Oic RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1097 
Troubles of the Country Milk Company 
A Statement of Present Conditions 
HEAVY LOSSES.—The directors of the Country 
^lilk Company held a strenuous meeting on August 
.30 at TJtica, N. Y. The Country IMilk Company and 
the IMilk Marketing Association are both subsidiaries 
of the Dairymen's League and Mr. C'ooper is presi- 
«lent of all three. The subsidiaries emi>rafe 2S co- 
<^perative farm-owned creameries. T'nder Mr. 
Cooper’s management they liave been losing money— 
meml>ers do not know how much. They cannot find 
out. A demand was made in the meeting for a 
financial statement. This Mr. Cooper refused to give, 
but it is general information that the company has 
lost something in the neighborhood of .$2.)0.000. Pro¬ 
ducers have not yet been paid for the last half of 
May and at the time of the meeting had had no 
money for milk delivered since .July 15. Some of the 
treamories have given notice to stop shipment after 
October 1. N. A. Van Son, who has been managing 
the city plant, has I'esigned, to take effect October 1. 
He insisted that he could sell milk cheaper than the 
milk trust price and dispose of all the milk and pay 
the League price and make profits, but he was not 
permitted to do so and for that reason a surplus 
n as created which had to be made up into cheese 
at a loss. Besides, there is useless duplication of 
cificial salaries and other expenses. 
FINANCIAL STATEMENT REFUSED. — The 
trustees did not seem to know how much capital 
lias been paid in nor just what the financial condi¬ 
tion of the company is. INIr. Cooper has refused to 
give them a statement. A member from Delaware 
County is reported as comparing his attitude to that 
of the late Czar or the Kaiser. Other members said 
Mr. Cooper forced them into the sub- 
sidianes. It is said that the demand 
for :Mr. Cooper’s resignation at the 
meeting was unanimous, but he or¬ 
ganized the subsidiaries and draws a 
salary of .$.50 a week from them in 
addition to his .$150 a week League 
salary, and they want him to share 
his responsibility for the present con¬ 
dition of the business before he re¬ 
tires. During the last week in August 
a blank was sent out from Little 
Falls, N. Y., by one of Mr. Cooper’s 
associates to the 28 cooperative 
creameries which comprise these sub¬ 
sidiaries for a mutual agreement to 
ilissolve the Country Milk Company. 
It is said that all the membei-s de¬ 
clined to sign the recjnest to dissolve 
the company except Mr. Coojier him¬ 
self, who represents the T.lttle Falls 
i-ompany. This company, we under¬ 
stand, signed the notice of dissolu¬ 
tion. Whether this withdrawal now would relieve 
the Little Falls company from responsibility for its 
share of the losses is not clear. It was also said 
that Mr. C<ioper has offere<l to sell the Country 
Milk Company and its city plant to the Bor¬ 
den’s. 
DIRECTORS WITHOUT INFORIMATION.—Di¬ 
rectors of the Dairymen’s League do not seem to 
liave full information about its affairs. At a meeting 
in Susriuehanna County, Fa., last week Director 
Miller spoke in favor of the subsidiaries, apparently 
without knowing that an attempt had been made to 
sell it to Borden's, which seems to be well known in 
New York. He stated, apparently in defense of it, 
that it had suffered losses, but he was evidently un¬ 
der the impression that the losses were less than 
half of the present estimate. He was unwilling to 
believe that Mr. Cooper had insisted on Manager Van 
Son going hack ,Tuly 1 to selling milk at trust prices. 
A'an Son had reduced the price ou his own responsi¬ 
bility for .Tune. Mr. Miller did not know that Mr. 
Cooiier admitted in the Utica meeting that he had 
restored the trust prices .Tuly 1. Another speaker 
made the statement at the Susquehanna meeting that 
any member could go to the League otlice and get 
financial information. It was quite natural for the 
.speaker to make the statement because it was pub¬ 
lished in the last issue of the League News. 
FARIMF.RS WANT THE FACTS.—He did not 
know that two days before two members, one from 
'Wa.shington County and another fi-om Dutchess 
County, both first-class farmers of the highest stand¬ 
ing, called at the League office in the ninmiug to get 
the infonnation and a list of the local branches, 
'rhey were promised the infoi-mation if they would 
call in ihe afternoon about five o'clock. They calle<l 
.and were then told that they coitld not have it. They 
were offered a file of vouchers for examination, 
which, of course, were of no use for their purpose. 
Anyway, these farmers went to the city at their own 
expense and in good faith to get the information as 
they were publicly promised. They could not get it. 
They were told they could examine the vouchers, 
but they could not copy anything. They would have 
to memorize the Avhole record to get the information. 
At best it would cost 5.3,000 members .$.5,000,000 to 
come to New Y'ork for the infonnation and pick it 
out of the records. Any publi.sher would print it 
free if he could get it. 
The best members all over the territory want the 
information and the whole truth. No good i-eason 
has been advanced for withholding it. No member 
can act intelligently without it. The members who 
ask for it are not trying to destroy the League. 
