RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1271 
Milk Prices and the Dairymen’s League 
The Dairymen's League has now assum'ed a strong 
and we believe proper position with the Federal Food 
Commission. Last year the League consented in ad¬ 
vance to accept whatever price the Food Commission 
made. We felt that if the Food Commission assumed 
the right to make the price, the League should re¬ 
main independent, and act as an advocate of pro¬ 
ducers, TMiile it disputed us at the time, it has now 
come to that position and has presented the pro¬ 
ducer’s side clearly and forcibly. To fix a price of 
milk suited to city conditions, allow dealers to set 
their own price for delivery, and give to fai*mers 
what is left, is not the way to encourage the pro¬ 
duction of milk. The producer is concerned to get 
milk to the consumer as cheap as possible in order 
to maintain the demand for milk, but he must first 
get cost of production if a supply of milk is to be 
maintained at all, and the interest of both producer 
and consumer is that the cost of distribution be put 
on an economic and fair basis. It is not, and it 
never has been. The Food Commission has done 
nothing to curb the greed of the milk tnist, or even 
to modify its extravagant and wasteful methods. 
The cost of delivering milk is less in other cities than 
in New York. It can be delivered for less in New 
York. If the Food Administrator will turn his at¬ 
tention to the distributing end he will find that the 
farmer can be paid the cost of production, all legiti¬ 
mate delivery costs paid, and yet the poor of the 
city, in whom he expresses interest, pay from two to 
thx'ee cents a quart less than the price they pay now. 
This is the phase of the milk question that is crying 
for solution. The profiteering in milk and other 
food products has been done by the dealers, and not 
by producers of food. 
The Food Administration price of $3.81 per hun¬ 
dred pounds was finally conceded as a necessary war 
measure, but the position of the League is stronger 
and the contention of the purchaser clearer because 
of tliis controversy. 
Country Milk Company Affairs 
The Country Milk Company sold its two small 
city plants and routes to N. A. Van Son last week, 
and the remaining plant is under negotiation for 
sale. 
The company was organized about one year ago 
by R. D. Cooper, the president of the Dairymen’s 
I.eague, who became its president also. The stock 
was held by a number of up-State farm-owned cream¬ 
eries. The capital was $3G,450. It was operated in 
connection with the Milk Marketing Association, 
which was an organization of the same creameries. 
The farmer sold the milk to the creamery. The 
creamery sold to the association, which sold it to 
the company. The company sold it to other dealers 
or stores. Mr. Cooi>er was president of the associa¬ 
tion also. The business was not successful. The 
best months of the year it was run at a loss, accord¬ 
ing to the treasurer. The losses are estimated to 
exceed $350,000, but no definite business or financial 
i-eport has been made to the trustees. Producers had 
not been paid for the last half of May, nor for milk 
delivered since August 31. 
At .some of the plants the local trustees borrowed 
the money at their banks and paid the producers. 
At some other places the producers left the plants 
and .sold elsewhere. Others threatened to do so, and 
to hold their members together the plants wei’e 
obliged to make separate sale of the milk, .lust now 
milk is scarce, and time contracts can be made with¬ 
out difficulty. Some of the plants have already 
sold direct .to dealers. It is proposed to reorganize 
some of the others into a new company. 
Milk Prices 
The November price for B grade three per ceht 
milk in the 150-mile zone has been fi-xed at $3.81 
per hundred to the producer. Prices to city con- 
.sumers have been announced by the Food Commis¬ 
sion as follows: 
Grade A, bottled milk, delivered, quarts, 18c. 
Grade A, bottled milk, delivered, piuts, lie. 
Grade B, bottled milk, delivered, quarts, 16c. 
Grade B, bottled milk, delivered, pints, lOe. 
Grade B, bottled milk, to stores, quarts, 15%c. 
Grade B, bottled milk, by stores to consumers, quarts, 
lOe. 
r.oose milk to stores. Grade B, quarts, Ifi^^c. 
Loose milk, by .stores. Grade B. quarts, 13c. 
I.oose milk, wholesale, 10 gallons or over, quarts, 
12 %c. 
