The objectives set for the program are being realized. More milk is being consumed in schools and in child-care centers and summer camps. This means that more children are getting more milk in school than ever before. It means that costs for purchasing and storing dairy products under the price support program are lower. It means that more children are developing the habit of including milk in their diet, and are thereby improving the nutritional level of their diets. It means that CCC purchases of dairy products will be less, thereby decreasing the depressing effect Government stocks have on producer prices. Because the excellent progress made under the program should be maintained at its present momentum, because the increasing school enrollment creates further need under the program; and because school officials and others should be assured that the program will be adequately financed and continuing, we support H.R. 9370 and H.R. 9690. These bills would increase the funds available to the program from $81 million for the curent fiscal year to $85 million and from $84 million to $90 million thereafter. These recommended authorizations will, in our opinion, assure the continued progress of the program. In conclusion, let me point out that the full benefit of the recommended inerease for the current fiscal year will only be realized if it is approved in time to assure school officials that the funds will be available for operations this year. The administrative work necessary to get information to all interested parties takes time. With a March 1 deadline, this administrative consideration is even more important if a slowdown is to be avoided. Thank you. Unit participation, milk consumption and funds expended in special milk program for children DEAR MR. ROSSI: I note that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has made a decision to decrease the rate of reimbursement, effective March 1, 1960, for each half pint of milk served under the special milk program. The reason given by the Department for its action is insufficient funds to assure operations for the full fiscal year (July 1, 1959, to June 30, 1960), at 4 cents per half pint of milk in schools participating in the national school lunch program and 3 cents per half pint for all other schools. Inasmuch as your dairy is furnishing our schools with large quantities of milk, you are aware that a cut would disrupt our financial position greatly. It is my belief, if the national school lunch program is to be a part of our socioeconomic system, the Federal Government should not go part way with it but should subsidize it adequately to prevent disruption each year of the monetary plans of the participating bodies. This fact should be got across to legislators. I am offering these points to you in order that you may be advised of our position regarding this matter since you are a member of the National Milk Producers Federation. It was thought that your group may be in accord with our point of view and would lend your strength to defeating the decision of the Agriculture Department and substituting appropriate counter legislation. Very truly yours, R. W. DORSETT, Assistant to the Superintendent in Charge of Business. FRESNO CITY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, Mr. E. L. SCARAMELLA, DEAR MR. SCARAMELLA: I hope the following will answer your question of what the possible one-half cent reduction in milk subsidy for the national school lunch program might mean to Fresno City schools. There has been no price raise for lunches or milk the past 3 years. This has been accomplished through the utilization of every possible means of cutting operational costs. It was hoped that the present price structure for lunches and milk could be continued throughout the 1959-60 school year. If the one-half cent reduction in milk subsidy comes about, it would mean approximately an $8,000 loss in revenue for the remainder of the school year. At this point, it appears that such a drop in receipts would necessitate a price increase for both lunches and milk. This, in turn, could mean a reduction in student participation in type A and C lunches. Thank you for your interest in our problems. Yours truly, HOWARD NORDSTROM, Coordinator of Lunchrooms. THE WELFARE FEDERATION, Cleveland, Ohio, January 15, 1960. Mr. C. K. LAUGHTON, Milk Producers Federation, DEAR MR. LAUGHTON: The Cleveland Welfare Federation and its agencies are concerned about the USDA reduction in the milk subsidy effective March 1960. The children's institutions, day nurseries, and summer camps have enthusiastically participated in this milk program, and have greatly appreciated the substantial cash reimbursement from it. Any effort that your association can do to bring this to the attention of the Department of Agriculture to continue the present subsidy would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, W. T. MCCULLOUGH, Executive Director. To Whom It May Concern: CLINTON CENTRAL SCHOOL SYSTEM, This statement is made in connection with the legislation recently introduced to provide a deficit appropriation to carry on the school milk program. We purchase a great deal of milk, averaging about 20,000 bottles a month. We certainly would not like to see this program curtailed if it is at all possible to avoid it. Of course, we