FARM FINANCE.

Feilding Star, Volume II, Issue 534, 30 March 1908, Page 4

FARM FINANCE.

AN INTERESTING BALANCESHEET. In the course of his evidence at Darfield before the Canterbury Conciliation Board last Wednesday a (xreeiiidale farmer gave the following balance-sheet of 'his farm operations for ilast year : — Income — Sade of 394 sheep and lambs, £306 11s 3d; sale of wool, £45 19s 3d; aged ewes on hand (40 a.t 7s 6d), £15 ; one draugliit horse, £27 7s 6d ; sale of oats (1907 orop), £34 5s 4d ; one horse, £6 3s 6d; wheat sold or in (hand (1420 bushels at 4s 3d), £301 15s; seconds (36 bushels at 3s 6d), £6 6s ; sacks, £10 lls 4d ; grass seed on hand, £12 10s; 2 calves, £4 ss; two pigs, £5 Is; skins and fat, £2 10s; ohaff, £1 15s; seed oats, £5 "^ 7d; total, £785 16s 9d. Expenditure — Purchase "of 100 lambs ajid 150 ewes £192 18s 6d; timber, wire, and stakes, £19 lls 2d; horse, £20; sacks a,nd twine, £12 18s; binder twine, £6 Is Id; grass seed, £6 10s; manure, £4 12s 6d; bread, £7 6s; coal, £3 7s 6d; four pigs, £4; wages of harvest hands, £9 14s ; haulage of wheat, £5 ; shearing and woolpacks, £4 4s 4d : blacksmith's account, £10 2s; ithroskng, £25 6s 9d; horse service, £4; taxes (land £12 9s 2d), water and sheep rates total £20 lls lid; interest, on land tax value of farm £200 ; interest on plant (£7OO at 5 per cemt.), £35; depreciatiioin -of .implements harness, etc., £30; insurance (accident and otherwise), £2 12s ; total, £706 14s 9d. This left a net balance of £79 2s to rrecompense his wife and himself for their labour, .to provide for the risk of death among the stock, and to »-e---place tools, etc. in the fact of these figures, the witness was of opinion that 'he could not afford to pay tho increased wages demanded by the Farm Labourers' Union.