Loose milk, wholesale, under 10 gallons, quarts, 13c. 
The New England Milk Producers’ Association has 
issued the following bulletin: 
The price of milk in Greater Boston will be 16%c per 
quart delivered to family trade, and 16e per quart at 
stores, duidng November. 
The producers will get n%c per quart delivered at 
Boston. There will be no discount to dealers for carry¬ 
ing surplus. These figures were announced last Friday 
by the Regional Milk Commission for New England, a 
part of the National Food Administration, at the con¬ 
clusion of lengthy hearings, wherein the cost of produc¬ 
tion was proven through thousands of sworn statements 
by actual producers and the costs of distribution by the 
evidence of dealers. 
The New England Milk Producers’ Association, which 
represents the producers in these hearings, has asked 
the commission to establish a system of cost accounting 
to bo put in operation on the farms of its members, 
with a view to determining how, if possible, production 
costs can be reduced. The scarcity and high price of 
labor and of grain are driving cows from the farms of 
New England, and even high prices for milk will not 
hold them if labor and feed are not to be had. 
Selling Wheat to the Government 
A number of our Eastern readers are still asking 
how they can sell their wheat to the Government. 
The experience of some farmers in Monmouth 
County, New Jersey, will help them. In that sec¬ 
tion in former years farmers sold a large share of 
their crop to the poultrymen. M'any of these poultry 
keepers have gone out of business, or greatly re¬ 
duced their flocks, and the wheat left on hand was 
being eaten up by rats and other vermin, so some 
of these men got together and in.sisted that the 
Government should buy this wheat. They sent to the 
Sec’.y of the Food Administration Grain Corporation, 
42 Broadway, New York. They were granted a 
permit to load wheat at a certain point, and they 
were required to give exact address by which the 
car was sent to an elevator, so they loaded 1,170 
bushels and 45 pounds of wheat, weighed at the 
railroad station. At the Government elevator in 
Jersey City this wheat was cleaned and then 
weighed again, showing a weight of five bushels and 
45 pounds less than when shipped. These farmers 
received credit for 1,165 bushels No. 5 wheat at 
$2.28% per bushel. The expen.ses were $101.35 for 
freight, 50 cents for weighing, 50 cents for Inspect¬ 
ing, and $25.60 as the fee for administration. There 
was an extra charge for demurrage, as the car was 
held two days waiting for the Government permit. 
The net receipts were $2.16 per bushel. These 
farmers have put in a protest against the excessive 
freight charge of $101.35, which is about three times 
the ordinary freight rate. 
In brief, that is the way this business was handled, 
and farmers who deal with the Government will 
follow about the same plan, first of all making 
definite arrangement with the Food Administration 
Grain Corporation at 42 Broadway. 
Fresh Eggs and Patriotism 
I am enclo-sing a choice bit of literature clipped from 
The Neio York Journal of Oct. 21. If 1 wanted to find 
a real rube I’d look among the smart reporters of some 
of the New York dailies : 
“Syracuse, Oct. 21.—The patriotism of some of the 
farmers of .Tefferson County was demonstrated Saturday 
when Roswell E. George, of Watertown, went into the 
country with an automobile to buy eggs for the influenza 
patients quartered at the Masonic Temple. 
“Despite the fact that market quotations fix the price 
of fresh eggs at 50 cents a dozen, Mr. George was com¬ 
pelled to pay 85 cents a dozen at the nest. 
“Fresh eggs are a requisite to the diet of influenza 
and pneumonia patients, and many persons are highly 
incen.sed that the farmers should take advantage of the 
situation to pratice profiteering. There are a great num¬ 
ber who are giving their services for the benefit of the 
sick who feel that the farmer should be public-spirited 
enough to take no more than the wholesale price. 
“The authorities may take action to stop the profiteer¬ 
ing, in view of the fact that Watertown is at the front 
door of one of the richest agricultural districts in the 
State. People feel that they ought not to be compelled 
to pay topnotch prices for produce when they go to the 
farmers for it. 
