30 ESSENTIALS OF SUITABLE LOCATIONS 



Finally, when the heavy 40-quart cans filled with condensed milk 

 are set into the cooling tank, water frequently splashes over into 

 the cans. Here again the quality of the condensed milk is jeopar- 

 dized, unless the water used is pure. 



The water must be cold. The colder the water the more sat- 

 isfactory is the operation of the vacuum pan. If the temperature 

 of the "water used in the condenser rises much above 65 degrees F., 

 the process of condensing becomes difficult. Cold water is essen- 

 tial, also, for the prompt and proper cooling of the condensed 

 milk. 



Transportation Facilities. It is essential that the factory have 

 access to one or more railway lines. 



While, for reasons discussed under "Milk Supply," it is not 

 advisable to erect a factory in too close proximity to large consum- 

 ing or railway centers, it is equally undesirable to choose a conden- 

 sery site where transportation facilities are poor. 



Where access to one railroad only can be had, the factory is 

 at the mercy of that road. Experience has shown that monopoly 

 of transportation usually means a low standard of efficiency of 

 service and high freight rates. 1 On the other hand, competition in- 

 volves a struggle for the survival of the fittest, and it offers the 

 public all the inducements that business ingenuity and enterprise 

 can produce. Where two or more transportation companies are 

 after the business of the same manufacturing concern, they will 

 generally leave nothing undone in the way of accommodations and 

 low rates to please the manufacturer. The result is that the man- 

 ufacturer enjoys the advantages of efficient service, good accom- 

 modations and reasonable freight rates. 1 



This is a factor which the condensery cannot afford to over- 

 look, as the freight charges are a very conspicuous item in the ex- 

 pense account of the milk condensing business. A part of the fresh 

 milk may have to be shipped to the factory by rail, all the finished 

 product must leave the factory by rail and the condensery is de- 

 pendent on the railway for its raw materials and supplies, such as 

 sugar, tinplate, solder, box shooks, barrels, labels, oil, rosin, gaso- 

 line, coal, etc. Prompt and efficient transportation is essential. 



1 The matter of freight rates is now largely regulated by the Federal De- 

 partment of Transportation. 



