The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-11-13
EGGS NEVER SO HIGH
Big Profits Made By Farsighted Deal
ers Who Contracted in Advance.
IN. Y. SUM

Market prices on all fresh eggs were
advanced cents dozen Tuesday,
making the best grade of Western
fresh eggs As cents and white Leg
horn eggs So cents. No such prices
have ever been known before in New
York. They are forcing consumers TO
pay as high as 80 cents a dozen for
the choicest grade of eggs. Never has
the egg market seen SUCH scramble
to grab up incoming shipments as
characterized it Tuesday. 1t was al
most impossible to fill the demand.
One big chain of stores which usually
has large quantities of eggs ahead
was compelled to shop all over town
to get fresh eggs enough to fill its de-
mands. Men familiar with the market
say that whenever chain store pays
AZ to 45 cents for fresh eggs it is an
indication that the scarcity is ex-
IRENE.
Big profits were made by some far
sighted local dealers. Realizing last
week that prices would be a high
number of the ,venturesone ones
bought eggs to ARRIVE last Saturday
and the balance of this week at an
average price of 81 cents a Dozen. At
| least ten cars under these conditions
! sold at from 40 to 45s cents, or an
| average of AZ Is cents dozen. With
| 400 cases to the car, at ss5z cents q.
dozen profit. it made7a an average profit
| of over $1,000 a car In addition to
| the profits on fresh eggs a number
of cars of1coId storage eggs sold Tues
day at 80 cents a dozen which cost %
| cents a. dozens making a profit OTIS
cents. or $960<a car
The egg market is in the widest
state of excitement known for years.
| Nothing like it has been known ex-
cept on two occasions when heavy
| storms cut off receipts. and left the
market eggless.
L ATs TSs
sale grocers. it is reported recently
bought $50, 900 cases of eggs at an
| average cost of 25 cents a, dozen,
which means outlay of SLIPS, 900.
| Not one of these eggs, it is said, have
/ been sold for less than 81 cents a
dozen, and fully 100000 are still held,
1 which are worth today cents a
| dozen more than when bought, show
| ing $4,000 profit on the 100000
l cases still on hand. Adding another
| profit Of $4,000 on the other $4,000
| cases, makes a total profit of 100000
on the one deal. These figures are at
| wholesale, and if some portions Of the
eggs were distributed to the grocery
| trade the profits were even greater
Last April two brokers in Chicago
| bought up $4,000 cases of eggs at an
| average cost of $50 a case. These
brokers have persistently refused to
sell at the remarkable profits shown
for a month and say they will get 80
! cents a dozen or So a case. If they
do; it means a profit of $224,O 900. Ten
years ago one of these operators was
an egg GAMBLER drawing $18 a week
| Egg men say this man will not make
less than 100000 as his share of the
egg deal.
In all the excitement over fresh eggs
yesterday the prices on cold storage
eggs were not advanced, although
some sales were made 1-2 cent a dozen
III rla<ar n ,k<,Lg
bic quantity were sold at 80 cents,
which is the highest price ever known
for storage eggs In November. Gro
GERS and retailers are compelled, by a
State law, toasell storage eggs for what
they are, and the law it is said rs be-
ing enforced. Persons have learned
since this law went INTO effect to take
storage eggs for what they are. Pre-
viousIy grocers sold storage eggs for
fresh and few persons went the wiser
| but when the law first went into effect
| it was repugnant TO many to know
that they We're eating storage eggs.
This curtaiIed the eonsunp ton. al
| though the consumer had eaten the
l. same kind of eggs for fifteen years
| without knowing the difereuee. The
extraordinarily high prices for strictly
| fresh eggs, 1t is said. is breaking down
this prejudice and now the storage
eggs are being bought for ordinary
consumption
| One extensive distributor of eggs IN
Jersey City who always. has carried a
large quantity of eggs in the coolers
as well buying fresh eggs in ad-
vance, is now practically out of eggs
and has been securing the market tc
get fresh stock. It is impossible tc
find one-third of the 1000 cases a day
which this firm uses. Despite it's de-
termination to sellno storage eggs, il
is now compelled to take them or have
their customers go without.
A number OF very interesting situa-
lions 10 light in the great de-
mandfor fresh eggs. One dealer who
had bought a car of fine eggs to ar
rive at IS cents was called on the tel
ephone as they were being unloaded
When he said he would guarantee the
eggs they were ordered without regard
to price Later when the price was
asked he gave the market quotation
which was ~ cents. He therefore
made a profit of cents dozen OF
$40 a car, without unloading the eggs
Not in the history or the egg trade
has there been such small produc-
ton of fall eggs. While the country
seems to be full of poultry, the hens
have not laid and the supply never
was so short Of fresh stock. Severe