The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-02-09
Competing with China.

In the philosophy OF the ancients'
the question, which came first, tho
hen or the cgg?" was fruitful source
OF speculation of little practical con-
Germ. Today, the question which
shall take precedence, the American
hen or the Chinese egg?" Is develop
ing two schools of thought among
our newspapers on the Pacific coast
The Oregon Journal says: "The Chin
ese egg has not been factor In the
Oregon egg trade, or in fny other
trade in this country" 1t declares
that the Chinese egg when it reaches
this country is so stale that it does
not compete with the local product;
that only families too poor to buy
the domestic egg buy 1t, and that the
Chinese egg was imported almost az
freely before the duty was removed.
Passing over the contradiction that
the oriental egg is non-competltory
and only poor famllis buy 1t, study
of the official statistics or egg imports
may throw some light on the sltua-
ton.
The Republican tariff law exacted
a duty OF five cents dozen on i'm
ported eggs, For the fiscal year 1919,
under this law. eggs. were imported
to the amount of 100000 dozen. Of
which eighty per cent came from
England and seven per cent from
China. Under the Democratic law
which placed eggs on the free list
and which was in force nine months
Of the fiscal year 1914, nearly 6,OO0,-
600 dozen eggs came in, OF which only
four per cent came from England and
thirty-two per cent came from China.
The English eggs are distributed
over the country, the Chinese eggs
went to the Pacific coast. Which eggs
would the editor of the Journal pre-
fer for his observation-disclosures fit for
the English people, or the yellow per-
IL from China? For the ten months
ended October, 1913. we imported
21,600 dozen eggs; for the same per
iod, 1914, Democratic law, 4,667,OOO
dozen; for the same period, 1915, l.
$4,000 dozen.
In addition to this, prepared eggs
are becoming an important factor in
our imports. Inasmuch as frozen and
evaporated eggs come in bulk, duty
was assessed on them under the Re-
publican law at the rate of five cents
a dozen, estimating eleven to the
pound. The Democratic law cut the
duty to two cents pound. During
the fiscal year 1913 we imported
$4,000 pounds of these eggs. For
the fiscal year 1914 we imported 3,
400, 900 pounds. AS they are not
separately listed in the monthly sum-
mary, 1t Is impossible to say how
much has come in since. Eggs pre-
pared in this manner are used to a
large extent by bakers in making
cakes, etc. The consumer gets no
advantage from this and the domes-
tic producers Of eggs lose market
for seconds" cracked eggs, etc. The
effect of this lowering Of the duty on
prepared eggs is indicated by the
fact that several factories formerly
operating In this country, using do
nestle building huge evaporating and
refrlgerating plants for the prepare
ton of egg mixtures, employing Chin
csc labor. The Topeka, Kas., plant,
and one from Boston. are examples.
A short while ago Vice-Consul Gil
bert, Marking. China, stated in Com
merce Reports that exporters were
purchasing eggs In his vicinity at
forty to forty-two cents gross. He
reported the GLOWING consignments
arranged for at the time he wrote:
Fresh eggs, to San Francisco, 1922
900 dozen at $0.046: Seattle, 311.0O0
dozen at sO.O46; Takoma. 521,S3S
dozen at sOO46. Egg, frozen in tins
to New York City, 7,523,S1S pounds
at 5000; Seattle, 656,000 pounds al
s0.O3, He stated that the territory
covered by agents radiating from
Marking produces $4,000 dozen eggs
daily for export. Reports Of other
United States consuls indicate SINH
lar activities around Swatow, Can
ton. and other Chinese centers. II
is quite apparent that, while eggs in
the shell have fallen off somewhat
China is increasing her exports to us
Of prepared eggs for bakers uses
The egg-produclng industry is being
gradually transferred to China, un-
der free trade.
Finally, admitting for the purpose
of argument that the importation OF
Chinese eggs has not lowered the
price OF eggs here, what, then, was
the purpose Of letting them in free
Why not have the revenue? We need
it. Or does the Journar advocate. q
diet for the poor of its state Of eggs