THE BREAKFAST EGG

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2869, 6 September 1916, Page 6

THE BREAKFAST EGG

DEMAND FOR GRADING SCHEME. - • The wholesale price of eggs in Wellington yestorday was Is. 2d. per dozen, and supplies were reported to be coming forward fairly freely at that price. The retail price in most parts of the city was Is. 4d. for guaranteed eggs. The demand is strong at the present time, probably because many people have been doing without eggs altogether for many months past. Eggs are expected to be more plentiful this' season than they were last year. The high prices prevailing in New Zealand for wheat, bran, and pollard in the latter part of 1914 causcd many thousands of hens to be consigned to the pot, and drove some poultrymen out of the business altogether. The suburban poultry yards suffered severely. But the position is better noiv. Poultrymen have been encouraged by reduced prices of foodstuffs, by i-eporfcs of the big surplus of wheat in Australia, and by the promiso of the Government —not yet fully fulfilled —to insist upon the branding of imported eggs. ' Poultry farmers are still anxious to secure regulations for the classification of eggs. At th'o present time small eggs, medium eggs, and large eggs aro lumped together for sale purpose, though measures are taken as a rule to separate the very small "pullets' eggs," which would be sure to attract unfavourable notice on the breakfast table. .These eggs go 'mostly into the confectionery establishments. Leading poultrymen state. that tliey would like to see a definite classification of eggs according to size, so that the production of full-sized eggs might be encouraged by some slight recognition in the matter of price. The present arrangement gives an advantage to the hen that lays the small egg. She does less than licr. more genorous neighbour, and gets the same money.