The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-02-06
M EGG FAMINE.
Fine Weather Has Encouraged
the Helpful Hen.
Has Also Played Havoc With the
Spectators.
STORAGE EGGS SOLD.
Very Few Are Left, Says j. II.
Haskell.
Commission Men Expect Much
Lower Prices.

The helpful hen has taken a fail
out OF the egg spectators and com
mission men this winter that viii
Hnger like taste of ashes. 1t has
been years since the mild weather
conditions have been SO general
throughout the country, and here IS
where the egg dealers reckoned
astray. They commenced to buy up
eggs during last summer in such large
quantities that the price was kept
stiff with the big stock which was
placed in cold storage the dealers ex-
pected to reap huge profits. But they
were mistaken; the cold weather
which prevailed during the previous
year failed to materialize and the
profits began to go glimmering- As
the weeks passed the profits were
reduced more and more, until it was
simply a question of selling out and
figuring on the extent Of the loss.
Eastern dealers felt this loss the heav-
lest, and local dealers in eggs here in
Topeka claim that they escaped the
singeing process by selling out before
Christmas. Several thousand cases
were left over, but they claim that the
profit on those sold before Christmas
viii offset any loss on the stock which
remains in storage.
j. II. Haskell OF the produce de-
partment OF the Beatrice Creamery
company which together with the
Seymour Commission comranv
handles the greater portion of the egg
business in Kansas. claims that no
losses of consequence were met with
by western dealers. I'VE in the west
here figure that it is the wisest thing
10 clean out our holdings before
Christmas said Haskell TITS a
straight gambling proposition when
YOU hold after the first of the year.
There was very little Of the holdings
LEFT over. About 5000 cases were in
storage here this winter, but of this
amount don't believe that more than
loo cases were left over.
The eggs were bought up by the
dealers last summer at about from 1919
To 1862 cents dozen 1t costs about
cents dozen for the storage charges dur
ing the winter. This makes the selling
price above twenty cents to the con-
sumner. 1t was all right during last win
Ter; there weren't any fresh eggs on the
market in quantities to pull down this
price But this year it is all different.
the weather has been so warm that
fresh eggs have been on the market most
of the time and at a price, too, that it
made 1t impossible to sell the@s storage
eggs at profitable prices. The west
though has not gone heavily into this
holding over business; the storage firms
~-e- ~ ~ az AANcA44e NlCdAlG4 OuL WHAT STOCK
they had. In the east though. I'm Chi
cago and i'm New York City, the egg
men have been hit hard and a number
of the smaller firms have been pushed
to the wall They bought up heavily
there and didn't sell out.
Il look for a fall in eggs this summer;
they win probably reach a figure lower
than they have reached for several
years; they may go down to 1919 cents
dozen retail. The open winter season
has kept the market down and eggs will
be cheap.
II never expect to see them get as
cheap as they did seven years ago when
they sold as low as seven and eight cents
a dozen. At least 1 hope that those con-
ditions viii never be duplicated. One
can never tell though
But our losses here in Topeka have
been nominal and the profits have more
than offset them"
George C. Bowman. of Seymour &
Co.. claimed that the local egg dealers
had not lost sufficiently to count in the
slump in eggs. THE gamblers lost a
little. But that is a chance which they
are running up against when they try
30 hold over after January" said he.