1377 
The Milk Situation Analyzed 
What Must be Done to Save it 
Pabt III. 
A NEW SYSTEM NEEDED.—The farmer is com¬ 
mitted to the new system of distribution outlined 
pi’eviously. The only problem is one of money to 
promptly finance the operation. Gradually and slowly 
the farmer could continue the fight with the distribu¬ 
tor and ultimately develop this sj'stem for himself. 
The management of the Dairj’men’s League has 
been slow to take the initiative in this problem, but 
it now begins to realize what the majority of the 
members of the League knew before—^^that there is 
no hope from trifling or compromises with the present 
system. The dealers have foi’ced the League into a 
position where it has no choice but to develop a 
distribution system of its own. This will be done 
because there is nothing else to do, except to go back 
to the old way, which is unthinkable and impossible. 
While the farmers could now slowly wmi'k out the 
financing of a new plan for themselves, it could only 
be done in competition with the old distributors and 
through friction which would be expensive to both 
partie.s, and particularly expensive to the city con¬ 
sumer. All parties concerned will be best served by 
a new adjustment on fair and equitable lines. If 
the old dealers will sell their country plants and 
equipment at a fair appraisal, the local producers in 
most sections Avould have no difficulty in buying 
them, and in financing the purchase and operation 
of them. The operation of these plants is a local 
function and should be locally controlled. Where 
more than one plant exists in a neighborhood, one 
should be developed to take care of the whole sup¬ 
ply and the other eliminated. These plants, how¬ 
ever, have been paid for already by the farmers in 
the low price of their milk. Some of them have been 
paid for many times over, and there is no reason 
why farmers should pay again for plants that they 
do not want, or in excess of their present value. 
When we free the business of milk distribution of 
monopoly and control, new inventions and progres¬ 
sive methods, now discouraged, will develop to im¬ 
prove methods and decrease the cost. 
DISTRIBUTING PLANTS NEEDED.—In addi¬ 
tion to the country plants the new system would 
reipiire a number of distributing plants in the city, 
and several up-State plants for the manufacture of 
surplus milk into by-products, to be delivered fresh 
and economically through the milk delivery system. 
Farmers are not in a position to finance these neces¬ 
sary city and country plants at one time, but in 
view of the benefits to be secured, this would be a 
j)roper undertaking by the State. We already have 
laws and legal machinery by which these could be 
established and operated, ox*, if need be, fui-ther 
legislation could be secured to jirovide the necessary 
funds to finance the plants, and the law to protect 
all concerned. If ecoxxomically and efficiently man¬ 
aged. the .‘iavings to the people an one year will more 
than pay for the entii’e system, and, besides this 
general saving to the public, the Stote will repay 
itself, as was proposed in the Towner bill last year, 
by charging up to the milk opei’ating expenses, de- 
I)i’eciation and interest. It could also px-ovide an 
amox-tization fund to pay the State a sxnall per¬ 
centage annually xxntil the ox'iginal cost is x’epaid. 
Aside froxn collecting its ixiterest and principal in 
this way, the developxneixt of the dairy intex’est will 
be a good business investment for the State. Where 
we have declining hex’ds and abandoned fax'ms, we 
will build up axid i*estox'e the greatest industry of 
the State. The chattels of the farm will xnultiply. 
The values of fax-ux lands will increase. The drift 
of country population to the cities will be checked, 
and the x’evenxxes of the State will vastly increase 
thx*ough the additional assessed valuation of its 
dairy faxmis. 
Still Milking the Milk Question 
ANOTHER INVESTIGATION.—The milk prob¬ 
lem is yet xinsettled except that the px’odxxcei’s are 
to accept a reduction of half a cent a qxxart for the 
moxith of Decexuber. The dealers make no concessioxx 
in the cost of distribution, but a ixew investigation 
committtee is on the job. The milk px’oblem has 
been under almost constant ixivestigation since Oc¬ 
tober, 191G, when the faxnners took a hand in making 
px’ices, bxxt the gentlemexx now in control have no 
informatioxi oxi the sxibject. They are uixwilling to 
accept anything that an 5 dxody has leaxmed so fax*. 
If they w*ex*e stax*tixig out to stxxdy physics they 
woxxld dexnand a demonstration to px*ove the law of 
gravity. When they came to electx-icity they avouUI 
have to construct a Franklin kite with silk cord 
in a shower of x*ain to convince themselves of the 
law of electrical energy. Here is the pei'souuel of 
Ijhe RURAL NEW-YORKER 
the new commission:—John Mitchell, New York 
State Food Comxuission; Dx*. L. P. Brown. New Yox*k 
City Boax*d of Health; Dx*. W. II. .Toi*dan. director 
New York Agricultural Experixnexit Station; John 
T. Galvin. New York City Boax*fl of Water Coxnxnis- 
sioners; Jacob 11. Schiff, Miss Mabel Kittredge, and 
Eugene Sehoen. of New York City; Chax*les M. Dow, 
.Tamestown, N. Y.; Bx*adley Fuller, Utica; C. S. 
