Bob and HISTARCHers:

Its been a week of reminiscences of the good ole' days when the milkman
delivered fresh milk to the front porch and I've kept my silence. But I
can't help it any more. They still DO!!!! (Although I bet there are some
milkwomen out there now, too). At least in urban areas big enough to
provide the market, yet small enough to be close to the dairies, I suppose.

I moved from the Denver metropolitan area to little Santa Fe about six
years ago, where dairy cattle are few. In Denver, I had fresh milk and
orange juice delivered to my front porch twice weekly. The milk came in
heavy plastic bottles, much more durable than what you buy in the grocery
store. I didn't get full replacements unless I gave the dairy back an
empty. The juice was packaged in quart glass bottles, obviously used over
and over. Both were topped with sturdy, reuseable, pull-off plastic caps.

The "NO DEPOSIT NO RETURN" in combination with "NOT TO BE REFILLED" on beer
bottles started after prohibition was repealed, if I remember correctly,
and had to do with continued federal regulation of liquor sales. I'm hazy
on the exact details now, but I think Jane Busch covered the subject in her
1987 article. Dan Weiskotten's note about earlier use of the "NOT TO BE
REFILLED" message alone dealt with proprietary interests and advertising,
as he states.