New-York tribune., 1912-03-01
TELLS STORAGE SECRETS
Witness Says Eggs Were Held
last Summer for High Prices.
RESERVE STOCK TOO SMALL
One Dealer Attributes High Price
of Butter and Other Foodstuffs
to Scarcity Of Product.

. TO SCdrClJy OF IIOuuCt'
Many men prominent in the cold storage
and warehouse business appeared yester-
day ct the hearing before the market COM
r,ittee Of the New York State Investigating
Commission. at No. zoe Franklin street, TO
tell what part cold storage takes In caus-
ing the increased cost of living. Nil1em
Church Osborn presided.
The things that are being considered by
the commission include the seasonaole
movements OF perishable food products the
different commodities stored, storage
charges insurance and the methods used in
handling food products. +. c. urner' or
the Urner Barry Company. has been asked
10 file statistics showing egg receipts in
New York for 1911.
At the last hearing before the committee
the transportation question waS discussed,
many railroad and steamship agents being
examined as 10 the methods by which food
products were brought 10 this city.
Frank A. Horn, president Of the Mer-
chants Refrigerating Company. of No. lol
Chambers street, the first witness yester-
DAY. testified that his firm had three MILL
fon cubic feet OF storage room in this city
end three and a half million feet of room
in Jersey City. Eggs, butter. fresh and
dry fruit and nuts and poultry. he SAID
formed the bulk Of the foodstufts stored IN
these warehouses.
From three TO four cents case was the
charge for trucking from the railroad TO
the warehouse, Mr.. Horn said, minimum
charge being made on small consisnments
Mr.. Horn presented statistics showing the
total number of eggs received in this city
in December. 1911. -Four and one-half per
cent went 10 his firms warehouses in this
city and "a per cent 10 the Jersey City
houses.
Mr. Horn said that the cause of the high
prioe Of butter and eggs lately was the
smallness Of the reserve stock He showed
that In December OF last year his firm had
iii storage 4&479 packages Of butter, as COM
pared with 1888 packages the year preVi-
ols.
Cold storage rates in this city, the wit
ness said, were based on the rates Of cold
srorase IN Chicago. which, he said. was the
centre Of that business in the country.
Louis NJ. Beeten. assistant treasurer OF
,ne Brooklyn Bridge Freezing and Cold
Storage Company, said his firm stored hsh
and sea food only. The storage rate on
a hundred pounds.
q. H. Bennett manager Of the cold stor-
age department Of the Terminal Ware
house Company, No. II William street, said
the warehouse OF his firm, at 9th street
and Eleventh avenue, took care OF apples
eelt meat, poultry. cheese. butter and eggs
end that about a thousand individuals or
arms had holdings there. Any spoiled
goods. Mr.. Bennett said, were rejected by
his company.
While prices in New York did seem 70 be
Of a remarkable similarity. the witness
continued, he knew of no effort on the part
of any concerns 70 fix and maintain prices
of certain commodities.
Others who appeared before the commit
-eo were Alexander Noir, treasurer of the
Harrison colo Storage Company. OF New
ark y j.: Ethan Allen DOty of the Kings
County Refrigerating Company, and +. {.
I-rror Of tho Crner Barry Company and
,ice-president OF rho Mercantile Exchange
OF this city.
Mr. Urner said that when the csc mar
iot became overloaded last summer enter
prisldg commission merchants who were
willing 10 gamble that there would be a
shortage IN the commodity during the win
ter months put a great quantity Of eggs In
cold storage. During the winter, he said
there were practically no fresh eggs on the
market and the commission men were able
80 get almost any price for the cold storage
eggs.
The hearing will be continued next tues
niye~ at I ~