Shetlrick, Buffalo, and Ax*thxxr Williams, ex-officio, 
Fedex*al Food Administx*ator for New York City. 
A non-represent:ative commission.— 
We make no cx*iticisxu of the personnel of the coxn- 
missioxx. As representing the px*oblexns of a gx*eat 
agrieultux*ixl industry, it is an insult to the farxnex*s 
of the State. Some of the" members of the commis¬ 
sion may, for all we know, own a cow, but not a 
single mexnber of it makes his living by the produc¬ 
tion of milk. The alleged pxxrpose of the commission 
is to xnake a ixrice for the px*odxxction of milk for 
the next three xnonths that will be sufficient to 
cover the cost of px*oduction with a reasonable 
profit. We px*edict now that this commission will 
never naxne any such price and allow a reasonable 
wage for the labor in producing milk, as compared 
with the same amount of work and intelligence in 
other occxxpations—in the distribxxtioxi of milk for 
example. 
TILE PRODUCER’S SIDE.—Its effect at this tixue 
is to confuse and discourage px*oducex*s. Without 
doubt, like the reduction in the price fox* Decexubei*, 
its effect will to be to discoui*age productioxx fox* 
some time to come. The milk problem, if settled 
at all, will be settled by the fax*mex*s who produce 
milk. If they go at it right it w*ill not make inifch 
difference what recommendation this commission 
makes. The milk problem is a problem of distribu¬ 
tion. Establish an honest, ecoxioxxiic systexu of dis- 
tributioix oxx a basis that will estxxblish the coxilidence 
of the producer, and the dairy herds in this State 
will increase. Continue the systexn that cheats him 
out of the value of his milk after it is produced, 
and the herds will continue to decline. At best it 
is a State problexu, not a Federal one; a problem 
of all time and not a Avar px*oblem. The fax*m is 
concerned fox* an industry, but the city is concerned 
fox* the lives of its children. The former can pro¬ 
duce other products. The city child must have ixxilk. 
Let the State px* 0 A'ifle the implements of disti*ibxxtion 
axxd the former Avill px*odxxce axixl deliver milk in 
abundance, and at a price to astonish the consxxxners 
who have beexx so long oppx*essed by the milk tx*u.st. 
Government by Food Commission 
AN INVOLVED SITUATION.—Our coxnplication 
of adminxstx*ative food comxnissions is alx*eady iix a 
ixixxddle. Fix’st the State Food Comixiissioix w*ith 
three xuem'bers, and the Farms and Mai*kets Cominis- 
sioii Avith ten xnembers, Mr. John Mitchell, formerly 
of the Axnex*ican Federation of Labox*, chaix*maix of 
both, q'heii AA'e haA'e the Fedex*al Admixxistx*atox*, 
represented by Arthur Williams of the Electric 
Light trust, and the City of New York represented 
by one IIeni*y Moskowitz, a former dentist. Fox* 
the last three Aveeks these coxnmissions wex*e in 
alxuost constant sessioxx and conference. The princi¬ 
pal concern seemed to be the reduction of the price 
of milk to the man Avho produced it. The confer¬ 
ences wei*e finally shifted fx*oxxi New Yoi*k to Wash¬ 
ington, and there the conferences box*e fruit, and 
the price fox* Decexuber milk Avas i*educed half a cent 
a quart below the November price. The cost of dis- 
tribxxtion remained the same. 
LACK OF HARMONY.—With the tei*mixiatioxi 
of this px*oblem the harmony seems to have disap¬ 
peared. Disagreexnents ax*ose. The x*epox*tex*s for 
the city press declared that Mr. Mitchell threatened 
to resign on a given day unless the Fedei*al Adiniu- 
istx*atox* modified his px*ocedxxre. Latex* on this Avas 
denied, but it was admitted that trouble existed, 
and repeated conferences Avere held to effect an 
uxxdex*standing under Avhich the various comxnissions 
might Avox*k in hax*mony. On the surface the fric¬ 
tions will px*obaibly be straightened out, bxxt the cix*- 
cuinstaiices again emphasize the Aveakxiess of admixi- 
istration by political commissions. 
THE NEW DEPARTMENT.—Last week the sin¬ 
gle-headed NeAV Yox*k State Department, as such, 
Avent out of existence. The commissioners of the De- 
partxnent of Fai*xus and Markets held their first 
xneeting and organized by electing Johix Mitchell 
chairman. The new Fax*m and Mhrket I.(aAV, fam¬ 
iliarly kuowix as the Wicks bill No. 2, makes a px*o- 
visioxi fox* a division of the commissioix knoAvn as 
the Food and Max*ket Division, and Avith this di¬ 
vision the new commission takes over the officers 
and employees and property of the Department of 
Foods and Markets. A similar px*ovision of the laAV 
makes the Agricultux*al Department a division of 
the xxew Department. 
