18 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



That the department of agriculture is hereby directed to investigate 

 the purchase, collection and shipment at wholesale of milk and cream by 

 contractors or dealers, and such other related matters as are contained 

 in house bill number six hundred and thirty-nine of the current year, with 

 special reference to the feasibility and expediency of licensing such con- 

 tractors and dealers, and to report its recommendations, together with 

 drafts of bills embodying the same, to the general court, not later than 

 the second Wednesday in January, nineteen hundred and twenty-three. 



In furtherance of this resolve, public hearings were held in 

 nine cities and towns, — Nantucket, New Bedford, Brockton, 

 West Brookfield, Hardwick, Greenfield, Pittsfield, Grafton, and 

 Sterling. In announcing these hearings notices were given to 

 the newspaper circulating in the various territories; 12 farmers' 

 clubs, 46 granges, 22 milk associations, 314 milk dealers, 9 milk 

 inspectors and 8 county agricultural agents were notified of the 

 date, time and place of meeting in their respective territories. 

 In addition to these meetings investigations were carried on in 

 21 cities and towns, — New Bedford, Fall River, Taunton, 

 Brockton, Lynn, Salem, Beverly, Gloucester, Ipswich, New- 

 buryport, Amesbury, Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill, Waltham, 

 Framingham, Fitchburg, Hardwick, Gilbertville, Gardner, Pitts- 

 field. The losses entailed by dairy farmers, due to certain milk 

 dealers failing to pay for milk, amount to tens of thousands of 

 dollars, and is a condition not limited to any one part of the 

 Commonwealth, but is prevalent in general, varying only in 

 degree of loss. 



To meet this condition suggestions are offered for legislation 

 in a more detailed report.^ 



1 Reported in House Bill No. 396. 



