The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-02
WOULD BUY ONLY
UNION LAID eggs
Remarkable Proposition Is
Presented to New York
State Grange.
FARMERS WILL RAISE
ONLY THE UNION HEN
Reciprocal Agreement to Be
Made Between Two Great
Organizations.

Unfortunately, the dispatches from
Binghamton do not make altogether
clear the plan of the labor leaders of
that city. says the New York Sun, to
establish the union-laid egg. We are
told simply that these leaders appeared
before the delegates of the New York
State Grange and suggested that the
unions and the farmers make recTpro
cal agreement-the farmers To purchase
in the city only goods bearing the union
label. the laboring men to buy only
eggs bearing the same stamp. As TO
the status Of the hen not having a
union card, as TO whether a bad egg
with n union stamp must he preferred
10 one fresh but non-union land nothing
is said and these are very grave ques-
tions. and without accurate Information
il is not possible to render Judgment
on the feasibility of the scheme.
At first sight the possibilities oil or
qaniZed chicken labor are appalling, But
organization seems 10 he the trend of
the day and no member of the commun-
ity works harder for less compensation
than the hen. It is not surprising that
sympathy for her should at last be
awakened in the soft bosoms OF the
Binghamton labor leaders. Had they
not thus taken step for the amehora-
tion of the conditions of man s most
useful feathered friend. the time had to
come when the chickens would organize
of their own accord. elect the roosters
as walking delegates, and strike for an
eight hour day. Is this scheme or the
labor leaders purely selfish onef Inat
is what we want to know, 1T has that
mark We are informed that only
1o,l IN eaten
difficult to conceive how that Will bene-
fit the union hen. 1t would seem to call
on her to lay two eggs a day instead
of one as she is now doing, demand
which would arouse cackle OF protest
In every chicken yard In the country
More is demanded or her ana no re-
forms are promised.
Reforms are certainly needed. There
is the setting evil. Under the present
disorea nized conditions every hen rs
compelled to "set'' for three weeks
steadily at least once year. There
are no legal regulations as to the To-
cation and condition of the nest, no
factory inspectors TO see that she has
proper light and air. She has to stow
herself away in some dark, badly ven
1ilated hole and remain there warming
a dozen or more eggs, half or wblch,
for all she knows, may be china, Tor
period Of almost a month. And she can
leave her task only for brief intervals
40 secure food and exercise! This is
wrong. No hen should be compelled to
fsset7' more than eight hours day
But if it requires the combined efforts
Of three hens working in relays TO
hatch out one brood, there promises at
once tremendous falling off In the
eog output The only consolation seems
to be that one unlon-lald egg is petter
than three laid without proper author
hat creator
Mus chickens for eating purposes, moth
ing more You cannot change the ma
ture of a hen. She will "set. Once
a year she strikes, stops laying. and
tries TO hatch out family. II she
cant find the eggs, she Will wander out
in the orchard and try her luck with
apples.
The labor leaders must remember that
thc purpose of hen in laying is not
TO provide eggs for soft-boileds and
omelettes it is to her maternal in
stinct that we are indebted for our
chief breakfast food, That is why she
has been for so many generations the
victim OF the china egg. She never
goes TO An empty nest, but intent on
laying as quickly as possible the foun-
dation of her family, chooses one which
seems to offer the least labor To fool
her with china egg, to play day after
day on her hopeful nature. and keep
her laying. laying, lhylng, Is almost
crime. Will the union allow the, con
tinuation OF the practice? Surely no
fair hepnery would allow the continua:
tion of the china egg hoax, which, If
not immoral, savors Of trickery.
What will be the qualifications Of a
union hen? How is the farmer going
to tell her? Can she be compelled tc
serve an apprenticeship Of one year, OF
will she be allowed to start right IL
as soon as she has her card and lay
Will n fair egg be guaranteed Longer
than one laid unfairly' How are We
to tell a union omelette7 These arc
questions Of the utmost Importance, an(
IL is to be hoped that the answer viii
soon be forthcoming from Binghamton