“One ca.se \yas mentioned where a carload of potatoes 
was brought in and sold for $1.75 a bushel where the 
purchaser went to the car after them, as against $2, 
$2.25 and $2.50 charged by the farmers in the country.’’ 
I am also inclosing clipping from the "New York 
Times of Oct. 19, stating the egg market as 8Sc per 
dozen for strictly fresh eggs. I think if the farmers 
could relieve the suffering of the sick by eggs they would 
cheefully donate what few they have, but when an 
autoist drives out among the farmers to buy eggs he 
should expect to pay the market price. 
Let these wise guys inquire into the cost of eggs at 
the farm just now. If he had to pay the farmer what 
they cost to produce there would be another yelp about 
farmers profiteering. I wonder if this man noticed any 
service flags in the farm homes on his auto trip to the 
country after eggs? 
Let the big city reporters investigate the farmers a 
little before questioning their patriotism. Let them 
know a few of the hard days the farm folks endure 
while our boys are “over there.” Let them learn of 
the extra burdens they endure. And yet they keep 
“sawing wood” ; the old men, the women and the chil¬ 
dren are all hustling on the farms. As we are told 
food will win the war; that’s why we are everlastingly 
at it. 
Our farm home is no better or no worse than the 
average farm home, and we invite this New York re¬ 
porter up here to look us over. He will find a service 
flag with two stars, find us selling our crops at the 
market price, and not kicking. He will find us mightily 
interested in the fight our boys are putting up to make 
this world a decent place to live in. And we are willing 
the two lads from our house shall stay in the game 
until the Kaiser is licked. rollo f, chamberlain. 
Allegheny Co., N. Y. 
Theory and Practice With Fuel 
No sane thinking man will try to divorce these great 
and fundamental forces. In these timee of conserva¬ 
tion and increased production steady team work must 
prevail. To those of us who for almost a lifetime have 
been accustomed to the use of coal as a fuel, and to 
using ranges and furnaces adapted to its use, the use 
of wood and the arrangements for its economic use had 
to be learned anew. The advice given in The R. N.-Y. 
in this connection is of great value, as thousands are 
now using wood for perhaps the first time for heating 
and cooking, and the waste is great if the grates are 
not arranged rightly. There have been five cases of 
influenza in this household, and the trained nurse re¬ 
quired a certain amount of heat throughout the big 
hou.se. The writer was kept moving right lively to 
attend to two ranges and the furnace, as we are using 
wood all around, having a large supply rightly stored. 
I never stopped to con.sider why the wood and chunks 
burned out so quickly, and the furnace pipes begin to 
drip creosote, until I saw that item in The R, N.-Y. 
I was not long in fixing the ranges and putting some 
old plaster board over the furnace grate, shoveling in a 
liberal supply of ashes and opening the pipe damper 
for good and all. 
This morning, for the first time, there was a good 
bed of coals in the furnace from the chunk that I pxit 
on last evening, and the ranges work equally well. The 
saving all around is about half in time and the amount 
of fuel used, while the ovens heat and bake better 
than previously, and I have more time to attend to the 
outside chores and a few other matters. So you see 
that we are all wideawake to avail ourselves of every 
man’s suggestion to prove that we are true allies, as 
that one item of advice will result in a tremendous 
saving in both time and fuel among your multitude of 
renders in these times when both are at a premium. 
New York. h. e. oox . 
Up-State Farm Notes 
FARM BUREAU MANAGERS MEET.—Farm Bu¬ 
reau managers from 55 counties of the State will be in 
session at the New York State College of Agriculture 
at Ithaca this week for a conference on war measures to 
relieve the farm labor situation, and to outline a pro¬ 
gram of work for next year in the various counties. 
Committees on labor will discuss the Woman’s Land 
Army movement, farm work done by school children and 
other sources of help. It will be a week-long confer¬ 
ence. Dean A. R. Mann of the College of Agriculture 
will be one of Monday’s speakers. On Tuesday junior 
extension work and questions of insect and disease con¬ 
trol, vegetable gardening and farm management will be 
di.scussed. On Wednesday pomology, soils, poultry and 
animal husbandry will be the topics. Thursday will be 
devoted to questions of forestry, rural engineering, farm 
crops and plant breeding. F’riday will be community 
day, and will be given over to organization work and 
the labor problem committee. 
