97,000 DOZEN TINNED EGGS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 975, 16 November 1910, Page 10

97,000 DOZEN TINNED EGGS.

AN ANNUAL IMPORTATION. New Zealand is over-producing in tho matter of egg product, according to Mr. J. B. Merrett, the secretary of tho New Zealand Poultry Association. Yesterday, at the Poultry Conference, now proceeding'in Wellington, Mr. Merrett stated that on the previous day lie had been offered 3000 dozen eggs at ninepence a dozen, and could not sell them. Mr. Scott, of Onehuuga. said that a pastrycook had told liini that if New Zealand poulterers .'brought the price of eggs to more than a certain-price, a section of the consumers would send to China for- supplies,.;.which they-would obtain-at one penny' a-dozen'for the' eggs, and sevenpence a N dozen to bring them over. ■ ' ' Mr'. F. Brown, the State Poultry Expert, said that from information obtained through agents, lie reckoned that 7000 to 8000 dozen eggs a year , were imported from China, and that altogether about 97,000 dozen tinned eggs came in during tlio last twelv-e months. Ho contended that if a prohibitive duty wero.put on imported eggs it would leave room for greater production iu New Zealand. . Most of the tinned eggs came from Germany. Mr. Merrett considered the quantity of tinned eggs which came into New Zealand was enormous.- The yolks'- of eggs "wcro. sent from foreign, countries! in tins, and.the whites':in the form of powders. Tho. powders were 'moistened, an4- ! .used ";for :,: biking purposes.- . • He thought that the railway freight of Is. 9d. a.crato on twenty dozen eggs was excessive, considering that three times the; weight of fruit was carried a greater distance _ for 'saiiic' price. Every inducement slioiild'be given the poulterer, ho'proceeded, as: the high rate was causing eggs to be held back, instead of marketed as .soon as they were collected, for tho reason thero was a reduced rate on the larger quantities. , In tho course of a paper read before the conference, Mr. Brown (Stato Expert) said that there was growing up a feeling of 'unrest-., among poultry-keepers .. that New Zealand' was' on 'the poiiit of : over-production, but he did not think , it ; applied -to table.- poultry. Judging , by tho London prices, New Zealanders ] were getting more for choice poultry. > than was being realised in England, j He knew that there were low prices, . and'complaints about prices, but ho was I also:'perfectly well aware that it was j because the poultry which brought poor j figures was in 'low condition. Every i year there should be efforts made -to, < produce -tho. all-purpose fowls, 'such' as Wyandottes, Orpingtons, and Plymouth u Rocks." Wellington had been thabost J egg-market in tho world, and'so long as | that "condition'of 'affairs lasted the ; White ; Leghorn was tho best business bird,; But j if- there came, a slump in" 'eggs,' .'the. •.{ other birds would .have to'bo", resorted to., - v : ; '.' 'I The chairman • (Mr. L. O'Reilly),, who } deal's iin% poultry: in "Dunedin,, said that j some very poor j poultry went'on to tho i market. ■ and lie thought : one of the < chief.of reasons was that so many Leg- \ horns had. been' raised by breeders. ]