EGG MARKETING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 3, 5 January 1938, Page 12

EGG MARKETING.

NEW GRADING FLOOR.

FIRST OF KIND !N N.Z.

AUCKLAND FIRM'S VENTURE.

Thousands of eggs an hour are handled on Turners and Growers' new egg grading floor contained in a specially designed building near the city markets.

The floor is the first of its kind in New Zealand, and the building in warm stone., with a glittering aluminium painted roof, is of modern design. Inside, the raised floor covers an area of 7000 square feet. By special ventilation the interior is kept air-cooled — even in to-day's heat the girls, who grade the eggs worked in a cool atmosphere. At present there are four machines of English type being used to grade eggs, each having a number of grooves down which the eggs are allowed to run. At the head of each of these grooves there is a bright light over which the egg is first placed, allowing the girl to see any faults. Then it runs down its groove, and if a really heavy egg, falls through the first trap it comes to and rolls down a sub-way into the tray reserved for the heaviest eggs. There are four of these traps and a light egg will past over the first three. It is possible to grade the eggs into four classes, but only three are used at present. They pass through the grading machine into four different travs, and are then packed according to grade in light crates each holding ten dozen eggs. Busiest in Spring. At the flush of the laying season, from September to December, the grading staff was working at speed. This year few eggs were exported, but they were graded in this way. Quantities were pulped, frozen, and placed in store for the use of cake makers and others when fresh eggs are scarce.

(See Illustration Page.)