THE MILK PROBLEM

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2783, 30 May 1916, Page 7

THE MILK PROBLEM

DAIRY FARMERS ON PRICES REPLY '10 VENDORS In reply to the statement made to the City Council by the'-Wellington miik vendors (and puolished in Thb'Dominion on May 17), tire Wellington Dairy fanners' Co-operative Association, Lid., will present the following statement to the City Council on. Thursday evening next: - "Our association has a membership ot 260. Its members have ovex half a million invested to keep Wellington City supplied with milk. ' Its objects are;—lo obtain a fair price for milk; to ensure to its members payment for same from tho vendors (wnich object it has not iully achioved, as one firm alone failed to pay .i'iSOl) for milk supplied); to regulate supplies by separating surplus inilk in. the country, thus relieving tne vendor oi' purchasing more milk than ho requires for his business, and also providing for emergency supplies; to encourage farmers to provido lor winter supply; to better the quality of the milk, and to better the iiuik trade generally. A number of our members aro bound to supply factories not connected in any way with our association during, eight, and in some cases nine, months of the year, and make special provision for. town supply for the remaining three or four months. "Our association fixes the price from time to time the same as the vendor does, always keeping the summer supplies as near factory prices as possible, winter pricos being fixed by weather conditions, price of feed, labour; etc. We cannot, any mora than the baker, butcher, warehouseman, or any other sellers of any articles of food, give any fixed price for any fixed period. . The milk retailer, long before the existence of our association, did not state for what definite period a fixed prico would obtain. "With tho exception of April last, not less than one month's notice of any alteration of price has always been given, but the Vendors' Association, through its then president and by some of its members, offered higher prices in the early part of March for milk to bo supplied as from April 1 until the end of .August than is being charged by our association at the present time, and in consequence these vendors are paying tho higher price. "Our association oharges tho same prico to every vendor, large or small, members of the Vendors' Association or otherwise, and does not charge the small vendors more to enable us to sell at a cheaper rate to larce firms to re-sell to small vendors at an increased price. "Our association certainly reserve to themselves the right to. give what notice they may deem lit, tho same as any other firm, many of which sell subject to alteration in price without notice, but up to tho present liavo not had to cut off any vendor's supply (except in cases of noilpayment), but have had supplies stopped by vendors at a moment's notice.

"Our contention, is that tho vendors uot only pass on the increaso to the public, but, as His Worship tho Mayor stated, an increaso upon an increase:— September 1, 1915: Landed price, Bd.; retail price, Is. *ld. March 1, 1916: Landed price, lOd.; retail price, Is. Bd. April 1: Landed price, Is. Id.; retail price, 2s.— an increase by the association of sd. per gallon, and an increase by tho Vendors' Association of Sd. per gallon, or a passing on the public of 3d. per gallon in. croaso over and above "the increase put on by our association. And then we nro called a Milk Trust!

"The vendors state that they do not retail all the milk at'2s. per gallon, but Bell one-quarter at reduced rates, making an average of Is. lOd. per gallon. 'J his means 2s. per gallon to tlio small consumer, and Is. 4d. per gallon to tho large consumer.

