142 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



mings and L. E. Mclntire were present to represent the State 

 Grange. The railroads were the first to be heard, and then the 

 milk contractors. 



I staid in Boston and attended the hearing three days at this 

 time. It looked as though it might be several weeks before 

 the producers would be heard, so I came home to wait the call 

 of the chairman. I neglected to say that at this time it seemed 

 advisable to employ counsel, so Mr. Worthing, an old friend 

 of Mr. Pattee's, was engaged. I went back to Boston, Feb- 

 ruary 28. Several milk producers were there from New Hamp- 

 shire and Maine at the time the producers were heard, and their 

 testimony was certainly very satisfactory. 



The decision of the Commission is now history to Maine. 1 

 think it is quite satisfactory. Most of the milk from Maine is 

 shipped by fast freight, which is twenty-five per cent less than 

 passenger service. The increase is not very heavy; if you want 

 to know just how much, Mr. Bradford can tell you better than 

 I can. 



In August, with some of the officers of the State Grange 

 and other agricultural organizations, I attended a meeting in 

 Portland, by invitation of the officials of the Maine Central 

 Railroad, to discuss the new tariff and how it would affect the 

 dairy industry of Maine. And here I want to say that the 

 officials of the Maine Central Railroad seemed disposed to do 

 everything possible to help the dairy industry. 



In September, with Mr. Tucker, the president of the Asso- 

 ciation, I attended a meeting of the New England Milk Pro- 

 ducers' Union in Boston. At the first of this meeting several 

 of the milk contractors were present and representatives from 

 the Boston and Maine Railroad, and Mr. Orcutt, of the Bos- 

 ton Chamber of Commerce. It was agreed by the Milk Pro- 

 ducers' Union that, unless they were paid fifty cents per can 

 of eight and one-half quarts, delivered in Boston, they would 

 not ship this milk to the contractors ; the result was the milk 

 strike which was won by the producers and has caused an 

 advance in milk all over New England. 



After consulting with the president, Mr. Tucker, I sent a 

 check for twenty-five dollars to H. L. Webster, treasurer of 

 the Milk Producers' Union, to assist in the milking strike. 



