(095 
The New England Milk Problem 
T HE question of an adaptable form of organiza¬ 
tion is now being considered by New England 
dairy farmers. T'he need lias grown out of the cir¬ 
cumstance that the price of milk in the Boston mar¬ 
ket has been reduced to its value for manufacturing 
by-products or lower, and the New England Milk 
Producers’ Association, which has been in existence 
for eight or nine years, is unable to cope with the 
situation. Some months back a conference of New 
England dairymen was held and a committee of 15 
dairy leaders was appointed to recommend a plan of 
organization for New England dairymen. The com¬ 
mittee presented two plans. A majority of the mem¬ 
bers were in favor of a centralized plan of organiza¬ 
tion. The minority, headed by Agricultural Commis¬ 
sioner E. S. Brigham of Vermont, presented a plan 
of federated local associations. The discussion is 
on the relative merits of the two plans. 
The name of the proposed centralized plan is the 
New England Dairy System, Inc. It provides for a 
corporation of $S,000,000 common stock and $600,000 
Class A stock, each of a par value of $10 per share. 
The common stock is to be subscribed by milk pro¬ 
ducers to the amount of 5 per cent of their milk 
bills, to be deducted monthly. It. is to draw divi¬ 
dend not to exceed 6 per cent annually. The Class A 
stock is to be sold only to common stockholders, and 
only one share to each. All stockholders are re¬ 
quired to sell stock at par to the corporation when 
no longer a producer, and to give it 30 days option be¬ 
fore selling elsewhere at any time. Only Class A stock¬ 
holders have the right to vote. The territory is to be 
divided into 25 districts, and the Class A stock¬ 
holders elect delegates to annual meeting to elect 
directors, but any Class A stockholder may attend 
the meeting and cast one vote, but no vote is allowed 
by proxy. Directors and officers are to he elected 
annually. They are to get no salary as directors, but 
may vote themselves per diem pay for services. 
This proposed centralized plan then consists of 
one corporation. It provides that all local plants 
be owned and controlled by the corporation. The 
producer is to have no personal interest in his local 
plant. His interest is represented in his stock in the 
corporation. He contracts to deliver all milk pro¬ 
duced and not consumed in his family to the cor¬ 
poration for five years, and regularly thereafter un¬ 
less he withdraws after the expiration of five years 
at a given time. He agrees then in the event he 
fails to deliver the milk as agreed, to pay 50 cents 
per cwt. to the corporation, consent to an injunction 
to prevent the breach of contract, and to pay all 
costs incurred by the corporation for litigation, 
bonds, or other expense. The management is author¬ 
ized to pool the proceeds of the milk, deduct all ex¬ 
penses, including 6 per cent interest on common 
stock, 3 per cent reserve, 5 per cent to pay for com¬ 
mon stock, and after all legitimate expenses are 
paid, distribute the remainder to producers in such 
manner that each will receive the salne basic price 
for milk per unit of measure. 
The local or decentralized plan is largely stan¬ 
dardized by experience and is pretty well under¬ 
stood. Producers in a neighborhood form a local 
association. They own and operate their own plant, 
or rent it under contract. They may choose to sell 
through a plant already existing, but in all cases the 
local control and management is in the hands of 
local producers. 
For marketing purposes the locals federate into a 
selling agency or exchange. The system of operation 
and accounting is standardized, and competent in¬ 
structors are employed to keep efficiency at a high 
standard. Returns are made direct to the local as¬ 
sociation or to local members, when desired. 
Next week we shall give an analysis of the work¬ 
ing and effects of the two plans. 
