THE CITY MILK SUPPLY

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 102, 30 April 1921, Page 9

THE CITY MILK SUPPLY

TO THB ESITOS.

Sir, —On the 14th inst. I wrote you a short letter showing the price- paid to the farmers for milk, the price paid by the consumer, and the difference. To this a footnote was appended (quite evidently inspired) in which it was stated that "the average price paid by the City Council is Is Bgd per gallon the year through." Now, Sir, here is a statement taken from the books of the farmersywho supplied the milk. By this table if- will be see/i that the average price paid by the council to the farmer was not Is Bjd, but Is 2.79 d per gallon. The truth is that while the farmer only gets Is 2.79 d the poor unfortunate consumer has to pay Is 5.21 d for getting the milk through the City Council. The table is as follows:—

[Fractions of gallons and shillings and pence are omitted, and the figures show the- nearest gallon and the nearest pound.] The fact of the matter is that when the City Council took over the milk supply every one of the milk, vendors would have been glad to sell the goodwill of his milk run for £3 per gallon. Under the City Council's three years' scheme they are getting £9 per gallon, or in other words the milk consumers of the city have been mulct in a sum approximating £45,000 for the ' privilege of buying their milk through the City Council, where it is loaded with overhead charges of Qd per gallon.— I am, etc., F. W. B. GREVILLE. Inquiry by.' a Post representative bHows that the period for which Mr. Greville quotes his figures is not the same as that dealt with in the earlier discussion on milk prices. The two periods overlap by about six months; and the effect of this is that the cost "for getting the milk through the City Council"' for the period- actually quoted by Mr. Greville is 2d lower than he states. Our informant points out that the farmers to whom the statistics refer have not placed themselves in a, position to receive a high- average price for their milk because .their winter milk, which brings tjie high price, was inadequate in quantity. VMiy 'Greville's table shows that whereas in December, 1920, they supplied 3055 gallons' per day, they sent only 1064 gallons per day in June. There is here a winter deficiency of just under 2000 gallons. The average cost of milk to the City Council is raised by the high price (2s per gallon)' which the council has to pay for milk to make up that deficiency, and by special cost of bringing it to the city. While the farmer has to pay the cost of freight on ordinary supplies, he does not pay the heavy cost of Sunday transport by motor from the Wairarapa, over roads notoriously trying. The transport of milk by lorry, has already involved many accidents, of which one resulted, in an outlay of £250 to repair the damage. ' " ■ v.

1920. Gallons. Gross. Net. £ £ April 52,444 3062 , 2763 May „ 43,860 2968 2705 June 31,923 2260 2062 July ; 35,646 2743 2527 August 42,253 3214 2949 September 42,124 2836 2594 October 70,767 4069 3687 November 86,128 4899 4431 December 94,726 5362 4853 1921. January 77,368- 4423 4001 February- 54,797 3209 2914 March .47,893 2853 2593 679,929 41,900 38,079