DISTRIBUTION OF MILK 81 



ating 242 routes and was supplying milk to about 55 per 

 cent of the families of the city, and the two dealers next 

 in size were operating about forty routes each. 



Once the milk business has reached the stage where 

 such large quantities are distributed by a few dealers, a 

 high degree of systematization is necessary to conduct 

 the distribution efficiently. Milk arrives at the plant in 

 large volume at a certain hour of the day and must be 

 processed and entirely out of the way before the next day's 

 supply is due. It must also be ready for delivery each day 

 at a certain time, for there is no reserve of bottled milk to 

 fall back upon in case the new supply is held up at any 

 stage. The whole distributive organization must work 

 in unison if the distribution is to be made with efficiency 

 and dispatch. That this is true becomes apparent when 

 one considers the distribution from the point of view of 

 what each of the various operations implies. 



The receiving of the milk at the plant door, simple as 

 that may seem, requires system in order that the hundreds 

 or in many cases thousands of cans can be received, ex- 

 amined or sampled, and weighed in the course of a few 

 hours each morning. Then there is the matter of keeping 

 straight the records of a great number of individual pro- 

 ducers, which records must show each individual's tests 

 and weights. Every mistake means complaints and the 

 possibility of accusations of dishonesty and other mis- 

 understandings. 



Putting the milk through the various stages is alone 

 an elaborate process. In a small plant the system of han- 

 dling may consist of a few simple steps. They may be: 

 (i) weighing the milk, if it is purchased by weight; (2) 

 straining into the filler supply can; (3) bottling; (4) cap- 

 ping by hand; (5) transferring bottles to wagon ready 



