HOW SOLVE THE PROBLEM? 159 



justment of retail prices by fractions of a cent have 

 already been discussed in Chapter IV (pages 146-47). 



Whatever price readjustments take place with the 

 adoption of the grading system will normally be the 

 just results of recognition of quality. In New York 

 City Grade A milk sells at one cent a quart more than 

 Grade B, while Grade C (an unbottled milk for cooking 

 or manufacturing purposes) is two cents below B. It 

 is clear that since proper grading in the average com- 

 munity, would raise standards, corresponding in- 

 creases in prices might be expected, but these would 

 fall chiefly or wholly on the better grades, and should 

 be by no means excessive. 



Finally, the system of grades, by clearing up con- 

 fusion, permits freer play to the economic force of com- 

 petition and to the economic law of supply and de- 

 mand. There has been much talk about securing the 

 cooperation of the dairyman and persuading him to go 

 to trouble and expense for improvements which are 

 not recognized in an increased price for his product 

 over that of other diarymen less amenable to persua- 

 sion. Cooperation is an excellent thing, and it is well 

 to encourage individual effort. But competition is, 

 after all, the dominant force. It is not necessarily true 

 that, as has been asserted, " commercial competition 

 hurts the quantity and the quality of the milk supply. " 

 Quality is impaired only when sanitary regulation is 

 so inadequate as to permit it to be. Establish and 

 enforce definite milk standards for different grades, 

 and competition should operate to produce each grade 

 most efficiently and cheaply, while economic law should 

 ensure that the supply of each approximate the de- 



