The Milk Price Controversy The price at which the arbitrators
have fixed. summer milk prices has caused an acute sense of grievance. There are many other grounds of complaint about the working of the Milk. Marketing Scheme, but at least it had been expected that the scheme would ensure the payment of a fair price by the distributors to the pro- ducers as a whole. One can imagine the effect on the minds of the latter when, the Board having asked for is. 2d. a gallon, and the distributors having offered is: Old., the arbitrators fixed a price of is. "Monstrous and ridiculous" was the opinion indignantly and justly expressed at the Central Council of Milk Recording Societies. Unionist members of the House of Commons were equally frank in their criticism. Col. Acland-Troyte pointed out that in 1914 the producer got 11d, and the retailer's margin was 5d., while today the producer gets about 7d., or at most 8d., and the retailer's margin is 10d. Whatever may be the lot of the other parties in the milk deal—the producers and consumers—the distributors all the time come off with the assurance of a very ample profit. Whilst prices go down for the producer and do not go down to the consumer, they keep up for the powerful middleman. The position is pro- foundly disquieting.
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