THE MILK CONTRACTOR 355 



avoid payment, bill too small to pay for costs of collection, but the aggregate is 

 a substantial amount), non-return of bottles, the density of the population, the 

 number of stops required to deliver a load (depending on whether the customer 

 takes a pint, quart or 2 or 3 qt.), and the average number of quarts that are carried 

 through the year (which varies from 200 to 400 qt. per team). On many routes 

 people are away during the summer, leaving a team for months with only half 

 of its regular load. 



Retail Stores (Bottles in Cases). The cost of delivery to the retail stores 

 varies from 1 to 2> cts., depending on the distance traveled, the number of stops 

 necessary to deliver a load (10 to 35), and whether or not two trips can be made 

 in a day. 



Wholesale Trade. The cost to the wholesale consumer varies from > to 1 ct., 

 depending on the number of stops, the distance, the number of trips a two-horse 

 team or motor truck can make in a day,, and the size of the container, whether 

 8-, 8^-, 20- or 40-qt. or 21^-qt. container (a 20-, 21^- or 40-qt. container costing 

 K ct. to 3^ ct. per quart less to handle). 



Early in 1915 the Federal Government in a cooperative investigation 

 with the Massachusetts Agricultural College obtained the cost of dis- 

 tributing milk from 86 dealers in six cities and towns of Massachusetts, 

 including Worcester and Springfield. The cost of retailing began with 

 the delivery of the milk at the milk plant of the distributor, or in the case 

 of producers with the preparation of the milk after it had been strained 

 and put in cans. All labor costs including the distributor's own valua- 

 tion of his time and of the time given him by various members of his 

 family, the interest on the investment, depreciation, insurance, taxes, 

 all overhead charges, cost of horse labor, including feed, depreciation on 

 horses and equipment and all losses in bottles and wastes were taken into 

 consideration. The cost of distributing milk figured on this basis means 

 that milk could be delivered at this cost but that there would be no profit 

 above wages. The average costeof delivery in the six cities was 2.64 cts. 

 and the average cost for the 42 dealers in Worcester and Springfield 

 was 2.79 cts. Increase in the cost of labor and other costs since the study 

 was completed makes it necessary to add 25 per cent, or more to these 

 figures. 



Cance, who conducted the investigation, found that in Springfield one 

 dealer distributed for 2.2 cts. and another for 4.71 cts. per quart. As 

 a whole the distributing costs run about as follows: 



Of the dealers investigated: 



6 per cent, distributed milk for less than 1% cts. 

 21 per cent, distributed milk for l>-2 cts. 

 24 per cent, distributed milk for 2-2^ cts. 

 19 per cent, distributed milk for 2^-3 cts. 

 18 per cent, distributed milk for 3-33^ cts. 

 12 per cent, distributed milk for more than 3)^ cts 



