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Power, Sir W. T.—Prices
In 1900 there were few colleges or experiment stations in America teaching poultry raising or experimenting with it. By 1920 all the states were teaching and most of them were doing experimental work. Colleges and experiment stations have been of great assistance to farmers and poultrymen in showing them better methods. Egg-laying contests have shown the value of breeding for high production and of strains rather than breeds so far as egg production is concerned. The first egg-laying contest in America was at Storrs, Conn., under the supervision of the Connecticut Agricultural College in 1911–2. There were more than 10 contests in the United States and 10 in Canada in 1921–2. The highest average production in any contest was obtained by the Western Washington Experiment Station at Puyallup, Wash., for the year 1920–21. The 365 birds in the contest averaged 214 eggs per hen. The pen of five single-comb White Leghorns which led the contest and made the American record layed 1,384 eggs or an average of 276.8 eggs per hen.
During 1910–20 ornamental breeds and bantams so decreased that in 1921 few commercial breeds were maintained on a large scale. The chief breeds were White Leghorns, Barred Plymouth Rocks, Rhode Island Reds and White Wyandottes. There were also fairly large numbers of Anconas, Buff and White Orpingtons, Brown Leghorns, White Plymouth Rocks, Buff Wyandottes, Black Minorcas, Black Langshans and Light Brahmas.
Table 8.—U.S. Exports and Imports; Eggs (Shell) and Egg Products, Fiscal Years 1910–20
| Exports | Imports | |
| 1910 | $ 1,264,043 | $ 166,859 |
| 1915 | 5,083,825 | 1,236,889 |
| 1920 | 19,459,187 | 9,250,021 |
Table 8 shows that imports and exports of eggs and egg products greatly increased from 1910 to 1920, the imports more rapidly than the exports, so that the United States seemed likely to become on balance an importing nation. The exports for 1920 consisted largely of shell eggs and went to Cuba, Canada, Mexico, Panama, England and Scotland. A considerable proportion of the eggs that went to Canada replaced Canadian eggs shipped to England. As Canada has a grading law, its eggs were exported to better advantage. The imports were mostly egg products from the Orient, particularly from China. In 1920 the imports consisted of 1,348,383 dozen of shell eggs, of which over 70% came from the Orient. The egg products amounted to 24,091,098 pounds, of which over 90% came from the Orient. Beginning about 1918 the large packing and egg handling houses began establishing egg-breaking and packing facilities in China and South America, so that in 1921 the imports seemed likely to continue to increase for some years unless tariff changes affected conditions. (O. B. K.)
Power, Sir William Tyrone (1819–1911), British soldier and administrator (see 22.224), died July 24 1911.
Poynter, Sir Edward John, Bart. (1836–1919), English painter (see 22.239), died in London July 26 1919. In 1919 he retired from the presidency of the Royal Academy, and was created K.C.V.O.
Preece, Sir William Henry (1834–1913), British electrical engineer, was born in Wales Feb. 15 1834 and educated at King’s College, London. He became a civil engineer but in 1853 joined the Electric and International Telegraph Co., whence in 1869 he reverted to the civil service. In 1877 he was appointed electrician to the Post Office, in 1899 engineer-in-chief and, after his retirement, consulting engineer. He was a pioneer of wireless telegraphy and his early experiments are described in 26.530. He died at Penrhos, Carnarvon, Nov. 6 1913.
Pressensé, Francis de (1853–1914), French politician and man of letters, was born in Paris Sept. 30 1853, the son of Edmond de Pressensé (see 22.299). He was educated at the Lyceé Bonaparte, and at school had a brilliant career, earning many distinctions. He served on General Chanzy’s staff during the war of 1870 and was taken prisoner at Le Mans, but after the war entered the public service. After a short period at the Ministry of Public Instruction, he entered the diplomatic service, and was appointed first secretary at Washington. In 1882 he returned to France and took up journalism. He was a contributor to many journals, including the Revue des Deux Mondes and the République Française, and in 1888 became foreign editor of the Temps. On the rise of the Dreyfus question (1895) de Pressensé identified himself with the cause of the prisoner. He wrote in support of General Picquart, and in consequence of his advocacy of Émile Zola's cause was struck off the roll of the Legion of Honour. This led to his resignation from the Temps, and he came forward as a socialist politician, being in 1902 elected socialist deputy for the Rhone. He was prominent in the debates on the question of the separation of Church and State, and a bill brought in by him formed the basis of the one finally carried by M. Briand. He died in Paris Jan. 19 1914.
De Pressensé published many articles of the greatest interest in the Temps, the Revue des Deux Mondes, Aurore and Humanité. He also produced Le Cardinal Manning (1896), an interesting study, and a work on Home Rule, L’Irlande et l’Anglelerre depuis l’acte d’union jusqu’à nos jours, 1800–1888 (1889).
Pretoria (see 22.309).—Pop. (1911), whites 35,942, coloured 18,732, total 54,674; in 1918, whites 41,690. About a mile from the centre of the town on a commanding position on the slopes of Meintjes Kop are the Union Government Buildings, the finest public offices in South Africa. They were built 1910–3, from the designs of Herbert Baker, at a cost of £1,800,000, and consist of three main portions; a large central semi-circular colonnaded building flanked east and west by rectangular blocks. At the junction of each wing with the central section is a domed tower 180 ft. high, and at the end of each wing is a projecting pillared pavilion. A feature of the building is the long low roof, with projecting eaves. The space enclosed by the building is laid out in terraces culminating in an open amphitheatre, in the centre of which is a stone rostrum. The buildings are of South African freestone, on a foundation of Transvaal granite. The laying out and planting of the terraced gardens was not completed until 1920. The principal approach lies 12 ft. below the main terrace, is 80 ft. wide and is planted with trees. Another road leads to the suburb of Bryntirion, where are Government House and the residences of ministers.
The foundation stone of Government Buildings was laid in Nov. 1910 by the Duke of Connaught, and the first public ceremony in the amphitheatre of the building was held in 1915 to celebrate General Botha’s conquest of South-West Africa. In 1913 a statue of President Kruger was unveiled in the town. In April 1918 Pretoria became the headquarters of the newly created university of South Africa. One of its constituent colleges, the Transvaal University College (incorporated 1910), is situated in Pretoria.
The State Library and Museum (built 1913) are in Market Street. The former Transvaal Government Buildings, facing Church Square, which is the business centre of the city, are used by the Provincial Council. The Law Courts (completed 1914) are on the north side of the square; the Post Office (completed 1912) faces Church Square and Church St.
The municipality, which owns the sanitary, water, electric and tramway services, spent between 1902 and 1919 a sum of £1,675,000 on improvements, including the provision of a water sewerage system, electric tramways, parks, an open air swimming-bath and a golf course, reputed one of the best in South Africa. The rateable value of Pretoria in 1918 was £7,438,000, its revenue £366,000, and its indebtedness £1,716,000.
Prices.—In the following article, which should be read in connexion with those under Cost of Living and Wages, the changes in prices of commodities during the years 1910–20 are considered with special reference to the United Kingdom. An account of the American system for controlling prices in the United States is appended.
(I.) Wholesale Prices in General.—The movement of wholesale prices in general is measured by the method of index numbers. The prices of commodities for which definite market quotations for definite grades exist are selected as typical in their changes of prices in general, a year or longer period is chosen as base, the price of each commodity is equated to 100 at the base period and the price in other years expressed proportionately, such numbers being called price ratios. (Thus if the price of wheat in the base period was 60s. and in another year 45s., the price ratio in the latter year would be written as 75.) Then either factors are chosen expressing the relative importance of the commodities as deter-
