British Pathe

M/S of a woman in a field removing part of the roof of a chicken house and reaching for eggs; C/U of her basket as she puts the eggs in it. Commentator says "The average poultry farm looks much the same as it has always done - and yet even here the inroads of automation are generally being felt, as...

M/S of a woman in a field removing part of the roof of a chicken house and reaching for eggs; C/U of her basket as she puts the eggs in it. Commentator says "The average poultry farm looks much the same as it has always done - and yet even here the inroads of automation are generally being felt, as you'll discover".

M/Ss as she walks past hens in pens with her basket and puts it down on a small table outside a hut, beside some empty egg cartons. C/Us as she puts eggs into the cartons and seals them, then tapes a three-penny piece to the base. Commentator says "...at this farm near Chichester, in [West] Sussex, all they have to do is pack them in a revolutionary slot machine which does the selling".

C/U of sign reading 'Egg-O-Matic'; M/Ss of the woman walking along a road near the farm to a kind of vending machine. A notice below the 'Egg-O-Matic' sign says "6 Eggs and 3d for 2'6" which explains why there is 3d taped to each carton. She opens the doors of the machine to put the cartons in. C/U inside as she slots the cartons into revolving metal pigeonholes.

Commentator says "The 'egg-o-matic' is the brainchild of spare-time inventor Reginald Carter who had to devise a simple mechanical system because of the lack of available electricity in isolated spots like this. Through the centre of that revolving drum runs a vertical spiral so that as the packs are removed the drum automatically winds itself down". The woman closes up the machine and walks off up the road.

Commentator says "A lot of extra thought went into its design - the colour, for example; nothing jazzy to clash with the countryside. It's also insulated against the sun - after all it's not an incubating machine!" M/Ss as a car, an Austin A40 (?), drives up to the machine; an elderly woman in twin set, pearls and tweed skirt gets out, feeds coins into the machine and takes a carton of eggs from the flap.

Note: print is quite badly scratched. Small news cutting on the machine and inventor on file.