permit It.
Il told him to send me his milk
for a few days, and when the asso-
citation finds out that you mean
business they'll pay YOU what you
want" Mr.. Gore declared.
Then he remarked that the aSso-
citation will give producers almost
anything they want if the producers
stand firm in their demands
1t was at this point that Mr.. Der
rick objected to the testimony. de-
claring that it was not true that the
association gives its producer men,
bers anything they want.
Violation of Clause Charged.
/ Earlier in his testimony. Mr.. Gore
had charged that the Milk Pro-
ducers' Association has not lived up
to the new producer" clause of the
milk marketing agreement, which
provides that new producers in the
/ Washington milk shed may not
/ share in the blended price paid to
old producers for the first four
months.
The Embassy Fairfax Dairy has
proposed that the new producer
clause be eliminated from the agree
ment. Mr.. Gore declared it is
absurd" to penalize new producers
at a time when a shortage of milk
is threatened.
He predicted that there would be
a serious shortage" unless the pro-
ducer clause is deleted
Warns of Increase.
NJ V. Dawson. in charge of pro-
duction for Chestnut Farms-Chevy
Chase Dairy, told yesterday after
Moons session expenses of the dis
tributor have increased to the point
where they can no longer be ab-
sorbed.
Mr.. Dawson also protested against
the double assessment on milk
here but sold in nearby Vir-
ginia. He said his company has to
pay cents per hundredweight to
the District Milk Market Admin
iStration and another cents on the
same hundredweight to Virginia au-
thorities. He was joined in this
protest by Henry Thompson, in
charge of production for Thomp-
sons Dairy.
Three independent dairy farmers
urged the adoption of price in
crease. A. l.. Leigh of Vienna. Va,
pointed out that only certain classes
of milk are affected by the proposed
increase. not all of them. Jesse
J. Ramey, also of Vienna. said he
had to get "a 9-year-old hoy out Of
bed to milk my COWS this morning"
because of the high cost of labor.
Mason F. Smith of Herndon, Va.
also Endorsed the proposed increase.
Cent q Quart Increases