204 



CITY MILK SUPPLY 



and very light at others. The facilities for milk require comparatively 

 little capital. The country loading platforms are very simple and inex- 

 pensive; the terminals are mostly wooden sheds without sides, and with 

 a minimum of platform space. As the milk must be removed immediately 

 after arrival in the city, expensive storage warehouses in congested dis- 

 tricts are not required. The cars that are used in carrying milk are 

 mostly old ones that have been diverted from other purposes. The 

 traffic is so regular that only a minimum of rolling stock is necessary to 

 care for fluctuations in business. The cars are promptly released at the 

 terminals and on arrival in the country are loaded forthwith." 



"Most cars make a round trip daily. The labor cost of handling the 

 business is low for in the country the shippers load their own milk and 



From the 40th Annual Report of the Health Department of the City of Boston. 



FIG. 34. A railroad receiving station in Vermont that protects the milk from sun 



and storm. 



in the city the dealers help unload. The contractors accept delivery at 

 terminals selected by the carrier; very little milk is delivered at passenger 

 terminals. So much milk comes out of a dairy district that it can usually 

 be carried in trainload lots which makes the traffic desirable. Milk 

 is a necessity therefore it should have the benefit of the accepted traffic 

 principle that agricultural necessities should be carried at the lowest 

 tariffs consistent with a reasonably profitable return on the capital 

 employed in moving them. Despite this there is some evidence of a 

 tendency for the railroads to increase the rates." 



In general the milk that is shipped by rail is handled in cans which 

 under the best practice are washed and sterilized in the cities and re- 

 turned to the farmer who fills them with milk and carries them to the 



