Part II.] DISTRIBUTION OF IMILK. 135 



MY EXPERIENCE AS A DISTRIBUTOR OF MILK. 



E. L. BRADFORD, AUBURN, MAINE. 



My experience as a distributor of milk has been, as a whole, 

 a comparatively tame one. Yet I can testify in parody to the 

 song, "a milkman's life is not an easy one." I have simply 

 gone right on in a blundering way trying to do right as I knew 

 how — and could. A certain deacon when asked whether he 

 considered himself honest, frankly replied, "As honest as the 

 times will permit." Such answer may be of wider application 

 than most of us would like to admit. However, our concern 

 has kept the straight and narrow path fairly well, and in only a 

 very few instances has it collided with the law. In such cases 

 we got only what belonged to us — justice. One case resulted 

 from negligence of employees to stir up a vat of milk before 

 drawing it off. Another case occurred years ago through the 

 folly of an agent in trying a sample of preservative from a 

 salesman who told him in the most confidential way the other 

 concerns were using it. In another case we were haled into 

 court because we did not label cans of buttermilk in a manner 

 similar to that required for skim milk. In this case we were, of 

 course, acquitted of infringing the law. 



As for our treatment by inspectors, we consider it has been 

 fair and reasonable except in one or two cases about which per- 

 haps the least said is best. On the whole, we think our rela- 

 tions with health authorities have been very satisfactory, con- 

 sidering the extent of our dealings. I am speaking for ourselves 

 now and not for the officials. We are licensed to sell milk in 

 fifteen towns in Maine, twenty-seven towns in Massachusetts 

 and four towns in Rhode Island. We also ship into numerous 

 other towns in which cases no license is required of us. 



One thing which we dislike in common with other dealers is 

 the varying regulations in different towns. I think Mr. Lythgoe 



