THE TRANSPORTATION OF MILK 215 



roads would have only one or two pickups and those were to be of im- 

 portant quantities and the farmers agreed to deliver milk at definite hours. 

 It was recognized that the improved service made an increase in rates 

 necessary and after some parleying an increase of 20 per cent, was agreed 

 upon and approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission. When 

 the tariff was adopted the Pennsylvania Railroad was ready to refrigerate 

 7,000 gal. a day: the Baltimore and Ohio promised to build cars to care 

 for the milk between Painesville and Akron ; the Lake Shore and Michigan 

 Southern promised to operate cars between Andover, Ohio, Oil City, 

 Pa., and intermediate stations, while the Erie and the Pennsylvania and 

 Lake Erie Railroads agreed to care for the milk coming over their 

 lines. 



Branch lines connect the surrounding country with the collecting 

 centers where the milk will be picked up for long haul to Pittsburgh. 

 Both the railroads and milk dealers are building large ice houses in the 

 dairy sections to store ice. Milk is now being received in Pittsburgh 

 at temperatures not above 48F. The smaller dealers can now have their 

 milk stay in the refrigerator cars until time to deliver it in the city, whereas 

 it was formerly necessary for them to meet the trains on their arrival in 

 Pittsburgh between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m., and to remove the milk 

 to the milk plants and refrigerate it. The refrigerator cars thus save 

 rehandling the milk and are said to effect a reduction in the cost of 

 refrigeration in Pittsburgh in excess of the added rates. 



The transportation of milk by common carriers is a phase of the city 

 milk question that is most important and seems likely to be a storm 

 center in the near future. It is important to the dairy farmers that they 

 shall have a railway service that shall get their milk to the cities in prime 

 condition, and at reasonable rates. It is equally important that the 

 railway service shall not build up a monopoly. The Boston Chamber of 

 Commerce has pointed out the evil of the leased car system and it is held 

 by others that the centralized creamery system depends for its existence 

 on low rates for cream. The milk of many cities is carelessly handled 

 and improperly refrigerated on its way to the city. The example of 

 Pittsburgh where organizations of the citizens, the municipal and federal 

 authorities cooperated in conference with the railroads shows how the 

 problem must be met and augurs well for its solution. 



Temperatures and Age of Milk Handled by Contractors. In the 

 spring of 1915 a committee of the International Milk Dealers' Association 

 sent a questionnaire to the members of the association regarding the 

 temperature and age of the milk they were handling, that information 

 might be obtained which would be useful in improving milk supplies. 

 It was particularly desired to elicit information as to conditions that 

 prevailed during July and August. The 22 replies that were returned 

 have been summarized in Table 67. The committee states that it is 



