The Duty of the Consumer 



mist of the worst stripe. His bottles dis- 

 appear at a rate that makes him think that 

 his customers are consuming the bottles as 

 well as the milk contained in them. Too 

 often they go up the dumb waiter and that 

 is the end of them, as far as the dealer is 

 concerned. A good share of his profits, or it 

 may be his working capital, goes for new 

 bottles, while his lost ones, or rather those 

 which have escaped the garbage barrel, re- 

 appear in various capacities in the custom- 

 er's household. 



The dealer is deprived of the use of his 

 property, and this property will be even 

 destroyed with never a thought of compen- 

 sation therefor. This is manifest injustice, 

 and the sufferer thereby feels it keenly. The 

 business of retailing bottled milk at the 

 best does not boast any such profit that the 

 destruction of bottles can be calmly charged 

 up to profit and loss, and if the milkman's 

 pecuniary reward be almost wiped out by 

 the loss in bottles, what in the world has 

 he left for the hardships and exacting labor 



143 



