Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-03-01
Provisions High Everywhere.


one Of the lessons to be drawn from
the statistics of Uncle Sans egg trade
in 1911 as given by the Bureau of
Statistics, is that the prices of this
Iclass of merchandise must be high in
lother parts of the world as well as in
America. This suggestion is confirmed
by consular reports reaching the De-
partment of Commerce and Labor at
Washington. These show that the
prices Of eggs and other provisions
are unusually high in England, France
Austria, Germany, Spain, Japan and
many other countries.
| Thus, if we are to learn of the mod
est hen which is laying golden eggs in
every corner of the world we find that
little local changes in our laws which
| provide revenue are not to be expected
TO work miracles in the high cost of
living. Here are the figures for the
egg trade of the United States last
Year as furnished by the Department:
/
States last year, Notwithstanding high
prices, was the largest ever recorded
| While current market reports and
current discussions of the cost of Iiv-
ing indicate unusually high prices in
the domestic markets Tor this article
of consumption and commerce, the
| Bureau of Statistics is reporting a
larger expectation in this line than
la
| to foreign countries in the year ending
with December. 1911, was 1874 million
dozen valued at pa million dollars.
while the highest record of any earlier
calendar year was Sl4 million dozen.
valued at IA million dollars in 1907.
In addition to this there We're sent to
Hawaii and Porto Rico about 10000
dozen Meantime the Importation of
eggs in 1911 amounted to less than one
million dozen. valued at about $4,000.
Trade currents in this article of
| commerce have shown a remarkable
change in recent years. Formerly the
| importation of eggs was large and the
| expectation small. \ quarter of a
century ago an importation of Is mill
| lion dozen eggs was not unusual, the
| imports of 1884, 1886 and 1856 having in
/ each year exceeded 10 million dozen,
while the exports at that time aver
aged but about one quarter of a mil
| lion dozen annually. Last year the
| imports were less than a million doz-
| en-, while the exports, as above indi-
| Gated, were 1874 million dozen. The
reduction in the Importation of eggs
occurred Immediately following the
enactment of the tariff lazy of 1880
which placed a duty upon that article
OF commerce. and the imports of eggs
which had ranged as high as Is mill
| lion dozen per annum, exceeding Is
| million i'll the fiscal year 1890, dropped
! to 4 million dozen in 1892, / q million
dozen in 1894, less than l million in
| 1896, and a quarter of a million in
| 1899 since which time the number sell
| dom exceeded 800, 900 dozen until 1910.
when the number imported increased
to over 500, 000 dozen and in 1911 to IL
million dozen In the calendar year
| 1911, as above indicated, the total was
slightly less than / million On the
export side the number sent out Of
| the country was, in the calendar year
1880. but 10000 dozen: in 1890. $50 ,000
dozen; in 1897. 1 Is million dozen; in
1909. practically 8 million dozen; in
1907, million dozen, and in the calen-
dar year 1911, as already indicated,
1874 million dozen, valued at 100000.
Cuba, Canada, Panama. and Mexico
are the chief countries 10 which eggs
are exsported from the United States.
The quantity exported in the fiscal
Year 1911 was, to Cuba, Az million
dozen, valued at a little less than l.
lmilllon dollars; TO Canada, ~ million
dozen valued at a little less than \
half million dollars. to Panama, lit
tie more than three-quarters of mil
lion dozen. and to Mexico little less
than three quarters OF g. million dozen.
1.-THE remainder went chiefly to the
West Indian islands and Central Ann
erican countries, practically none go
ing TO Europe. although certain Euro
pean countries are large importers OF
this class of merchandise. On the 9TH
, er hand, the bulk Of the eggs imported
r in the fiscal year 1911 came from Eng
land which is itself a very large i'm
porter of eggs OF the X million doz-
Ell eggs imported in the fiscal year
1911, Il million dozen were from
England and about q quarter OF ii mil
lion from china and Hongkong This
item OF eggs imported does not include
the Solks brought from other countries
or which the quantity imported from
. Canada amounted To 350000 pounds
,and from Germany 75.oop pounds in tbs
iyear ending June 80, 1911.