MARKET MILK BUSINESS OF DETROIT, MICH., IN 1915. 



19 



average costs per gallon handled at the different plants, therefore, 

 are not exactly comparable, for it does not cost so much to pasteurize 

 and put into cans the milk sold to other dealers or to wholesale trade 

 as it does to pasteurize and bottle milk for the retail trade. 



It is important t© note the disproportionate investments in milk 

 plants and equipment. The investments per gallon handled daily 

 range all the way from $5.38 to $87.77, and illustrate the lack of 

 standardization of milk plants and equipment. It is obvious that a 

 relatively low investment greatly reduces the interest and deprecia- 

 tion charges against each gallon handled. In those plants where the 

 operating costs per unit were the lowest, the investments per gallon 

 were generally comparatively small and the expenditures for sup- 

 plies and labor in proportion to capital invested were greater. (See 

 PL II, fig. 2, and PL III, fig. 1.) 



Some of the disproportionate investments may be accounted for by 

 the fact that some plants were old and handled a large proportion of 

 bulk milk, whereas others were newly built for the purpose of in- 

 creasing the business. 



CITY DISTRIBUTION OF MILK. 



The number of milk dealers engaged in the business of distributing 

 milk in Detroit, August 1, 1915, and the size of the business of those 

 dealers grouped according to number of delivery wagons operated, 

 are shown in Table XIV. 



Table XIV 



-Quantity of milk and cream distributed daily by dealers (grouped 

 according to number of wagons operated). 





Number 

 of 



dealers. 



Total 

 number 



of 

 wagons. 



Average 

 number 

 of wag- 

 ons per 

 dealer. 



Gallons sold daily. 



Per cent 

 of total. 



Number of wagons. 



Milk. 



Cream. 



lto5 



127 

 7 

 4 

 2 



201 

 80 

 70 



235 



1.5 



11.4 



17.5 



117.5 



15, 179 



8,340 

 6,050 

 18,000 



271 



367 



215 



5,100 



28.8 



6 to 15 



16.3 



16 to 30 



11.7 



31 to 150 



43.2 







On August 1, 1915, there were 140 milk distributors, or 18 fewer 

 than on May 1, when the pasteurizing ordinance became effective. 

 Of these dealers 127 operated from 1 to 5 wagons each. Two of the 

 larger companies, operating more than 30 delivery wagons each, 

 together distributed nearly 44 per cent of the total milk supply of 

 the city. 



Figure 7 is a graphic presentation of the system of distribution 

 which prevailed in August, 1915. The locations of the milk-pasteur- 

 izing and bottling plants are indicated by squares. The areas of the 

 squares represent the relative quantities of milk pasteurized in the 



