158 THE MODERN MILK PROBLEM 



increasing distinctly more rapidly than the price to the 

 consumer. Hence, while better methods in milk sanita- 

 tion will tend to keep down costs, the consumer must 

 expect, so long as these are actually increasing, to pay 

 for the increase. If, as appears, a great deal of milk 

 is now produced at little or no profit or even at a loss, 

 and this is becoming increasingly recognized, then 

 rising prices must naturally be looked for. Again, 

 wherever materially stricter sanitary requirements 

 are made, it is to be expected that a corresponding 

 compensation in increased price will be demanded. 



It is unreasonable to expect that, when the costs of 

 staples and labor are rising, the price of milk should 

 remain stationary, for the farmer and dealer are sub- 

 ject to the same economic conditions as the popula- 

 tion in general. Regarding any increase in the retail 

 price, it is fair to suppose that it should be shared by 

 farmer and dealer. Up to the present the farmer appears 

 to have had the small end of the division of profits. At 

 the same time a legitimate increase in price paid to the 

 producer should not serve as an excuse to dealers acting 

 in concert or combination to raise unduly the price to 

 the consumer. Unfortunately the present system re- 

 quires retail prices to be stepped up or down by whole 

 cents, while the dealer can adjust his price to the pro- 

 ducer in small fractions. 



As to the cost of sanitation considered separately, 

 sanitary milk need not cost much more than unsani- 

 tary milk. Some idea of the items in this regard is 

 given by the North system (page 78) and by some of 

 the figures in Appendix D. 



The advantages of the ticket system and of the ad- 



