Wilder

Princeton Milk Strike 5/1

Stand As One Man - Princeton Farmers Hold Back Milk From Boston

May 1 - Princeton farmers stood as one man today, and refused to send their milk to Boston.

From Princeton Depot, where usually 205 cans are sent to the Boston Dairy Co., not a can was sent this morning.
From Quinapoxet, where 75 cans of Princeton milk is shipped to D. Whitney & Sons, not a can was sent today.
John Chandler, H.P. Houghton and Harry Gleason, who together produce 100 cans and ship to Alden Bros. from Sterling Junction, today held back every can.
The men seemed firm in their determination to held back the milk until what they claim a fair price is received.

At Princeton depot this morning, when the train drew up there was not a can awaiting to be put in the milk car. The agent in charge smiled and attempted to impress the men with the fact that he had lots of milk on board, but a glance into the car showed up many empty shelves. Many of the farmers are anxious for their pay from the contractors for the milk shipped in March and April, and the agent was asked if he had their checks, but they were told “not today, perhaps tomorrow.”

Instead of going to the station with their wagons filled with cans of milk this morning, many producers were present just to see what was going on.

The men who had arranged to have their milk separated were on hand with cans filled with cream consigned to the Worcester Dairy Co. This company received over 150 quarts of cream from Princeton today.

Justin M. Clark, who formerly sent 25 cans of milk to Boston, said today: “I have been working the separator last night and this morning for milk brought to me from the farms of M.C. Goodnow, Monton Gates and C.H.Thompson, and everything works all right. Tomorrow morning I think there will be fewer cans of milk in the milk car than there were today.”

A.B.Wetherbee began today to separate the milk which was brought to him from the herds of Herbert P. Houghton, John Chandler and William S. Brooks. There is a possibility that the stream separator belonging to John B. Marcou will be brought into service if there is enough milk to be separated.

Herbert R. Hastings, who with I.E. Pratt and David Gilway, ship to W. Whitney & Son from Quinapoxet, said that he had set up a separator in his house, and in this way was taking care of his milk and also the milk from I.E. Pratts's farm. Never before have the Princeton farmers been so well prepared to fight the contractors as now, and never before have they hung together as in this struggle.