208 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE- 



CREAMERYMEN'S SESSION. 



W. K. Hamlin, South Waterford. 



This is what we have commonly termed the "Creamerymen's 

 Hour." I think Hkely many of you do not know much about the 

 Creamerymen's Association, what they are doing and what is 

 their purpose. In a very few words I will undertake to tell you 

 something about why we are here. Seven years ago the seventh 

 day of last July a few of the creamerymen by invitation of our 

 Commissioner of Agriculture met in his office here at Augusta 

 to consider some way to create a better feeling, a feeling of co- 

 operation between the creamerymen and their patrons, and to 

 consider means of promoting our dairy interest. I will give 

 you our declaration of purposes as nearly as I can. The pur- 

 pose of this organization is to raise the standard of quality of 

 dairy products and to promote the interests of dairying when- 

 ever and wherever possible in the State. I am aware that a 

 good many look on the organizing in this way as a means of 

 squeezing the patrons a little, but this is not so. We are not a 

 combination for putting down the price of cream or for raising 

 the price of butter. We are a combination to produce better 

 biitter by every means in our power and better dairy products in 

 every line. We meet to study over and devise ways and means 

 to bring that about if possible. We are a combination for the 

 consumer's interest, to adopt any means within our reach to 

 produce butter more cheaply; we are a combination to try to 

 devise ways to produce cream cheaper, so that the patron may 

 get more out of it. I sometimes think that we are working 

 harder and more persistently for the benefit of the patrons than 

 they are for themselves. I am not going to take up your time 

 longer as we have some good things on the program for you. 



