THIRTY CENT BREAD 75 



sweet eggs, allowing a margin of 20 per cent, or a 

 full six dozen of eggs, to consist of anything sweet 

 with shells on. 



Under these loose regulations the shipper can send 

 to the city a mixture of eggs in which he works oflf as 

 real "fresh gathered firsts" eggs that are not fresh 

 gathered at all, but for which the full exchange 

 price is paid. 



"Extra firsts" are permitted to contain in each 

 case 15^ dozens of poor eggs for which the dealer 

 pays the full market price. ' 



"Firsts" are permitted to contain two dozen poor 

 eggs to the case. The dealer pays the full market 

 price for them. 



"Seconds" are permitted to contain three dozen 

 poor eggs to the case. 



"Thirds" are permitted to contain five dozen poor 

 eggs to the case. 



If the loss on candling shows more than the maxi- 

 mum permitted by the exchanges the seller sirnply 

 allows the buyer a discount of 5 per cent. The 

 buyer then candles out his rots and spots, adds his 

 loss to the cost of the good eggs and disposes of the 

 rejects as best he can. The baker gets most of 

 them. 



The farmer does not profit by this arrangement 

 and certainly the consumer derives no benefit from 

 it. The egg gambler, who buys eggs before they 

 are laid to sell from the storage warehouse six or 

 ten months later, is the only man whose purse is 

 filled through this operation. 



In 191 5 and 19 16 the office of the attorney general 

 of New York State collected evidence proving that 

 egg gamblers systematically squeeze the market 