, "If tko vendors sold on the samo basis when the farmers charged Bd. per gallon landed in Wellington, and the vendors retailed at Is. Id., then tlio average retail price ivas Is. 3d. This means that 'the increase l'rom Is, 2d. in Suptvnber, 1915, to l.a.r'ipd. m April, 11)16,' is Sd. pel' gallon, as. against 'the fnrmors' Sd, - in January'to Is. Id. in April, an increase of sd. per gallon. .' '"Our association quito agree that"the prices obtained at butler and cheese factories (BJd. arid BJil.) aro correct, and would point out that tho avorago price per gallon obtained for town supply for 1915 was Bd. Surely tho vendors do not thinlc that cows yield milk all tho year round. Tho milk for which factory sup-, pliers aro now obtaining llid. per gallon is obtained from cows specially kept and heavily fed aiAl rugged for winter supply, and if 'the extra price could not >e obtained tho winter shortage of milk would bo' greater than at present. "During eight months (August, 1915, to March, I'JIC) tlio factory supplier obtained BJtl- per gallon, plus, the by-product, and only had one trip per day to tlio factory, Tho town supplier only l obtained 7Jd. for tho corresponding period, with no byproduct, had to cool tho milk, mako two trips daily to tho station, and on many occasions ono or two extra trips for < mpty cans, which either the vendor or tho liailway Department forgot to ''Dturji, Our association is taking steps to remedy, this by erecting cheeso and butter, factories, and ceasing to supply the City. "Much capital has been 'made by Quoting 'the B?>d. obtained at the factories as against the UJd. obtained by the farmers at present date. The factory supplier does not, produce milk for tho winter. Ono of the largest factories on tho Manawatu line,' having 75 suppliers, received on November 30, 1915, 5000 gallons, and on April SO, 191G, 800 gallons, none of which is available for town supply, as tho dairies aro: not registered. . ■■ "Milk in Palinerston is being retailed at Is. -id. per gallon,' and costs the vendor Is. per gallon. This is the district l'rom which it is proposed to obtain cheap null;. "All the milk now being produced on re"istored farms liotwoen Xaitolco and Palnierston Xortli (with the exception of, at most, 200 gallons daily) is. being used for town supply at present date, Ima includes a large quantity from tho vVai'Thir association will open its nooks and give particulars to any member; of tlio City Council staff, or tho Press, in order to' verify the statement re prices, etc. Summary of Position. "The farmers receive ,£GU,OOft per year for milk supplied to tho City. It wets the public £120,000 (100 per cent, for re. tailing. The milk vendor at Palmorston North ■ pays Is. per gallon, retails at Is. 4(1. ($ l-3rd per cent, for retailing). . "Every advance of 2d. per galnil in prico by farmers means an increase to the publ'c of 4il; per gallon by the rcn. do "Town suppliers only received TJd.- foi the eight summer months, as against Sjd. tn factory suppliers for the corresponding Pe, l < t d 'costs from 75 to 100 per cent, novo to produce milk in winter,' hence farmers «ill not register their premises, keep iwo herds of cows, provide extra cans, grow l'oddpi', to milk cows in the lour . winter months for tho same price as received at I'nctorv, and unless the _ increased price can be obtained no provision for uin.<ei milk will be mado. Clearing House, "The vendors were represented at the Parliamentary inquiry held.on Uecembei 10, 1913, when the necessity tor a clearing house was omplinsiscd. They were also represented by counsel at a conference oi the Milk Committee Vendors and Farmers held on March ai, 1914, at _ which they entered a strong protest again tho clearing house—and now they ask for intorrnption. ',i, i .-h "The process to be adopted rests witn the City Council. Ordinary«tests only needed. Analysis only required to deter, mino tho amount of adulteration, it mils failed to pass ordinary tests as per laeto. meter and Babcock tests. The delay will not bo more than ono honr from tirno ot arrival of train. The fact that milk has been passed by qualified inspector will be tho warranty the vendor will have. The warranty tho consumer will have will be the honesty of the vendor who always delivers tho milk as received from the supplier. Tho farmer lias never asked for nor does he expect, any war. ranty. The milk is either received or rejected. Better conditions re railway carriage should be obtained. upeedier transit cannot at present.. Certainly, seeir/; tho loss, of time will be. one hour only. Small quantities produced within city area will not paes through, clearing house—Makai'a milk will. Points of Difficulty. "Would also apply to insulated carriage, Tho ono hour delay will onlv to a

small portion of the milk, as fully 75 per cent, of tho milk is.not delivered until 15 to 24. hours after arrival. Lactometer and Babcock tests aro not used to deter, mine the condition of milk. Time foi analysis(B hours) admitted. Farmors need no warranty. Plonty of margin between farmers' price and retail price.to pay cost of clearing house. Alternative Suggestions. "Daylight delivery between 8 a.m. : and 5 p.m. and a clearing hou6e is the only solution of the pure milk supply. The urgent necessity for the erection of a clearing house was 'advocated by Dr. Frengley, Chief Health .Officer, and by the Health Committee of the City Coun. cil in 1909; A Parliamentary inquiry was held in December, 1913. Tho Hon. Dr Collins. M.H.R., Dr. Herbert, 8.M.A., Dr. Newman, M.P., His Wo'rship the Mayor, and the Department of Agriculture have all made most emphatic statements that the first step towards a pure milk 6upply is a clearing house. The council placed on its estimates a, sum of money for its erection. Most of tho present councillors pledged themselves to it at the last council election. A petition and several deputations from farmers have asked for it. and after having duly considered the matter our association . wish to make the statement that, unless a clearing house be crpctcd in the near future, the present citv supplv will be turned into cheese anrl butter factories. The only objections covio from a few vendors who would be deprived of tin- plea they always set up on being prosecuted for selling adulterated or inferior milk—that they sold, the the milk just as they received it from tho supplier."