THE PRICE OF MILK.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2421, 29 March 1915, Page 7

THE PRICE OF MILK.

Sir, —Your correspondent, C. Jl. Strand, in your issue of Thursday last objects to being made responsible for wbat he is pleased to term the exorbitant, prices being charged for the food which children and invalids live upon, but he does not attempt to show in what way the prices being charged by the milk-vendors are exorbitant. As Mr. Strand nuotfls the »ssoriat-icn'ii prices, but not wlmt, ha is charging,

will lie please explain why he demands one-halfpenny per gallon moro for his milk than tlio prico fixed by the Dairy Farmers' Association, of which ho is a. member?- There is plenty of milk being sent to town just as goo;! if not better than Mr. Strand's. Will ho please explain why the Dairy Farmers Association threatened to have the supplies stopped to those milk vendors who wished to continue dealing direct with tho farmers, and to stop tlioso farmers supplying who wished to continue dealing direct with the milk vendor P

Since tho formation of the Dairy Farmers' Association some two years ago the price of milk to tho milk vendor has been steadily increased. The farmers have been receiving tho benefit of these increases, and if the public have to pay an increased price the farmers are responsible, it the Dairy Farmers' Association is, as Mr. Strand claims, a co-operative concern, will he please explain .why some of tho favoured ones received full price for their milk all the summer when other members of the association had to accept a- very much lower, price for a large quantity of their milk?

In order that the public may have some idea of what tho milk vendor really makes by retailing milk, the following estimate may be of service. A good day's work for a man is an output of 40 gallons, of which 30 would be in pint and quart quantitios, and ten gallons iu one to two gallon quantities. The prices (including railage) paid to the Farmers' Association during the past twelve months have been 7-Jd. September to February, ninepeuce March, April, and August, elevenpence May-July. An average of eightpenco three-farthings per gallon all the year round. The prices charged to the jrtMo by the milk vendors were Pint quantities, 7 months at Is. <id. per gallon, and 5 at Is. Bd. per gallon. Gallon quantities, 7 months at lOd. per gallon, and 5 months at Is. por gallon—an average of one shilling and fourpence per gallon. Difference between.price to public and landed cost, sevenpence farthing per gallon. A fair estimate of the milk vendors' charges arc: — Per week. £ s. d. Cartage of milk , from station to dairy (Jd. per gallon) ... 0 11 8 Wages 2 10 0 Keep of horse, including stall and feed and shoeing 1 10 0 Depreciation 0 5 0 Leakage (3 gallons daily) 0 14 6 Bad debts (}d. per gallon) ... 0 5 10 Clerical work, printing, etc. ... 0 10 0 £6 7 0 Summary. £ s. d. Sale of 40 gallons of milk to the public 18 13 4 Cost of milk to milk vendor ... 10 4 2 £8 9 2 Charges ' 6 7 0 Net return £2 2 2 No deduction has been made for losses on account of sour milk, which the milk vendor has to bear. The milk vendor has to work sovon. days of the week in all conditions of weather and commences at 3 a.m. Surely Mr. Strand does not consider that a profit of £2 2s. 2d. por week is too much for such work. If the profits mado by tho milk vendors are as great as Mr; Strand would have the public think, it would be interesting to know why he discontinued retailing milk and confined himself to selling to the milk vendors. The only conclusion one can arrive ,at is that he prefers to relieve himself of tho trying labour connected with the milk vendor's life, and demands a higher prico for his milk to allow him to employ labour, to produce same. —I am, etc., R, H. WILLIAMS.