Does Poultry Pay?

Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 13438, 9 November 1907, Page 3 (Supplement)

Does Poultry Pay?

A SCHOOLBOY'S EXPERIMENT.

PROFIT OF 91 PER CENT.

Mr Alfred Gray, headmaster of the Ouunake Schonl, is (says the, " Taranaki Herald") an poultry fancier and has been a cucetiisful exhibitor at several of our .shows. With a view to encouraging the boys connected with his school to keep purebred fowls and thus jDroduce more fanciers he started some twelve months ago a '.' School Poultry Company." This company has been run on purely businecc lines. A number of the scholars have aheady blossomed out as breeders of prime stock, and at the recent show some of the best birds exhibited were owned by members of the company. In the amateur judging, too, the boys did very well, one receiving eight points and another seven points out of a possible of eleven. Since the formation of the company, the development of interest has been so great that the original intention of cieating fanciers has become a mere side issue. Wifh the issuing of shares and tho subscription of capital there arose the question of dividend, and everything now hinges on profit. This, however, has ncL developed on the part of the boys a tendency to "grab," but has simply made thsin keen. Mr •Gray asserts that no boys in the colony are better acquainted with the price of foodstuffs than the members of the company. The present abnormal price of wheat has been brought home to them in a forcible maimer. The 'high price of grain meant a diminished dividend. and, ac such, was the'cause of'serious thought. This is only one of the many .educational benefits derived.. The original issue of shares was twenty at 5s each. About half of these were taken up. With the money material was bought. A house and run were built, and fowls were proeuied. Of course, directors were appointed nnd a chairman was elected. When the fowls stop laying the directors have a very bad time indeed. Occasionally, however, they have their revenge when come shareholder whose turn it is to look after the biids omits part of his duty. A directors' meeting and a fine promptly follow. All sales of stock and all alterations of procedure are decided bv the directors.

The boys are not doing tins for fun, but are in real earnest, and tak© the keenest possible interest in the affairs of their company.

"The directors' annual report to the shareholders of the company has now been issued. It states:—"ln presenting to you this, the first annual balance-sheet, your directors are pleased to announce that the workings for the year have resulted in a ■substantial profit. Starting with the capi tal of £2 5s 6d, the company, with an expenditure. of £1 16s 3d, has been enabled to secure a profit of £1 13s 3d. This is equal to 91 epr cent. Your directors propose to dispose of this surplus in the following manner :—(1) lis . 6d" transferred to capital account, (2) 9,s to be used in paying ,a dividend of 2Q per cent, per share, (3) 12s 9d to be carried forward to working account. A good' deal of our success has been, due to the fact that bur stock has been pure bred, and we have been able to sell a number of sitings of eggs at 2(3 6d per dozen. We are firmly of the opinion that purebred fowls arc the only ones worth keeping, and recommend that-hi the future the company -keep nothing but pure breeds. Your directors are also strongly of opinion that a green bone-cutter is absolutely essential to a poultry farm, bub regret that, owing to the prohibitive price of these machines, they cannot recompiend' the company to invest in one this year."