A Pooler Makes Suggestions 
After over two month; time, the Milk Committee of 
Fifteen having accomplished nothing so far as settling 
the milk question is concerned, I am taking it upon my¬ 
self to offer this suggestion. Let every producer of 
milk who is now delivering his or her milk to a milk 
station, sign a pooling contract by October 1st, and 
then if there is not substantial improvement in the 
milk situation by February 12 next, all members of the 
Dairymen’s League Co-operative Association to cancel 
their contracts. There is small chance of matters being 
any worse by those now on the outside coming into the 
pool for a few months only, with a good big chance of 
their being better. I am a pooler, believing thoroughly 
in the pooling plan, and feel that the pooling plan has 
not had the chance to prove its efficiency because of 
outside competition. If, however, after obtaining con¬ 
trol of the milk, it cannot make good, then by all 
means let it die. Thomas e. koberts. 
<M* RURAL NEW.YORKER 
The “Child Labor” Amendment 
WHAT THE EDUCATORS WANT 
URAL School Letter 19, issued by Bureau of 
Education at Washington, has the following to 
say about the so-called child labor amendment: 
Many American farmers will be glad to see the States 
ratify the child labor amendment, because they see in 
the amendment a means of escape from the ruinous 
competition engendered by excessive production of many 
farm commodities. Many farmers who prefer other¬ 
wise have been forced to keep their children out of 
school and use them as a source of labor because so 
many other farmers with un-American standards of 
living through exploiting their children have forced 
down prices to the point where no profit is obtainable 
except through a source of cheap labor. The farmer 
knows from bitter experience that the food market is a 
highly sensitive market. Give a man all he wants to 
eat and he will pay nothing for a surplus. Put him on 
short rations and he will pay any price for enough. 
He has seen this principle verified time and again. The 
short crop has almost invariably brought the biggest 
money return, the excessively large crop the smallest 
money return. When government arbitrarily removes 
a big surplus labor element those who have real Amer¬ 
ican ideals for their children will hail the act as a god¬ 
send. Many farmers will hail the amendment for what 
it is; legally enforced co-operation, serving the double 
purpose of protecting children and parents who have 
real American ideals and of protecting all farmers from 
excessive competition due to over-production as meas¬ 
ured by market demands. 
It may be that “many American farmers” favor 
the amendment, but we do not know where they are 
or where they live. We shall probably find that this 
amendment is favored by just about the same ele¬ 
ment of country people who favor so-called advanced 
education. The amendment would certainly inter¬ 
fere seriously with farm labor. We want to be fair 
about it, and give all sides a fair hearing, but we 
feel that if this amendment should cure the present 
evils of child labor it would create and increase 
other evils which would be worse yet. 
WHAT IT WILL MEAN 
Your comment on the child labor resolution on page 
1010 only scratches the surface. If this proposition is 
put through as planned it will saddle the people of this 
country with one of the worst forms of paternalism we 
have yet experienced. Under the high-sounding title of 
“child labor” the uplifters have slipped in clauses which 
permit the government to enter into a man’s private 
family in a way most exasperating to what we like to 
think ourselves, that is, “free American citizens.” Un¬ 
der the provisions df this proposed legislation no farmer 
would be safe in letting his hoy milk the cows, and as 
a final slap at independence, there is a provision that 
every expectant mother must be registered. I think 
you would be doing a real service to the country if you 
would thoroughly air this subject. w. r. iiendry. 
New York. 
THE AMENDMENT ANALYZED 
I was pleased to see the stand you take in editorial 
on page 1010 regarding the child labor amendment. 
The taxpayers in this township organized a league re¬ 
cently with idea of remedying local affairs, but from 
indications are going to watch both State and Federal 
legislature, as there has been much bad legislation in 
recent years, the net results of which apparently are to 
furnish more “white-collar jobs,” increase taxes, cur¬ 
tailment of our liberty and put in operation a sort of 
paternalism on part of government. 
Following are few objections made to child labor 
amendment: Its scope is too broad and boundaries ill 
defined, giving to Congress unlimited power over a child 
under 18 years of age. With this power children could 
be separated from parents and homes broken up. In 
a number of States girls can marry, with consent of 
parents, and take upon themselves the burden of house¬ 
keeping and motherhood at the ages of 12, 13 or 14 
years, but these same girls cannot earn their own living. 