SYRACUSE MARKET NOTES.—The North Side 
public market of this city is a leader in Central New 
York in size and patronage. So valuable to the city do 
the aldermen consider the market and its privilege.s that 
they are considering plans to build a new $300,(W0 mar¬ 
ket as soon as the war is over. With potatoes selling at 
the car tracks in various parts of the State at 90 cents 
to $1 per bushel, the Onondaga County fanners have 
had $1.60 to $1.80 per bushel for weeks past. On Sat¬ 
urday last 200 farm rigs were present, and eggs for the 
first time dropped to 70 cents a dozen (with 75 and 80 
cents the prevailing price in general). Broilers sold 
readily at 55 to 60 cents, dressed, and dressed fowls at 
50 to 55 cents. A few dressed ducks brought 55 cents 
per pound, and a recent lot of turkeys went quickly at 
40 to 60 cents per pound, alive; live geese at 50 cents 
per pound. Dressed Spring lambs sold at 34 cents for 
hindquarters and 32 cents for forequarters. 
GREAT WAR CHEST CONFERENCE.—Represen¬ 
tatives of 45 war chest organizations of the State met 
in Syracuse last week to consider the part their com¬ 
mittees and organizations will play in the United War 
Work Campaign to be held November 11-18. The bud¬ 
get as made up for the Y. M. C. A., the National Cath¬ 
olic War Council, the Y. W. C. A., the Salvation Army, 
the Jewish Welfare Board, the War Camp Community 
Service and the American Library Association, calls for 
$175,500,000. But as budgets do not keep pace with the 
growth of war and war activities, more than 50 per 
cent additional will need to be raised to carry on the 
work until next Fall. New York State has been allotted 
$44,600,000 of the budget named. 
AIMING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.—It ha.s 
occasionally been denied that farmers buy and use milk 
and butter substitutes. To determine the real situation 
in this respect in Onondaga County the Farm Bureau 
of that county recently made a survey of all the stores 
of the county, 300 in number, outside of Syracuse. A 
brief statement of the results of the survey is that an 
average of 70 pounds of butter substitutes were sold 
each week by each, or a total of 21,000 pounds, or 546 
tons, or 1,092,000 pounds yearly. Each storekeeper was 
asked what per cent of his customers were farmers, and 
the replies ranged from 50 to 100 per cent. This is an 
appalling situation. Approximately 2,000 pounds of 
liquid milk are dumped on the market for each 100 
pounds of substitute used in this county alone each week. 
This means 281.840.000 pounds of milk dumped on the 
market which should have been consumed in the homes 
of the producers. It would seem that the $30,000 re¬ 
cently spent by the State to stage a milk campaign in 
New York had not hit the mark very well. Farmers 
must help to create a demand for their own products. 
NEED OF NATION-WIDE MifJC ORGANIZA¬ 
TION.—With the publication of the details of the de¬ 
mand of the Government for a reduction of the price 
set by the Dairymen’s League, farmers everywhere feel 
the need of better and stronger union of the producers 
of the entire country. When the farmers are held to a 
price below actual cost of production the year round on 
the sole basis of the need of preventing a rise in the 
retail price to consumers, and when absolutely no inves¬ 
tigation is made by the Government as to the costs and 
methods of milk distribution in New York City or up- 
State cities, they feel most unjustly discriminated 
against. The New York dealers are making 7.2 cents 
profit per quart. The Federal Milk Commission of the 
Middle State secured evidence of distributors there that 
on an average 6.8 cents per quart covered all delivery 
expenses. So New York dealers are making a profit, 
while farmers are not allowed to. As one contingency 
after another turns up and the farmer gets the small 
end of the deal each time, he is forced to see the power 
of organization in all busines.ses but his own. But 
when will he profit by these live examples and learn to 
defend himself by organization? M. G. F. 
