ERRATIC MARKETS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXIX, Issue 7818, 10 June 1909, Page 1

ERRATIC MARKETS.

The erratic tendency of' tie: market; is at times perplexing to the farmers.f One farmer m the : Wakanui districtj had- an experience m regard ■ to'the! grain market during the "past. .seasbnj that he is not likely to forget for some' time to come. It 'appears 1 that .". the' market was on the ' decline,: and al-J though he had not threshed, he enter-j ed into a written agreement'with a buyer to deliver a certain quantity of wheat up to sample at 8s 6d per.bush-i el.; and feeling assured m his own'mindj that the market would go to a y lower) level, he went away delighted at hav-j ing effectively safeguarded ■■ himself) against any further loss m.respect to a| decline m prices. By the time lie hadi threshed, however, the price of wheat! had risen to 4s Id per bushel, and. it was with a not very good grace tha.t.he; delivered his season's grain tpj the ''buyer. Then, .a larges quantity of wheat was rejected on account of not being up to sample, -and: the farmer was obliged, m order to; comply with the agreement, to pur-, chase 200 bushels of a similar class ofj prime wheat- at 4s Id per bushel-and; deliver it. He is now of'opinion that; the grain market is controlled by! shrewder men than himself, and,'tie has .made a solemn vow to .never again sign | his' name to any binding agreement, respiting the sale of grain; * Under the circumstances recounted, the ques-: tion arises: Will he be able to effect a sale on a rising and falling market without entering into a bond ?