If a poor man with a family of six or eight children 
should die and mother was unable to support them until 
18 years of age, would they become wards of the nation? 
If a farmer dies leaving a large family, all under 18 
years of age, with sons capable of running farm and 
keeping family together, what would happen? 
How would such an amendment, when enacted, be 
enforced? There are over 2,800 counties in United 
States, which would require an official in each. In 
addition, all towns and cities of 2,000 to 5,000 and up¬ 
ward, would require an official to each 2,000 to 5,000 
population. If these estimates are anywhere near cor¬ 
rect then we have added to the public payroll from 
12,000 to 25,000 officials with salaries that would run 
from $25,000,000 to $100,000,000 a year. But this is 
not all. Who is to support the children under 18 years 
of age who have no parents, or whose parents are un¬ 
able? Possibly another burden for the taxpayer. 
The moral element this amendment would cause is 
not good. The police courts report that a large num¬ 
ber of crimes are committed by boys under 20 years of 
age. Will crime be reduced by having boys idle? The 
boy who is not taught to work until 18 years of age is 
like a horse who is not broken to work until seven or 
eight years old—they simply won’t work. How much 
harm did work to Abraham Lincoln in early life? 
There are many angles to this amendment, and the 
different States .should not be in a hurry to pass the 
child labor amendment. All farmers everywhere should 
organize to watch the different legislative bodies and all 
bills introduced. c. M. Rhodes. 
Pennsylvania. 
How City Milk is Handled 
The fluid milk supply of Chicago covers a radius of 
about 100 miles. A great part of the cream is obtained 
from inspected pasteurizing plants located as far as 300 
miles from Chicago. At the present time there are six 
milk dealers using one tank car each with a capacity of 
50,000 lbs. per car, and they are very successful in 
every manner. Temperature tests show slight rise in 
temperature in transit, and tanks are easily cleaned 
and sterilized. 
During the past few years there has been a steady 
increase in trucks hauling milk to Chicago, and at the 
present time there are some 200 trucks in service. 
These trucks are required to be entirely enclosed, so 
that the milk is not exposed to duet or heat, and must 
be cleaned daily. Herman n. bundesen, 
Chicago, Ill. Commissioner of Health. 
The bulk of our supply is transported within a radius 
of 45 miles from the city of Detroit, and SO per cent of 
it is shipped in large glass-lined tanks. One of the milk 
plants has one car with glass-lined tanks mounted on 
it. The rest come by motor truck. c. H. ciielson, 
Detroit, Mich. Director Bureau Dairy and Food. 
In regard to the milk supply of Duluth, Minn., about 
one-half of it is raw milk, produced and sold by near¬ 
by dairies. I his milk is all bottled and kept on ice at 
all. times, sold in very good condition. Our pasteurized 
milk is produced by farmers within an average of about 
30 miles and shipped into the city’s pasteurizing plants 
mostly by auto trucks, some by train. 
We are, during the warm season, having a lot of 
trouble with the shippers. The milk comes in at too 
high a temperature and quite a large percentage is sour 
on arrival. We are at present working on the problem 
and have just notified shippers that better care must 
be taken in getting the milk to market. It is only a 
matter of a short time when we must insist on glass- 
lined tanks for transportation. This, of course, means 
centi alizing stations in the country, and in our sparsely 
settled communities this will mean a handicap, but ail 
this will be worked out gradually, and in another year 
we will be able to say that all our milk comes in in A1 
condition. l. a. sukefortii, m.d., 
Duluth, Minn. Director of Public Health. 
The bulk of the milk supply of St. Louis, Mo., comes 
from within a radius of about 100* miles from the city. 
