MILK SURVEY OF THE CITY OF ROCHESTER 21 



The subjects of enquiry included : A study of the milk supply of the 

 cities of Glens Falls, Syracuse, Utica, Binghamton, Poughkeepsie, 

 Middleton, Watertown, Albany, Olean, Batavia, Lockwood and James- 

 town, N. Y. In some cities complete information was obtained. In other 

 cities, partial information. 



Complete records and costs of milk production were secured from 

 thirty representative agricultural regions surrounding Syracuse, Canton, 

 Middletown, Binghamton, Watertown, Utica, Poughkeepsie; including 

 cost of feed, labor, and other dairy costs. 



Statistics of the cost of distribution from 26 distributers in Utica, 

 Syracuse, Binghamton, Batavia, Lockport, Watertown, Middletown, 

 Jamestown, Poughkeepsie, were obtained, including the cost of operating 

 milk plants and milk delivery systems. 



The conclusions and recommendations of this report, briefly, are 

 as follows: 



"(1) The Council is firmly of the opinion * * * that the producers gen- 

 erally have not been making any large profits; 



(2) That in nearly every city there are too many dealers and that there is a 

 large duplication of routes, several wagons serving customers in the same block; 



(3) The problem of surplus has also been an acute one ; 



(4) That the overhead on account of an expensive plant and a large amount 

 of capital is so great that no company, even though handling practically all of the 

 milk of the city, could show a large profit with such an overhead; 



(5) That the entire system of distribution in the up-State cities should in some 

 way be made more efficient. 



(6) It has been advised that * * * the cost of distribution in Philadelphia 

 has been reduced to approximately 4.5c ; 



(7) That in the City of Ottawa it has been reduced to about 3.5c; 



(8) The evidence indicates that the spread of about 5c per quart between the 

 cost of milk at the city distributing plant and the prices received for retail milk 

 would cover the cost of bottling and distribution in these cities under present con- 

 ditions. 



1919, Spokane, Wash. (Report presented to the President of the 

 Chamber of Commerce by a special Committee called "The Milk Com- 

 mittee appointed by the Chamber of Commerce," dated April 25, 1919.) 



Methods of enquiry included: Questionnaires addressed to pro- 

 ducers and dealers; field work, including inspections of the producers' 

 and dealers' businesses. 



Subjects of enquiry included: Statistics of the supply of Spokane; 

 losses on surplus milk; per capita consumption; food value of milk; milk 

 prices compared with other food; and the cost of production and of 

 distribution. 



The conclusions and recommendations include the following: 



