Description of the Dealers 



A total of 201 independent milk dealers was interviewed in 1956 and 1957 

 in four northeast states with respect to their balancing operations, Table 3. 

 The majority of these interviews was made in New Hampshire. 



In all of the states some form of state or federal regulation which affected 

 the price paid to producers for milk was in existence. In addition, minimum 

 resale prices were established by state regulation in Vermont and New Hamp- 

 shire. However, twelve of the West Virginia plants included in the survey 

 were not under any form of price regulation. These differences were consider- 

 ed in the analysis made of dealers' attitudes and on their methods of balanc- 

 ing 



Table 3 Size of Plants by Daily Average Sales of Fluid Milk of 201 

 Independent Milk Dealers, Four Northeastern States, 1956-1957. 



The daily average sales of milk of these independent plants were about 

 the same in all of the three New England states. On the average, plants in 

 West Virginia were twice as large as in any of the New England states. 

 While some of the plants in West Virginia were relatively large it was assum- 

 ed that with respect to the problem of balancing their independent nature 

 (single plant firm) placed them in the same category as the New England 

 plants. 



Source of Receipts 



The major source of supply for these dealers was from their own produc- 

 tion (producer-dealer) or from other producers, Table 4. Only three of the 

 dealers interviewed obtained their milk entirely from other dealers. 



About 59 per cent of the dealers obtained all of their milk supply directly 

 from producers or from their own herd's production. The remaining 41 per 

 cent purchased some milk from other dealers. An indication of the quantities 

 of milk received at plants from these sources was obtained from the Vermont 

 study and from unpublished data obtained from West Virginia and Massa- 

 chusetts. In Vermont 93 per cent of the milk handled by dealers of small 

 and medium size operations was from their own herd's production or other 

 producers. 5 Only 7 per cent was from other dealers. In West Virginia the 



5 Ibid, McAllister, C. E., Vermont's Milk Dealers. 



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