Evening star., 1947-10-18
Milk Price Rise
Ruling Seen in
About2Weeks
Consumers to Face
1H-Cent Increase
If Producers Win

will be able to 60 over the mass o
testimony and figures in time Il
act on a proposal for a milk pric
increase to 81 cents a quart in TIL
washington area by November l.
Bruce B. Derrick. secretary-treasl
urer OF the Maryland and Virginid
Milk Producers, requested the COM
mission, after four hours of con,
dlctlng testimony in Alexandra
yesterday, to act on his request fol
a 461a-cent per 100 pounds increas,
IN wholesale milk prices by thai
date.
DR.. Snavely said afterward thu
a week or 10 days will be require
Tor completion of the transcrir
alone. Another week may elap,
after that before a final decision
reached.
Would Pass On Cost.
In any event, should the COMM
sion rule in favor of produces
Washington area consumers face
immediate increase of 1la cents
quart in milk prices-an all-tin
high for the area. The price nd
Tor me-delivered milk is l9
cents a quart.
The Maryland and Virginia pro
ducers have high record of gettinI
the price increases for which thd
have asked.
Ofhcials of five Washington, Al
lington and Alexandria dairies mad
it clear in testimony yesterday the
would have no alternative but ID
pass on to consumers the wholesale
Increase (Which would be cent
a quartz as well as another half
cent to compensate for increased
dairy labor and material costs in
the past 13 months.
Consumer witnesses. who turned
out in unusually large numbers, were
just as emphatic that any further
price increase would force a drop in
sales at the expense of both the pro-
ducer and those who require milk in
their daily diet.
Some Concede Drop.
Several dairy operators conceded
that a higher price would bring a
drop in sales.
Maurice Dawson, vice president
OF Chestnut Farms Chevy Chase
Dairy, predicted the higher price
will undoubtedly cause a reduction"
OF fluid milk sales and force a shift
to ice cream mix and similar prod
ucts.
Michael H. Burchell of Alexandria
Dairy Products Co. foresaw a tenn
porary decline in sales. He told the
commission, even if the producer re-
quest is turned down, his concern
Will require a half-cent Increase to
meet new production costs.
The commission also was re-
euested by Hugh F. Hall. repre-
senting the Lucerne Mils Co. al
subsidiary of Safeway St fes, t8
"equalize" the price of it's 4 ailk bel
tween Washington and <naarby Virf
ginia. He noted the cha j Is seIlink
milk in, the Washington stores Mt
II cents a quart but IL prevented
by commission ruling from sellirie
it in Virginia for less than SO cents
for two quarts,
Consumer Questions Witnesses.
Mrs. Sarah Newman, chairman of
the Washington Committee for
Consumer Protection, led the oppo-
sition to any increase and freuuent-
ly questioned witnesses. She and
Mr.. Derrick tangled on several oc-
casions, as she quoted Agriculture
Department and other statistics on
prices charged consumers in other
areas and producer prices in other
markets.
A political note was interjeeted
briefly into the hearing when Mrs.
@. Ethel Clair of Arlington, Repub-
lican candidate for the House OF
Delegates, asked the cornmission
why no delegate was present at the
hearing.
Mr.. Derrick cited High ftN and
labor costs for farmers In tht f,rea
and warned that, as a result, milk
production is falling off. If the
downward trend in production con-
tinues, he said, the Washington
area market will be short 10000
gallons of milk a day.
Holds Request Is Conservative.
If this continues, our producers
will look for more profitable crops"
Mr.. Derrick declared. He said the
increase sought by producers is
very conservative" and that, il
milk prices kept pace with other
food costs, milk today would be
selling for 27 cents a quart. F.,
Mrs. Newman declared: 1T took
years and high-wage war period
to sharpen the public taste for milk,
1t takes only an unreasonably high
price of milk to effectively and
blunt that taste even while
people are working I
She noted that last April the aro-
ducer associations board had
adopted a resolution it would with
hold all milk from the market Until
an adequate price increase is fofh-
coming"
iaklng our cue from the ta4ics
OF the association" she said, der
haps consumers, in similar fashion,
should resolve to withhold all our
chases of fluid milk until an ade-
quate, reasonable price is forth
coming"
Others Testify.
Other comments by witnesses lin
cluded:
Mrs. Charles v. Strain, chairman
of the Arlington Consumer Council:
1T certainly will not increase public
goodwill If they expect the prics to
go up here just because it is riding
elsewhere. They definitely did not
bring it down when it was coahng
down elsewhere last spring." a.
Mrs. Beatrice Kahn OF the Eiies'
auxiliary of United Public walkers
Of America (CIO): ASK any Elilk-
man what happens when the Hrice
Of milk goes up"
Mrs. Florence Cannon of Al ing
ton: THE time has come hen
private groups should be ask to
cut down their profits" -
]. F. Quinn of Clifton, W. "I
cannot think of more un-AmAean
Thing than to come into town Ind
order local COW fellows to sell blk