THE MILK CONTRACTOR 351 



pert might be hired to run the plant and to teach the dairy farmers better 

 methods of production. Large cities, too, have considered the proposi- 

 tion. In 1915 the matter was brought to a head in Seattle, Wash., where 

 a dealer applied for the sole privilege of distributing milk in the city. 

 The council determined to investigate the advantages of a municipally 

 owned plant. The city's milk inspector, A. N. Henderson, has already 

 filed a preliminary report on the matter and is continuing his investiga- 

 tion. In the course of his studies he was unable to find a single munici- 

 pally operated plant in the United States. Undoubtedly the reason that 

 the experiment has not been tried is that the people positively decline 

 to entrust the care of such a vital necessity as milk to American commer- 

 cial politics. 



The milk-consuming public would very much like to know what the 

 profits in the city milk business are. Some people believe them to be 

 large, others are of the opinion that they are moderate while dealers as 

 a whole volunteer very little information on the subject. Some contrac- 

 tors state that taking the country as a whole, the profit ranges on the 

 average from J to J^ ct'. per quart of bottled milk. The only specific 

 statement of a larger dealer that the writer has seen in print is that of 

 H. P. Hood and Sons of Boston, Mass., which is presented in Table 109. 



TABLE 109. COST OP DELIVERING 1 QT. OP MILK TO THE CONSUMERS (H. P. HOOD 



AND SONS) 



Per quart 



Country expenses : 



Transportation, labor, ice, cans and stoppers, can washers and miscel- 

 laneous items $0.0102 



City expenses: 



Pasteurizing, washing and bottling, glass jars, etc 0. 0103 



Salaries of drivers, helpers, foremen and salesmen 0.0127 



Teams expense, including horses, wagons and harness . 0070 



Miscellaneous expenses, including bookkeeping, stationery, advertising 



matter, carfares, telephone calls and bad debts . 0038 



Total city expenses $0.0338 



Total expenses, city and country . 0440 



Shrinkage at 2 per cent, and loss in carrying surplus . 0037 



Grand total expenses .... $0 . 0477 



Average price paid producer per quart in the middle zone from Oct. 1, 



1911, to Oct. 1, 1912 0.0390 



Net cost per quart delivered to customer, family trade ! $0 . 0867 



As the average price paid per quart for bottled milk in Boston is 

 9 cts., the profit according to these figures is J^ ct. a quart. 



At the time of the milk strike in New York in the autumn of 1916, 

 Borden's Condensed Milk Company issued the statement on the cost of 

 milk that appears in Table 110. 