shall continue to use large supplies of milk, but it is probable that the amount we purchase will have to be curtailed to some extent for the remainder of the year. RICHARD J. RALPH, Supervising Principal. MORAVIA CENTRAL SCHOOL, Moravia, N.Y., January 26, 1960. Mr. DANIEL J. CAREY, Manager, Mutual Federation of Independent Cooperatives, DEAR MR. CAREY: I have been contacted concerning your letter of January 18, to a director of your cooperative regarding the possible curtailment of Federal funds provided for the special milk program in the public schools of the State. We here at Moravia are particularly concerned over the fact that this program might be cut inasmuch as it would directly concern many of our students. In my opinion, this program is one of the most worthwhile expenditures provided for the children of this country from Federal funds. In our school each 50608-60-7 child is able to have one or more half pints of milk each day either with his lunch or, in the primary grades, during an afternoon milk break. Inasmuch as we live in a comparatively rural area and the economic standard of living is relatively low in most of our families, the very health of many of our children depends upon milk as a source of nutritional food. We have approximately 1,385 students. During any given month of about 20 school days these children consume a little over 28,000 half pints of milk. If we were to multiply this by the 10-month period that school is in session, we would come up with a figure of 280,000 half pints of milk. If we are to multiply this number of half pints of milk by the cost to us of 51⁄2 cents per half pint we find that the cost of this program runs to $15,400. At the present time the State will reimburse us at the rate of 4 cents per bottle, or approximately $11,200. This difference, or $4,200, must be made up by the cafeteria or the sale to children. As you can readily see the child or the nonprofit cafeteria must contribute approximately 1%1⁄2 cents per half pint. With the present educational program in danger of curtailment through increased costs and loss of State aid any reduction in the Federal aid to the milk program will have to be absorbed by the children themselves. I feel certain that if this condition comes to pass it will be impossible for many families who may have as many as 8 or 10 children to provide the necessary money that will enable their children to take advantage of milk at school. I therefore urge you and your organization to do all in your power to aid the Federal Government in understanding our problem and thereby to carry on the special milk program as it has been in the past. Sincerely yours, CHARLES T. BUTTON, Supervising Principal. CENTRAL VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT No. 356, WILLIAM V. MARTIN, Spokane Milk Producers Association, DEAR MR. MARTIN: A copy of your letter has been forwarded to me in regard to the reduction of reimbursement for milk by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This reduction from 4 to 32 cents would affect our program greatly. For the months of September, October, November, and December of this school year, we have been reimbursed for 149,242 half pints of milk for which at 4 cents, we would receive $5,969.68. Had there been a reduction to 31⁄2 cents, we would have received $5,223.47-a difference of $746.21. The rest of the year would be on a comparable basis. Thank you for allowing me to make this comment. Mrs. PATRICIA LACROIX, JOINT CONSOLIDATED SCHOOIS, SPOKANE MILK PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION, DISTRICT No. 414, Deer Park, Wash., January 21, 1960. DEAR SIRS: This is to inform you that the Deer Park Schools are opposed to the recent decision made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to decrease the rate of reimbursement for each one-half pint of milk served under the school milk program, effective March 1, 1960. If our schools can be of any assistance in having such a decision rescinded or in having an adequate appropriation provided for the milk program we shall be glad to help out in any way we can. The reduction in the rate of reimbursement for milk in our school will affect us in an adverse way. The lunch program must either absorb the loss in reimbursement by serving that much less food or else raise the price of the lunch. To raise the price of a lunch does not seem advisable at this time due to economic conditions. Therefore a student must of necessity get less for a lunch than before, because the lunch program is to be self-supporting. Students in our special milk program are those who are served milk at recess periods or who supple ment their own noon lunches with milk. These students will be required to pay the additional amount equal to the reduction made by the Department of Agriculture. I am afraid this will lower the daily participation in the special milk program. Therefore this reduction in the rate of Federal reimbursement for milk will lower the health standard of some 300 students who are regularly served in our hot lunch program and about 275 more who participate in our special milk program. We cannot afford to lower the health standards of the children who are the real assets of our country. Sincerely yours, VERNE H. SIEGEL, Superintendent. FREEMAN CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS, DISTRICT