Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-07-19
The Great Egg Offensive.


Every Evening has received the follow
ing letter. signed on behalf of Delaware
Grange, No. 80, Patrons of Husbandry,
by the Oranges secretary, Emma S.
hlaclary:
"An article which appeared in your
paper a week or SO ago, relative TO the
pricc of eggs, brought forth some discus
son at our meeting on July :, and |
have been instructed to write YOU, re
uuesting that YOU publish N your paper
an article. setting forth. IN detail, your
idea of the cost of production Of ono dozen
eggs
we would he pleased with the ap-
pcarance of such an article giving your
views in the matter, and what you would
charge for dozen eggs
We shall be Obliged 10 consider this
communication as sort Of offensive
against our position that the pricc Of
eggs in King street market is beyond alI
reason. prcsuming that 10 have been
the object for which il was ordered writ |
ten. We don't consider IL very for |
midahlc effort, or very worthy gage Of |
battle, but, lest our position he misunder-
stood 10 the end that il he said VIZ skulk
an engagement in the open, We reply TO il
In the first place, we are glad very
glad. indeed 10 have provoked some
discussion" among grangers in meeting
assembled. 1t is = very hopeful sign
that there rs some small vrstige of rpa-
soning power within their minds. and
that evcntually they may discuss further
and ccu1e TO the conclusion that their
attitude toward the public has been
rsdicslly wrong. Heretofore they have
bullheadedly had Just one idea-get
every last cent possible. Attempts 70
discuss the matter with them have
brought only one reply: IF YOU don't
like our pnce don't pay them Well take
our stuff home before wei drop a cent "
Yes indeed, we consider this matter Of ]
bringing about discussion" a vcrv great
achievement something akin to pcnc-
trating the hide OF a-er, battlcship-
with pea-shootcr.
AS to publishing an article setting forth I
'1n detail our idea of the cost of pro y
ductson of dozen eggs, we wont, be o
cause we can't. We are raising certain +
things, but they are not eggs. And We b
have grave doubts whether our corre-
spondents can tell accurately ''in detail a
what dozen eggs Will cost to produce a
We would be glad TO be able TO make 4
such calculation, because we feel that, II
could it be done, our position in the
matter Of eggs would be even stronger
than 1t is But we are told that such \
are well-nigh impossible and ie
ire more or less things OF individual IN
&C
But we do know and we can say what U
ricee are elsewhere, and we do know oi
md we can say that the eggs sold in ~
King street market could meet those prices
nd stiii give the sellers a reasonable prof
/. 1t is sublimejy ridiculous TO say that ou
he King street farmers eggs are worth TO
en- and twelve cents more dozen than WI
hose to be bought IN stores at the stores W
op pnces, or flfty-iive cents 8 dozen, re-
'hsn eggs are selling at Milford, we'll y
1v, at thlrty-frve. When the King 4oi
Gietb COID fOlks Nefb SeIilng eggs at
fty-cents, Federal food administrators
earby were quoting forty-five cents as ev
q reasonable figure" for first-class eggs Ga
And granting, for the sake Of argu- 70
lent, although we do not believe it to Vo
e true, that King streets eggs are lust
little better than those sold in the stores,
e can not see the reasonableness of
ity-five cents as against forty-fve when
e consider the stores third-hand cost II
Id overhead" as against the farmers | oe
-st-hand. There is only one answer:
he King street man is getting the pro- VI
icers, the middlemans and the re-
ilers profits, and q little something :"
ira, and he's been doing it long, long
ne. No amount of ambuscading bv An
cans OF Iettes asking US to give our
"a Sin detail" as to the cost of producing ~
dozen eggs can convince us otherwise An
e know black when we see it and we
low white, Neither is purple nor pea We
cen.
50 much for the Great Egg Offensive. TIL
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