424 CITY MILK SUPPLY 



companies that supply them. Yet logically this would seem to be one 

 of the very first steps to take in attempting to regulate dairying. Prob- 

 ably one reason that it is rarely done is that funds are seldom available 

 to make the necessary surveys. Harding and Brew made the following 

 estimate of the capital invested in supplying milk to Geneva, N. Y., a 

 city of 12,574 inhabitants. The region is one of intensive fruit cultivation 

 and all of the milk producers are engaged in mixed farming. 



Cows 600 at $80 each $48,000 



Land with buildings, 3,000 acres at $100 300,000 



Equipment, 3,000 acres at $20 per acre 60,000 



City distributors 50,000 



Total $458,00 



This is a dairy capitalization of $36.42 per capita or from the agricultural 

 standpoint of $763 per cow of which the producer furnishes $680 and the 

 retailer $83. These students conclude that the average producer was 

 accepting less than 6 per cent, of the capital invested and that his financial 

 salvation depends upon increasing the productivity of his land to the 

 point where it takes less than 5 acres to support a cow and on increasing 

 the productivity of his cows to where they will give over 2,800 qt. of 

 milk a year. The largest retailer of milk in the district had been in 

 business 8 years and had never paid 7 per cent, on his stock. There is 

 no way of knowing how nearly typical of conditions that prevail by and 

 large throughout the dairy industry these figures from Geneva are, but 

 it is doubtful if conditions in general are better so that it is apparent that 

 the moderate profits yielded by the business make it imperative to care- 

 fully consider the cost of conditions it is proposed to impose on the in- 

 dustry and to choose a method of accomplishing any desired reform that 

 will be as inexpensive as possible. If the cost of milk to the consumer did 

 not have to be considered, conditions governing the production and sale 

 of milk might be prescribed that would assure that only milk of superior 

 quality was marketed but raising the price of milk brings it into compe- 

 tition with foods that commonly are excluded because of their cost. 

 Moreover the wages and salaries of city folks are fixed and a rise in price 

 of a food means that they have to restrict its use or perhaps forego it 

 altogether. The problem is not only how to protect the public health 

 from impure milk but how to promote the well-being of the community 

 by getting an abundance of milk at moderate price. 



Personnel of the Milk Inspection Bureau. This can only be done by 

 securing the cooperation of all concerned, the producer, the dealer and the 

 public. So, the composition of the staff engaged in enforcing the milk 

 ordinance is important. There is much difference of opinion as to what 

 this should be. It is generally agreed that the men should have some sort 

 of preparation or education for their work but there are difficulties in the 



