Evening star., 1941-10-02
Discusses Washington's Milk Problem
And Urges Congress to Solve 1t.

To the Editor OF The Star:
There are certain minimal benefits
which the votelesS consumer OF this
Nations Capital reasonably can expect
from the public hearing on changes in
our present milk code, and it is to be
hoped that it will be something more
than a windy exchange of smoke screens
designed to cover up selfish motives
There is every reason to believe that
there is determined effort to continue
status quo which, under the guise of
indispensable health regulations, encour-
ages monopoly, eliminates qualified COM
petition In an open market and is the
principal factor in maintaining an arti-
fcially high price level of essential food
products.
A comparable situation arose in New
York City and Mayor La Guardia un-
masked a distinguished group Of hypo-
critics whose civic Righteousness was pay
ing dividends far in excess of the legal
rate, all at the expense of the exploited
consumer. The present instance gives
every evidence that thes devil has not
forgotten how to quote Scripture.
1t is a matter of common knowledge
that butter fat is the nutriticnal gold
of milk, and like currency, milk can be
Gevalued by reducing its content of gold.
Like gold, butter fat can be stored up;
but unlike gold, it can double its value in
six short months. So far as the present
arrangement between producers and dis
tributors of milk products is concerned,
this gold balance is used to subsidize and
protect the security of selfish, grasping
vested interests. 1t is so planned that
the consumer never receives the benefits
of seasonal surpluses but always is re-
quired to pay the added costs incident to
seasonal scarcity or increased outlays
for stimulated production. Under the
present arrangement, the producer of
milk products is on a quota arrangement,
the sole purpose of which is to keep
prices at an artihcially high level, by
discouraging production in excess of con-
tracted quotas. During periods of sea-
sonal glut, the milk producer agrees to
accept considerably less than the con-
tracted price, for succeeding fractions of
his surplus. Instead of milk costing less
to the exploited consumer, the milk pro-
cessor and distributors divert its butter
fat to storage vaults and that which
they bought at usurious discount in
the summer months they sell to the con-
sumer in the winter at a profit that
mocks any concept of commonplace ex-
tortion.
Though we are voteless, we nave a
right to expect the National Legislature
to formulate remedial measures. We hold
that it is most unfair and un-American
to encourage the erection of economic
barriers between qualified markets and
consumer demand. This being the
Nations Capital, there is no reason
under the sun why the cost of an essen
tial commodity should be maintained at
an artif1cially high level for the sole
benefit and exploitation of any neighbor-
ing geographical group Sadly enough,
as taxpayers we are required to bear
many burdens far in excess of ordinary
community responsibility.
Let us keep every health measure and
regulation honestly necessary to main
tain adequate health standards, but do
not let rs be guilty Of the intellectual