Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-16

matically to push up the cost OF eggs and
all other necessities OF life.
Another factor is the fact that the
farmer and his family eat more OF their
own products. Twenty and thirty years
ago the farmer got 8 and 10 cents a
dozen Tor his eggs and took in exchange
expensive necessities such as coffee, tea
ana sugar. cloth. medicines and nick
nacks. Nowadays the farmer can af-
ford to eat q dozen OF eggs and stin get
more Tor his other dozen than his father
did Tor three Also. the price OF grain
TO feed the chickens has doubled ia ten
years Further. the average city dwellor
insists upon having eggs regardless or
price. and IL fresh eggs ultimately go
10 one dollar a dozen large percentage
OF the American urban population would
stiil demand omelets and cakes and pies.
y
This leads inevitably to the cold stor-
age factor The practice OF storing eggs
by the mill
Geld Storage Takes lions in cold
Eggs by the Million. houses i gen
eral among wholesale houses and cont
mission merchants, and has been SO for
over a decade. 1t Is claimed that their
methods operate to equaiize the price OF
eggs rather than to increase It, Pur-
chases are made in carload lots in the
months heaviest production, which are
April. May and June. The average
wholesale price ranges from l6 to IS cents.
These heavy purchases tie up large sums
of Understanding money for five or six
month. plus the storage charge of about
10 cents pre- case per month. The
melting period OF the hens drags along
through late summer and early fall.
inu tS frf7n hay 10 for
When melting Is over cold weather is
beginning to set In, and the monthly
egg laying average is much lower than
IL is In the spring and summer. The supply
OF fresh eggs falls OF. but the public
demand does not. The price goes up. and
finally doubles. Then the cold storage
product goes upon the market in ITS
various grades, ranging from firsts, all
through the grades technically known as
seconds, thirds, culls. dirties and cracks,
with prices accordingly. First grade
storage eggs bring almost as much as do
the strictly fresh variety.
Now. the advocates of cold storage
point out IL the heavy production OF
the price would be exceedingly low dur
ing that short period. II might drop TO
10 cents a dozen In the cities and next
to nothing in the country. Eggs would
dividual farmer and small poultry raiser
would suffer. In the late summer and
cary fall the production would drop
somewhat. but 1t would be sufficient 10
supply the ordinary demands Of the mar
ket with a noticeable tightening which
would cause a natural rise In price, both
wholesale and retail. With the advent
OF the melting season would come a
sharp slump in production. prices jump
ing In proportion. Even at that the sup
ply would be limited, for a man cannot
sell what he has not got, IL Is claimed
that a dozen eggs would cost from 81 to
$l.O retail throughout the winter under
such conditions of unequal distribution.
This would work a great hardship on the
consuming public. Hence, ii is argued
that CO d storage equaiises prices as well
as distribution. It does not prevent free
use OF this necessary foodstuff when
there Is a natural plentitude, and il pro-
vides the commodity during the long win
ter months when Biddy Is working on
half time. All this. of course. does not
In the least vitiate the charge that the
egg manipulators hold out on the public.
until the last minute, for the highest
possible price.