Petaluma’s Past: 1914 saw a war on eggs, too

In 1914, the major news was about the Mexican Revolution, WWI starting up in Europe and the opening of the Panama Canal, plus women’s suffrage and the war on alcohol in the US.

But, in Petaluma, another war was a-broiling.

Stay tuned.

On Aug. 4, 1914, Germany declared war on Russia and France, Britain declared war on Germany while the US and China stayed neutral. The following day, Germany bombed Belgium from Zeppelins. To our south, the Mexican Revolution had begun, and names such as Zapata and Pancho Villa were headlining the news as American troops became involved. Woodrow Wilson was President and he was resisting women’s right to vote, as well as the prohibition of alcohol and war, in general.

The world, it seemed, was askew.

But 1914 wasn’t all bad.

Henry Ford that year had created his moving assembly line, announced an eight-hour work day at $5 per day, and his Model-T became the No. 1 bestselling automobile in the world, and stayed that way for years to come. In Washington, construction began on the Lincoln Memorial and Congress passed the Harrison Act restricting the sale of opiates and coca products (thus sending those users underground). The air conditioner was invented that year, the first Greyhound Bus made its first trip and in California, the little town of Beverly Hills was officially incorporated.

In 1913, Sonoma County - with a population of 48,500 - had instituted something called “The Roadhouse Ordinance” in a move to “go dry” in a limited way. By 1914, just 64 of the local 110 roadhouses, resorts and hotels remained open. It has been opined that political influence had a bit to do with which ones did not get shuttered.

And, in Petaluma, our Women’s Club proudly celebrated the laying of the cornerstone for their new clubhouse on B Street. It was designed by Petaluma’s Brainerd Jones and several hundred folks showed up for the festivities. Another step into our future that year was the opening of the Petaluma Railroad Depot on Lakeville. Constructed by Northwestern Pacific Railroad at a cost of $7,000, the depot was dedicated that April, with speeches from Mayor Horwege and J.E. Olmsted, of our Chamber of Commerce.

But the big flap in Sonoma County - and mainly in Petaluma - was the looming importation of cheap eggs from China. Our Sonoma County Poultry Producers had appealed via an open letter, to the US Secretary of Agriculture, to take action under the Pure Food Laws, to halt said importation because of what they called, “unsanitary, vile, filthy and unspeakable conditions under which the eggs had been produced in China.” Oh my!

They claimed the hens were getting “no care,” and that it affected the incoming egg’s flavor. Also, those eggs were selling for 10 cents a dozen in San Francisco vs. Petaluma eggs at 21 cents, and the welfare of the US poultry industry was being threatened.

The California Board of Health then undertook an extensive investigation and concluded that the Chinese egg shells, being more porous (they said), had “a tendency to be penetrated by dangerous bacteria.” But this charge was left hanging out there, for possible future quarantine from the Feds, which was not soon coming.

A successful ad campaign, was conducted against egg imports and consumers began demanding that they know how old eggs are, at purchase point. A few months following that publicity, Courier editor Homer Wood stated that, “due to the Poultymen’s Federation, local ranchers have now upped their sales by $75,000 over the months of March and April. They are adding to the prosperity of the county at large. It has been ruinous and impossible Asian competition.”

Petaluma also entered a “P.R.” truck in San Francisco’s parades, with a large banner saying, “The Pure Food Egg Comes From Sonoma County California, Not China.” “Be loyal to your home producer!”

Sound familiar?

Humorously then, a “freak egg” happened to be found in a nest here, half brown and half white, and our Courier wryly opined that this Petaluma hen had been just sitting there, “indignant over the invasion of the brown Chinese egg.”

Meanwhile, “The Egg King of China,” a fellow named E. Block, blew his cool, saying he was angry due to “aspersions cast on the quality of his output, because it was described as the product of scavenger hens.”

Seeing a decrease in his California business, he then said he would prove to the US Department of Agriculture that grounds could not be found for excluding his eggs. That said, he also allowed, “There is more money to be made by shipping to Europe, where eggs are sold by the pound.” He was also, you see, breaking eggs into tin cans, then whipping and hard-freezing them to ship to bakers, and the European market apparently liked that.

But the tough competition continued here on into the Twenties. Author Thea Lowry, in her fine book, “Empty Shells,” said, “In 1921, bargain priced Chinese eggs, selling for six cents a dozen, flooded the market.” The following year, our Chamber of Commerce hired wily promoter Bert Kerrigan to go on the road to lobby for help. And eventually, writes Lowry, “Congress passed the Fordney-McCumber Bill, which levied an import tariff of 8 cents per dozen on foreign shell eggs.”

And Petaluma was able to continue to boast of itself as “The Egg Basket of The World.”

In other county news, Sturgeon’s Lumber Mill was founded in Coleman Valley that year, with donkeys and oxen doing the big work until they could get their “Steam Donkey Engines.” The Mill operated until 1964 and produced Redwood for many hundreds of Petaluma chicken houses. It’s now a living museum. Take the kids!

And perhaps, as another note on the fears of Chinese eggs, you could buy here in 1914, “5 acres, new 4 rm. cottage, barn, well, tank and poultry bldgs. $2,250.” Or this. “One of the best homes, 1 mi. from town, 8 rms., Gas & Elec. Lights, 4 ac., Rm. for 3,500 chickens. $6,500.”

Signs of the times, I guess.

(Skip Sommer is an honorary life member of the Petaluma Historical Museum and Heritage Homes. He can be reached at skipsommer@hotmail.com)