DESTRUCTIVE LEGISLATION.—This law is 
what is coxxxxxxoxily known as ripper legislation. The 
pux*pose was to x*estx*ict the activities of the Depart¬ 
ment as hex*etofox*e conducted, and to deprive Com¬ 
missioner Dillon of the authority that he had under 
the old law to do thing.s. The x*efxisal to giA^e the 
Department appropriations to develop its Avork hav¬ 
ing in some measure failed, the original Wicks bill 
was openly intended to cxix*b its activities. The 
fax*mex*s defeated the original Wicks bill and then 
the politicians x*esox*ted to sxxbterfuge. In the 
Wicks bill No. 2 they said that they wanted to take 
the Agricultural Department out of politics, and 
they pi*oposed the Department of Farms and Mar¬ 
kets to do it. They told the farmers that it would 
be their departxnent; that it would be officered and 
ox*ganized by themselves and by the men Avhom the 
farmers selected. These assux'ances wei*e given in 
open meeting by Sexiator Elon R. BroAvn and by 
GoA'ex*nox* Whitman. The bill was made as harm¬ 
less in its appearance as possible. Nothing was said 
in it about the destruction of the Department of 
Foods and Max*kets, though the evident intent Avas 
repeatedly pointed out in these eolumn.s. The bill, 
howevex*, went through with the appx’oval of the 
officers of some of the farm organizations of the 
State, including the officers of the Dairymen’s 
League, Avhich Avas the gx*eatest beneficiary of the 
Department dui*ing its existence, and acknoAvledged 
so to be, not only by the officers themselves, bxxt 
by the x*ank and file of the milk prodxxcex*s of the 
State. Individual dairy farmers opposed the law 
with vigor but without effect. 
FARMERS UNREPRESENTED.—The agi*icul- 
txxi*al societies expected to influence the board to .send 
in their i*ecommendations, bxxt without effect. In¬ 
stead of being in the contx*ol of the fox*mex*s as Avas 
proxnised by Senato’’ Bx*OAvn and GoA^ernor Whitman, 
there is not one single representative farmer on the 
whole coxnxuission. The commis.sioxi dealers are rep- 
x*eseuted by thx*ee xnembers. Edxxcation is repre- 
resented. Cold stox*age is x*epx*esented. Labox* is rep- 
x*esented. Politics ax-e stx*ongly x*epx*esented. Tam- 
xnany Llall is represexited. The Standard Oil Com¬ 
pany is represexited, but the farmers of the State 
ai*e not x*epx*esented on the Commission under the 
name of Farms and Max*kets, Avhich now controls 
agricultux*al and distx*ibution px*oblems of the .State. 
Two Victories for Egg Producers 
Commi.ssionex* Dillon of the Department of Foods 
and Markets Avon two court victories fox* the people 
on food problems last week. One victox*y Avas a 
decision of the .Vppellate Divi.sion confirming the 
lower court decision against SAvift & Co. on the 
stamping of cold storage eggs. Ox*iginally Swift & 
Co. ignored the order to stamp “Cold Storage Eggs” 
on the shell. The Attorney General bi*ought suit in 
favor of the department to compel obedience to the 
i*ule, and the court ruled against Swift & Co. Swift 
& Co. appealed to the higher courts, Avho upheld the 
action of the lower court, Avith costs. 
The second case is of exiual importance. On July 
1 expx*ess companies filed tariff schedules Avith the 
I’ublic Service Commission, Avith provisions that 
“claims for broken eggs Avill not be considered ox* 
paid by the express company Avhere the number of 
broken eggs in any case ox* cx*ate is not in excess of 
five per cent of the contents of each such case or 
cx*ate. Whex*e the quantity of broken eggs in any 
case ox* ei*ate exceeds five per cent of the contents 
thex*eof, claims Avill be considex*ed ox* adjusted by 
the expx*ess company only on such number of the 
bx*okeu eggs in each ease ox* cx*ate as is in excess of 
five per cent of the total number of eggs in each 
such case ox* crate.” 
Under these provisions the express company’s em¬ 
ployees might break ox* steal one and one-half dozeix 
out of every case, and the shipper Avould have no 
redress. If they smashed every egg in the case, they 
would not be obliged to settle fox* the first dozen and 
one-half. This rule Avas an injustice to the shippex*, 
axxd it discoux*aged the production of eggs, because it 
Avas showxi that one-third of the shipments of eggs 
coming to the Noaa' Yox*k max*ket Avei*e in a damaged 
condition, and, like all elements of Avaste, increased 
the cost of eggs to the consuxnex*. 
The Public Service Coxumission determined that 
these regulations were unx*easonable and should not 
be exnbodied in the tariff’ schedule. The Commis.sion 
ox*dex*ed that the express coxrpanies AvithdraAV the 
said schedule and file another omitting these ob¬ 
jectionable provisions, within ten days. 