4he gieater part comes from Illinois, some from Mis¬ 
souri. One company receives a part of its supply in 
glass-lined tanks by auto truck. This arrives in good 
condition. Two of the larger companies receive most 
of their supply by auto truck from plants at Highland, 
Ill., where it is pasteurized and bottled. Other dealers 
receive by auto truck and by rail. Shipping by auto 
truck is on the increase. tiios. a. buckland, 
St. Louis, Mo City Chemist. 
Concerning your inquiry relative to the transporta¬ 
tion of milk in glass-lined thermos-bottle type of cars, 
two such trucks are in operation in this city for the 
transport of milk from the country receiving station of 
one milk company to its city distributing plant. The 
trucks are loaded to capacity to prevent churning and 
are driven in during the early morning and early even¬ 
ing. So far as inspection tests go, the results obtained 
by this mode of transport compare favorably with the 
former procedure of shipment in cans. The cleansing 
of the trucks involves a considerable amount of labor, 
which has been performed without complaint so far! 
Steam sterilization is also employed after thorough 
cleansing with cold and hot water. 
The Minneapolis milk supply is gathered from an 
area no greater than 50 miles from the city at any 
point. Transportation is usually accomplished by auto 
trucks loaded with full cans of milk. 
Minneapolis, Minn. wm. f. reasner, 
Asst. Commissioner of Public Health. 
About 50 per cent of our milk supply is produced by 
raw milk dealers and is bottled at the dairies and de¬ 
livered m the city each morning. The other 50 per cent 
is produced by farmers living within a radius of 20 
nnlee of our city and is hauled into the city each moiui- 
mg by truck to pasteurization plants, then pasteurized 
and bottled. The farmers’ milk that is brought into our 
ls . ? ot delivered in very good shape, due to the lack 
of facilities of the farmers to cool their milk properly 
IS one of our milk supply is shipped into the city by ex¬ 
press, and it is my opinion that one of our hardest milk 
problems of today is to educate the farmers to handle 
their milk properly. In other words, it is a long hard 
educational campaign. c . c. hall, m.d. c. ’ 
Omaha, Neb. Chief Sanitary Inspector. 
The Milwaukee milk supply comes from a territory 
within a radius of 50 miles; the-bulk of it, however 
comes from within a distance of 20 to 25 miles. None 
of the milk is carried in the glass-lined thermos-bottle 
type of cars ; most of it is transported by truck, and a 
small amount is brought in by train and by electric 
railroad. 
There are approximately 3,500 producing farms or 
dairies and 21 milk plants distributing milk in our city 
Approximately 57,000 gallons are handled daily. The 
greatest proportion of this is handled by seven dairies 
Of the market milk delivered, 98 per cent is pasteur¬ 
ized, and 2 per cent of the milk represents the certified 
or inspected milk, for which there is a slight demand 
We require that the milk be cooled and delivered at a 
temperature of 60 degrees F. We are not unreasonable, 
however, in this demand with unusual weather condi¬ 
tions. Milk stations, 'plant** and individual wagons are 
licensed by the city. 
We have discontinued the practice of routine farm in¬ 
spections. We insist that the plants carry on this work. 
Our inspectors are in the plants each day as the milk 
is delivered. Farm inspections are occasionally made to 
assist in enforcing the law or aiding the farmer in pro¬ 
ducing clean milk. We rely to a considerable extent on 
the sediment test. The samples are taken from the last 
pint in an eight-gallon can. Many people have felt that 
such test was unreasonable. It is surprising to find 
what education has done along this line. It is no 
common occurrence for the inspector to bring in per¬ 
fectly clean disks after testing a truckload of milk. 
I find that we return or confiscate approximately 
600 eight-gallon cans of milk per month. It is our 
practice to add buttermilk to these cans before they are 
returned, in order that the farmer cannot ship "them 
again to the city the following day; then, too, he is 
able to feed the milk to his cattle. i. f. Thompson, 
Milwaukee, Wis. Deputy Commissioner of Health. 