NO. 358, SPOKANE County, SPOKANE MILK PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION, DEAR SIRS: Mr. Van Emerson, the county superintendent of schools, has asked for a statement concerning the decreased rate of reimbursement under the school milk program. Our school lunch program must be self-supporting, so if our reimbursement rate is decreased, we must either cut the lunch program or raise prices to make up the difference. Any raise in price would work a hardship on some of our people with large families and low income. Sincerely, THEODORE J. JOHNSON, Superintendent. JANUARY 28, 1960. NATIONAL MILK PRODUCERS FEDERATION, GENTLEMEN: Inasmuch as we have been advised that a reduction in funds available through the school milk program is contemplated and because any such reduction in school milk funds would make it necessary to increase the cost of school lunches to our students, We would urge you to make every effort to insure that (1) Sufficient funds be made available to carry out the school milk program without reduction for the remainder of the year, and (2) Make sure that sufficient funds are appropriated to continue the school milk program at a maximum level for the forthcoming year beginning July 1. Sincerely yours, HAROLD B. WALTER, President, Cooperative Dairy Farmers of Middleburg. FLOYD F. WALTER, ·President, Cooperative Dairy Farmers of Lewisburg. The above resolution was passed unanimously by representatives of Cooperative Dairy Farmers of Lewisburg and Cooperative Dairy Farmers of Middleburg at a meeting January 22. ANACORTES PUBLIC SCHOOLS, DISTRICT No. 103, Anacortes, Wash., January 19, 1960. To Whom It May Concern: The Anacortes School District No. 103 would like to protest the proposed cut in our reimbursement under the special milk program. This cut will disrupt a program in action. We hope that an additional appropriation will restore the cut, and a full appropriation of $90 million will be made for the next school year. Sincerely, CLARENCE E. HENNING, Superintendent. BURLINGTON-EDISON SCHOOL DISTRICT No. 100, Mr. E. M. NORTON, Secretary, National Milk Producers Federation, DEAR SIR: We have been notified of the change in reimbursement from 4 to 3.5 cents in the special milk program. To my knowledge the blame for this goes to the Federal level where there has been a cut in the moneys available to the special milk program. This action will hinder us in our local program by forcing us to raise the price of milk, thus lowering the number of children who will buy the milk. I realize it is only one-half cent per one-half pint but this adds up in a hurry. In our small district it would amount to over $300 a year. The lunch program operates on a nonprofit basis and most of the time it is a money loser, so any amount of aid helps us serve the children wholesome food at a low cost to them. I will appreciate any action that will protect us in the future from such a cut in the reimbursement for milk served to children. Sincerely, Mr. E. M. NORTON, National Milk Producers Federation, ROBERT N. LARSON, Director of Lunch Programs. OAK HARBOR SCHOOL DISTRICT 201, DEAR MR. NORTON: The special milk program is of real importance to us because of its relationship to the health of children. We strongly urge you to exert every possible effort in the direction of the continuance of the program. Any decrease in the level of support at this time will be false economy. Your support of the special milk program will be very much appreciated. Sincerely, W. B. GILBERT, Superintendent. NEBRASKA-IOWA NON-STOCK CO-OPERATIVE MILK ASSOCIATION, Mr. E. M. NORTON, Executive Secretary, National Milk Producers Federation, DEAR MIKE: I have just been informed by the State department of education that reimbursement to schools in the State under the special milk program will be reduced by one-half cent per half pint effective March 1, 1960. Mr. Elliott, director of the school lunch services in Nebraska, points out very clearly in his letter the effect this can have on their school milk program for the remainder of this school year. In studying his letter, I feel very strongly that any disruption in the program during the school year will certainly have an adverse effect as far as consumption of milk is concerned. I firmly believe that Congress should give serious consideration to appropriation of additional funds to assure continuation of the program on its present basis, at least for this school year. Increased participation in the school lunch and school milk programs have certainly had a desirable effect upon the income of dairy farmers nationally, and at the same time has helped promote a balanced and healthful diet for a great number of schoolchildren at a time in their lives when healthful diets are most important. I know you are making every effort to see that this program is expanded, rather than curtailed and I hope it will be possible to obtain additional funds from Congress to see that this expansion can be carried out. I do not wish to leave the impression that funds to carry the program over for the remainder of the school year would be entirely satisfactory. I believe in the light of increased participation in the program that enough additional funds should be appropriated to carry this expansion through the next 2 years. |