56 THE MODERN MILK PROBLEM 



situation in some quarters has reached such a pass that 

 the abolition of the middleman through the establish- 

 ment of farmers' co-operative selling or through other 

 co-operative or municipalization plans is being seriously 

 discussed. But this leads us to considerations which 

 must be postponed to later chapters. 



RAILROADS: THE TRANSPORTATION 

 PROBLEM 



A special matter which calls for attention in con- 

 nection with the milk supplies of large cities is railroad 

 transportation. Wherever milk is brought by rail from 

 long distances special sanitary precautions are neces- 

 sary, principally with regard to refrigeration, while 

 the railroads find it necessary to institute divisions of 

 milk transportation with provisions for special cars, 

 fast milk trains, depots, etc. The Pennsylvania Rail- 

 road, for example, a few months ago purchased at a 

 reported expense of $300,000 thirty-six refrigerator 

 cars to carry milk from northwestern New York and 

 Pennsylvania into the cities of Philadelphia, Brooklyn, 

 Baltimore, and Jersey City, the amount carried at 

 that time being 265,000 quarts per day. These cars 

 have a capacity of 12,000 quarts each, and brine and 

 cold air facilities for holding the temperature down 

 to 40 F. 



The transportation problem has appeared in acute 

 form in certain regions. The question of rates has 

 been taken up by the Interstate Commerce Commis- 

 sion, which has held hearings, e. g. (in 1916) in Boston 

 and Philadelphia. The complex situation in New 

 England has also been made the subject of investiga- 



