EGG FLOOR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 March 1943, Page 2

EGG FLOOR

CO-OPERATION OF COMMUNITY NEEDED TO ENSURE SUCCESSFUL .RUNNING. ACCORDING TO' PRODUCTION COUNCIL CHAIRMAN. The need of all members of the community to co-operate in the running of the Wairarapa Egg floors in order to make the effort, a patriotic one, a success, was stressed by Mr R. W. Kebbell, chairman of the Wairarapa Primary Production Council in an interview today. By courtesy of Mr Kebbell, a “TimesAge” representative was shown over the North Wairarapa egg floor which is located in Queen Street, Masterton. After crates of eggs are brought in to the floor they are graded by an automatic machine and are carefully examined for soundness by a member of the competent staff that runs the floor. From the care which is taken it is apparent that it would be almost impossible for a bad egg to pass through the pool. All unsound eggs are taken out. After the grading, etc,, is completed the total number of crates is tallied up each Thursday and the committee, after taking away the quota of eggs required for the armed forces, hospitals and other essential services, allocates the remainder among grocers, restaurants, etc. Stating that the co-operation of all concerned in the production, sale and consumption of eggs was necessary, Mr Kebbel said that it was the aim of the committee running the floor to give everyone a fair deal in order to get the necessary co-operation. It was the committee’s job to see that what eggs were available were allocated as fairly as possible. Referring to “black marketing,” Mr Kebbell said that in cases where “black market” eggs found their way to the consumer’s table and the eggs were not sound the consumer immediately inferred that the egg came from the egg floor and that the floor was to blame. Mr Kebbell suggested that the difficulty of getting really fresh eggs could be overcome if people would send in eggs as frequently as possible. He stressed the fact that the collection and distribution .of eggs should be looked upon as a very necessary patriotic movement by which as many surplus eggs as possible would find their way into the channel flowing to the collecting centres from which eggs could be quickly sent to where they were most needed in the war effort. The Primary Production Council wanted to make a success of the scheme but they realised that to do that they must have the co-operation of all and to get that co-operation the community must be assured that they were getting fair treatment. Mr Kebbell said his committee wished to discourage anyone from going out to the poultry farmers and taking delivery of eggs at their doors. The fact that some people had time and cars to go and get eggs did not mean ’that it was fair to get a double ration of eggs while other people less fortunate, had to accept the ration. Mr Kebbell said that a meeting of, egg retailers, restaurant owners, hotelkeepers, etc., would be held in Masterton at the Y.M.C.A. rooms tomorrow at 7.30 p.m., when the whole working of the egg floor would be explained and discussed.