They helped make the I.eague. They know that their 
cnly salvation is in organization. They want to do 
their part to save the League, and no matter how 
wise they are they cannot act intelligently without 
complete information. 
And, finally, Bo It Resolved: That a copy of these 
resolutions be offered for publication both to the Dairy¬ 
men’s League News and to Ttie Rtjhai. New-Yorkek. 
O. H. ROCKWELL, President. 
M. B. DEAN, Secretary^ 
A Resolute and Reasonable Resolution 
Below we print a statement from the Candor 
branch of the Dairymen’s League. .Vside from the 
]>ersonal reference, which of course is gracious to us, 
the logic of the principle is clearly expressed and 
unanswerable. An organ will always give official 
\ iews, llie inde])endent press is a .siirer guide for 
the membership. The men and the papers that have 
worked 40 years to make a foothold for a dairy 
organization in this State are not going to let the 
inilk trust dominate the organization now if they 
can prevent it. 
Those of us who remember the trust advertising 
after the milk fight two years ago, will recall that 
KEY 
I EASTERN REGION 
% ALLEGUANY REOtON 
3. POCAiJONTAS REGION 
4. SOUTHERN REGION 
6. NORTHWESTERN REGION 
6' CENTRAL WESTERN REGIOJI 
7. southwestern region 
Skilled Farm Labor and the Draft 
A plan has been agreed upon by the War Labor Poli¬ 
cies Board, Provost Marshal Ceneral, Secretary of War, 
Seeretarj’ of Agricnltnre and Secretary of Labor to put 
into deferi-ed cias.sification siich persons in the new draft 
as are necessary in agriculture, industry and other occu¬ 
pations. Three advisers are to be associated Avith each 
district draft board to present facts relative to the sup¬ 
ply of necessary workers in these three occupational 
groups. The Agriculture advisers Avill be nominated by 
the Secretary of Agriculture. They Avill gather accurate 
facts regarding the requirements of agriculture for the 
A’arious classes of workers iu their own districts. They 
.should have facts also as to the requirements for such 
cla.sse.s in other districts in order that Avorkers not suffi¬ 
ciently necessary^ in one district to entitle them to de¬ 
ferred classification _ may hav’e opportunity to go to 
other districts in which they are needed. 
The Depjirtment of Agricnltnre has sent a question¬ 
naire to each county agent asking him to furnish relial)le 
information as to farm-labor needs in his county. The 
questionnaire is to be duplicated, one going to the State 
farm-help specialist and one to the Department, Avhieh 
AA’ill undertake to keep each district adAUser informed as 
to farm-help needs in A’arions parts of the country. 
The purpose of the information called for is to help 
district draft boards keep iu agriculture the (a) “neces- 
s.ary skilled farm laborer iu necessary agricultural en¬ 
terprise” (Deferred Ulass 11) ; (b) “’necessary assistant, 
associate, or hired manager of necessary agricultural 
enterprise” (Deferred Class 111) ; (c) “necessary sole 
iminaging. coiitrolling or directing head of necessary 
agricultural enterprise” (Deferred Class IV). 
V hat the draft boards desire are facts as to necessary 
skilled Avorkers.^ The unskilled AA'orkers apparently are 
not to be considered for deferred classification, being 
regarded more important for the Army than for agri¬ 
culture and industry. Necessary skilled farm laborers 
should not be confused Avith inexperienced help that, 
with .a little training, can do fairly Avell .some kinds of 
tarm Avork. A “skilled farm laborer” has been defined 
as one Avho has the strength, intelligence and experience 
to p(>rform acceptably the ordinary farm operations of 
the district, community or farm con¬ 
cerned, Avhether in fields, ranches, or¬ 
chards or baims.” The draft boards may 
haA'e still other standards. 
Presumably the amount of skilled 
labor “necessary” is to be detennined 
by the requirements of the pi-esent agri¬ 
cultural war program—something more 
than a normal production of most farm 
products. Pertinent questions in this 
connection therefore are such as: “Are 
there sufficient skilled Avorkers to pro¬ 
duce the live stock, cereals, fruits, etc., 
required by this program'? Do these 
workers toil harder and longer hours'? 
Do some children, especially under four¬ 
teen years of age, Avork regularly eight 
hours or moi’e'? Are the burdeus of 
farm women inci'eased? In other words, 
do the farm people, responding to many 
patriotic appeals, make, as compared to 
other occupational groups, a very heavy 
draft upon their reserve strength and 
upon their children?” 
Map of Ihe U. S. Regional Railway System 
they admitted defeat hut promised to come back. 
