256 THE MARKETING OF WHOLE MILK 



ownership are that greater efficiency in operation could be 

 secured than would be possible if the city operated the 

 business itself. In common with municipal operation its 

 big advantages would be all the economies of large-scale 

 operation together with the elimination of duplication 

 and also the betterment of quality resulting from the use 

 of more up-to-date equipment and greater facility in regu- 

 lating by the health authorities. 



Many consumers, however, and producers as well, har- 

 bor a great fear of any large corporation and would be 

 very credulous of any agitator's wild or malicious charges. 

 A fatal weakness of such a scheme is quite likely to be that 

 the public would almost certainly be unwilling to allow 

 adequate revenue. Note, for example, the attitude of 

 our various governing bodies toward the railroads and 

 other public utilities under regulation. In perhaps a 

 majority of instances revenues are inadequate to attract 

 capital sufficient to keep these utilities abreast of public 

 needs. In the opinion of the writer, regulation of a milk 

 utility would have to be by a State Commission somewhat 

 similar to our public utilities commissions, since any city 

 commission would very likely be too easily drawn into 

 politics over minor issues. The recent experience of 

 Columbus, Ohio, in refusing to grant its street railway 

 company an adequate return, and of Toledo, Ohio, along 

 the same line, add weight to the conclusion that a pub- 

 licly regulated corporation would get fairer treatment 

 from state than from city authorities. The failure of the 

 public generally to understand the source and nature of 

 profits is likely to forestall the introduction of more effi- 

 cient methods, because the corporation could hope to gain 

 but little from any superior efficiency its management 

 might develop. 



