THE TIRELESS HEN

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 150, 31 December 1928, Page 3

THE TIRELESS HEN

f;^':'cAUSE;fbFr^wpßßY;.;:: HOW JO SELt HER SURPLUS Iggs;'-bY;^he ;".• Any .country;:'that, protects its.'own manufactures, and .sells oversealit's'surpliis of ..primary products, finds considerable economic, difficulty in securing external prices'equal to internal costs—or ■(conversely), in; keeping>'.. its .'_':.;. internal costs in line with external prices.. ■ -.Australia1.-has. met/"this"' difficulty in fruits, in '..butter, 'and now.'.in eggs. •Production goes upr-rat a cost.;. Can the ■surplus,.be^sold—^at a profit?.. .. ■'-■; ... .: ■.;. V, JBroni / January to '.■■: Noyeilbcr. >. 7320 J. tons ofi eggL arrived1 in Melbourne by rail,' as against 6211J .tons for (the same ; period.i; mi-: 1927, ran increase of ;;lld9J tbnsof.eggs in eleven months. : ; "a.Also, '.'a, . couplo /.of weeks .ago -there ..were, according! tp .estimate, 'five ::tiri&. a. half million eggs in cool store : in. Mel-,, bourne.. :;::-.:. -..,:'. /;. . /■■•'.■■•...■■. ■■;.■."' ; : V.-- EXPORT SAFETY VALVE TOO iM:r:..' '■■.-v; ,; small. .:"/ "■:/■■■■ -■ ■ ;■.; : ''"'Although" the:', increase ;in : egg , de : . liveries to MelbourneMias: been steadily goinjj.:on for about four' years, '.no.'.'organised; effort jias : bee'n-inade. to. iincl; outlets '.for th\i ever-increusiiig supplies of:'poultry;..-products;.except, that'a. few exporters/ after, very/strenuous efforts, have succeeded in shipping: tp ; .England ■23,412 cases of eggs.;I'Although this is. a - little '.more 'than- 'double .the number, exported;. last .year,, it., is not :nearly enough to prevent:.'-the,"prices for. eggs falling below, the. cost of production, •• unless some preventive' steps;, are , taken. In .'! production .eirelos ' it .is.-thought that "the time has arrived'when eyery-.; body cpnne'eted-iwith tho /industry-r-1; producers, wholesalers^ retailers,'-: poul- : ■try-food suppliers,//poultry, .requisite suppliers, inorch'arits,'.aiid.the Govern-, ment—should:; get j together!'; and; ,make' an attempt Ho.puttho.poultry-industry-onfa; sound fopting.i,Tha'futUre,of .Vic-. ■ : t oria, depends .on the j successful, 'd'eiy elop^ ■montVof/primary;'pro.ductioni\;jlt'*Bhouldi not'-IJo/^orgbt'teßVthiit^ppiiltry.'.'produe-' tidn in .Victoria: is f ourthl" in^ xvalue.on the | list, , and . is; headed - only by wool; wheat, * and dairying. /'An (industry-; that; has proved of such wonderful assistance: toiso many settlers should not be;allpw-j :od to bo t ; temporarily sruined. //The fact' that; on one irrigation .settlement; alone 'the/number .-of '-. poultry, kept by settlers, has- increased,.;in-eight years U'rom'soo, birds ■to approximately.. 52,000 .is. suiii-'. cient -to.Jshow.. the"importance of poultry. in; settling ; on ;,ismall blocks. Many ofithese.nien -andi^vonieri.; stato: that they could /liot: have niet:their: obligations'-'to the ;;Gpvernincnt had it notbeen for the profits made from tli'eiir; poultry /while .'they /'.were;..developing, other activities, such: as : lucerne,; grow-/ iiig, dairying,'; and fruit-growing;';; The, State Rivers and Water Supply; Depart-; merit .is so convinced;pf tho, value of poultry that ;foiv some::timp:itJhas. ad-: vised/and 'encouraged' its' settlers to make poultry keeping a, branch of their operations.''; :., v 'i.'. .:■ 'A,-yi-;0 /■■'■■ :.■:.':: ?■<•}. '•'.-. GRADING AND SALE BY; WEIGHT) '.. 'There;is no denying the fact that all ; offprts made :so farv by .various poultry organisations -:f6r.:cdnsu^ers'-'^d'':pfqduc'ers^hiave/.inqt' with very,littlei success.' In some quarters there Vis an advocacy of.''legislation to .inakc compulsory; the grading of/eggs.' for : quality, and.;' their';sale by weight. Inicountries where, this• (has ;beon:done 'itiliasled toj increased 'Consumption 'and .general^prosperityi.in^lthe^industiy^i./.liii-. ensures"to theproducer a return ■■accord-' :ing;\id^thq;:quality':;bf;;tlie-;artic'lo--;liV produces..; At the same time it gives such, confidence/.to? the;,consumer that .■he"as; "buying'tlie article' he, desires'.that this1 .undoubtedly .'would ■.lead ;t6'-greater; .consumption as., it • hasi -doiio.' in. bttier. countries/ Canada and .Northern, Ireland.1 i;;; '':'; .'■". ''■ %,:-~. "; ''In Caniada it is now;: ah* offence to ?. C/J,: eggs, otherwise thangraded accoidirig .to legal 'standards,Twith' the small exebptipn'thajta producer can sell direct to. a-consumer a.('small proportion of •ungradedieggs. '■?.. In^six years- the production.;, of eggs' has.'increased by! 09,----'ooo,ooo[dozens,per annum, and the consumption has increased '11.3 dozen a head. '•; Canada,; with, :a; population in 1926 ,of 9,390,000, .was 'consuming 337 eggs _tq each' person.- It is very doubtful if pppulatiba. cbnsumes 120 eggs tb each; person.'. ; v'-. '; ■ ■ "Less than six years ago it was generally! admitted-that .the eggs arriving in London .from Northern ; Ireland were among the, worst -for. quality, cleanliness,; and'weight.; To-day, ; ; owing to legislation compelling all those engaged m the.; industry ■', (producers, > merchants, retailers, vand;,shippers),':'to iconform to grading.;regulations,' eggs-= from that country are rivalling the-best new laid English; eggs, and vsq;. serious has this been; considered / by;V-the^Ministry - of Agriculture and-Fisheries that a Bill entitled ■ J ',The':' Agricultural Produce Grading.;and' Marketing Bill' was submitted; to .Parliament, and is likely to come into, operation early' in ,1929."./; '