One of their friends publicly threatened to “get 
hack” at The Rural Neav-Yorker for its organized 
o]iposition to the Wicks Bill, Avliich would have given 
the trust a monopoly Avorth millions. We defied 
them then, Ave defy them uoav. We liave other state¬ 
ments like the folloAving, hut this one Avill suffice 
for this time: 
Whereas: The controversy hetAveeu the President 
and the ExeentiA'e Committee of the Dairymen’s League 
ami former Commissioner of Foods and ^Markets, .Tohn 
.1. Dillon, has led to niiAvarrantd attempts upon the part 
of those officials of the League to di.scredit the nearly 
half century’s record of service to dairymen and farmers 
held by Mr. Dillon, and to puerile statements as to his 
personal attributes and business sagacity in the columns 
of the officially controlled Dairymen’s League News, 
and, still further, to efforts to financially injure the 
agricultural journal of AAdiicli Mr. Dillon is publisher: 
Be It Resolved : That Ave, the members of the Can¬ 
dor, N. Y., hraneh of the Dairymen’s League, in special 
meeting assembled, do hereby express our full confidence 
in the character, ability and motives of Mr. .John J. 
Dillon, and onr gratitude to him for his long years of 
unremitting effort to better conditions upon the dairy 
farms of the State. 
Be It Also Resolved: That, in the case of great far¬ 
mers’ oi’ganizations, we recognize the accountability of 
onr responsible and established agricultural journals to 
their readers to the end that these readers may obtain 
information not elseAvheve accessible to them and free 
from any suspicion of self interest or official bias. 
Be It Also Resolved : That Ave recognize that it is 
not for the interest of any humanly controlled organiza¬ 
tion that honest and intelligent criticism of its acts and 
policies be suppressed, and that, since disinterested 
criticism cannot he expected fi-om those Avho are directly 
responsible for these acts and policies, or from their 
employees, it, at time.?, necessarily becomes the duty of 
others to assume responsibility for such criticism. 
Be It Also Resolved: That, in vicAV of the principles 
above stated, avc sustain the action of The Rural Neav- 
Yorker iu publishing Avhat it believes to he Avarranted 
and noeessai'y criticism of the acts of present officials 
of the Dairymen’s League. 
Be It Also Resolved: That Ave assure all i)reseut 
and future officials of the Dairymen’s I.eague of our 
loyalty to that organization, of our iutere.st iu its man¬ 
agement, and of our determination to sustaiu iu office 
all. and ouly, those officials Avho demonstrate by deeds, 
rather than by AA'ords, their fitness to properly conduct 
the involved affairs of this great order. 
Federal Control of the Rail¬ 
roads 
On December 20-, 1917, the Federal 
Government as.snraed control of the rail¬ 
roads and other agencies of transporta¬ 
tion. After .seven months of such control. William G. 
McAdoo, the Director General of Railroads, makes his 
first report. At the eud of 1016 there Avas a total 
mileage of steam railroads iu operation of 397,014 
miles, OAvned or controlled by 2,905 companies, and 
there Avere employed 1,700,814 people. In addition to 
this there were 57 canals*. 3.057 miles in length, and 
many thousand miles of rivers, lakes and hays which 
Avere traveled by various kinds of craft. On assuming 
control of this immense system, the <TOvernment divided 
the country into seven regional districts Avhich are 
shoAvu on the map printed on this page. Naturally 
these districts are not all of the same size, and are 
arranged so as to handle different railroad .systems 
rather than geographical sections of the country. 
There is one director for each regional system, and 
in addition many other officers, some located at Wash¬ 
ington, and others scattered about the country. Some 
or most of the regional directors were railroad men Avho 
AA'ere already serving one of the large corporations. 
Such men have been required to sever any relations 
they may have had with the railroad corporations, .so 
as to be entirely free from prh-ate con.siderations. The 
Federal system has already Avorked out considerable 
economy. There has been a saving in salaries of 
.$4,614,889 per year. Under priA'ate control salaries ran 
as high as ,$100,000 per year, but the regional directors 
are paid from $10,0(X) to .$50,000, and there has been 
considerable saving iu cutting doAvn the number of em- 
nloyees. The salaries of railroad men generally havo 
been increased, hut there has been a saving of .$1,.500,000 
iu legal expeii.ses. It has been the plan of the Federal 
control to advance Avages of practically all workmen, 
and an eight-liour day, Avith time and a half for extra 
hours arranged for. 
Women are ])aid the same as men Avhen engaged in 
similar Avork, and no Avomau is permitted to occupy 
positioms uusuited to her sex. There is to he no dis¬ 
crimination against negro employees. ’Phey are ])<»•.'- 
after to receive the same Avages that white men get for 
similar Avork. 
Ill order to pay the advance in Avages and cover 
other expenses, an advance iu passenger and freight 
rate.s has been ordered. There is an average advance 
of 25 per cent in freight rates, and passenger rates are 
r.aised to the limit of three cent.? a mile. In order to 
discourage Avhat called extravagant traveling, extra 
charges are made for .service in parlor cars or sleepers, 
and an appeal is made to the public to give up ;is fa)- 
as possible traveling for pleasure, and limit such travel 
strictly to business. 
^ Competition hetAveeu the various railroads ha,s been 
(Continued on page 1107) 
