The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-12-23
The PRICE OF EGGS

Eggs being one of the great food
staples their cost to consumers, AMI
the price paid to producers, are of
great Importance. Farmers are en-
titled to fair profit on production
costs, the dealer should make reason
able profit on the handling and the
consumer should not he robbed on his
purchases. Properly handled it would
seem that eggs should pay their way,
taking the year around and at the
same time be obtainable at a just
price to the consumer in every market.
R. P. Poole, secretary of the Chi
cago committee on the high costs of
living, which acts as brake on climb
ing prices, says that eggs are too ex
pensive In his home town. He says
that prices are manipulated, that too
many paper" eggs are sold in that
market, and that the Mercantile eX-
change uses speculative tactics in fix
ing prices from day to day, and asks
for showdown from the exchange.
which meets behind closed doors. Mr..
Poole wants to see now it's done and
to know all about it. Poole asserts
that at the present time 45 cents per
dozen is fair retail price for No. l
storage eggs and that retailers who
are charging more are "either gouging
the public or are failing to use care
in buying" And thus he issues a
challenge to the exchange and asks
that his committee be allowed to in
vestigate, under the promise of a
square deal, as follows:
Promise of Fair Play
'If you permit representative Of
this committee to be on the floor dur
ing the hours of your operations anG
forego your policy Of transacting bus
mess behind locked doors, this COM
mittee will see that fair statement
of the facts found will be given to the
public
From our investigation last year,
from facts brought out in the recent
Injunction suit, and from a perusal of
the rules of the exchange, | have
formed the conclusion that your op-
erations control the supply of eggs. /
assure you that this committee does
not wish to be unfair TO you and that
it is willing to allow the public to be
the Judge of the facts found"
This is fair enough in all conscience,
or seems to be, from an outsiders
standpoint, and if the Mercantile ex-
change has no tracks to cover up
ing at Chicago is also happening in
other large cities, of course, where
Similar exchanges are operated. 1t is
but fair to state, however, that the
losses on eggs in cold storage are oft
ten very heavy, not through spoilage
but because of falling markets, eX-
penses and interest, as the eggs are
used as collateral for loans, always be-
ing a cash item when purchased from
producers and shippers. Cold storage
stocks of eggs are very heavy, and
have been for months, and the fine
weather last fall was conductive to
heavy fresh receipts right along, thus
cutting down the usual demand for
storage stocks.
Four professors of a southern state
( college of agriculture have just lost
their jobs, not because they were not
posted on the subjects they taught but
because they were so well posted on
home brew that they made it in their
rooms, so it was charged.
The Curme family are to hold their
usual Christmas dinner family reunion
at Chicago, and Arthur and Mrs.
Curme left for the city by the lake on
Friday morning to spend few days
with the home folks.
Another Idea.
The latest to come out of Washing
ton in relation to legislation on rural
credits tells of two bills introduced by
Senators Norbeck of South Dakota and
Simmons OF North Carolina. The bills
are identical to the extent that they
provide for the creation of a central
rural credits corporation, separate