"A KNIGHT OF THE HAMMER."

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14274, 13 August 1910, Page 3

"A KNIGHT OF THE HAMMER."

MS, JOHN MTNDELL, After "knocking down" or ''passing ill" tilings animate and inanimate from j his stand in the auctioneer's rostrum j tor tiio past 32 years, Air John Alundeli, j who, for the piist 18 rears lias been j chief auctioneer to the C.E.C.A., lias I stopped down i'rom lus pedestal, audi laid down tho hammer wliich has so! often, by a little tap, sealed the late j of thousands of pounds. In other J words, he has handed in his resignation j with the idea of taking a rest alter his I long ;md arduous career. j As Air Alundeli is one of the verv I early South Canterhury settlers(though his fresh and visrorous appearance seems to belie the fact) a. "Herald" reporter sought him out with a view to getting some early-day reminiscences froni him, and to ask hiiii his intentions for the future. The latter question «lis perliaps rather personal, lint, knuwiiw that.Mr Alundeli was used to question's pertinent and impertinent, the reporter ventured to pur i!, and was not reprimanded for so doine;. "Oh well," ;\l,- Ahmdell replied in his: cheery manner. "1 have Wiu< out- of business for the present, but whetiier I will i-emain out is a question j ran hardly answer straight oul. It all depends.-' Upon what? "Upon how I feel after a trial of the lazy hfe. I f ee l as well as over I did, and I hare always thoucrht that to suddenly give up an active life, must to j sonic extent throw a man oil his balance. At all events, I am going u, • try it tor a bit. and if J find it doesn't ! suit, well, I may start in business i again. -But you hare plenty of private in-j teresis to engage, your' intention, have ' yon not? i "Well yes, hut I do not think that 1 I could employ all my time on them. 'J hey are in other hands, and mv inier--iercuee. with thorn is not required." ! And where will you start again if it j does reins to that? "Oh in Timarn. most, oertaiulv; T! have no intention ~!' leaviim Soulli 1 Canterbury wliere J. have worked practically all my life." And what will be the nature of vonr new business. "Oh well, nothing has been determined on that head yet," The reporter next asked for some particulars of Air Alundi ll'.s life as an auctioneer, and the roplv iie got was as follows i—"J. don't know that I have much in say about which the public, will be in-! terosted. 1 could, of eour.se, say soine ' tilings of interest, for 1 have, had some : queer experiences in my time, but they wen- mora or less of a personal nature, and 'f would not care to mention names. ■ One general statement I will make however, and it is this : "That you never know a man until you have had money j dealings with him. He may ho the ; best chap in the world up to a certain 1 point, hut once his pocket is affected you see tho real man revealed. I ' don't say this in a disparaging way, 1 for I havp. had dealings with thousands ' of men in my time, and on the whole I can only say that they were a good lot of fellows. You asked mo. as to j my early-day experiences. Well, I | first started as a young man on a. farm! at Orari when I was in partnership ' with the late William Kennedy: and! later on we took up the coach service I hetween Orari, Oeraldine and Wood- | bury. We carried this on for about ' nine years and during this time I took out an auctioneer's license in (ku'aldine and held a sale on alternate Tuo.vdays. Mv first license was taken out on Nov. IS, 187?, and I paid £-10 for it, not. knowing at the time whether I would i get £4O worth of stuif to sell. I was only 28 years of age at the time, and it was rather a. big undoi-faking for a young fellow who had had no expedience. However, it came out all right, : I .sold all kinds of produce, and stock. I ran this business on my own account, and afterwards bought, out my partner's interest in tho lino of coaches we were running. Then I added to tho two businesses a general store. This was situated where Sherratt's stables now , are. I endeavoured then to hold wool 1 sales in Gcraldinc, hut found it an impossibility as the wool buyers objected to attend small local sales. Finding that it would be to my advantage to get storage for my clients' wool in Timaru, I arranged for storage with the 2531. and A. Company, and we worked together in wool and stock so far as Timarn and Temuka were touceriied. We ran on these lines for several years, when I was approached by tho C.F.C.A., which institution desired'to go into tho auction business; they took over my Geraldiue business, and I joined them as auctioneer." I Who were, tho South Canterburr salesmen in the early days of which you speak? "When I started, the South Cantor-' bury salesmen were the late .Richard I Tiirnbuli, Donald Alt-Lean, tleove Hunter Wilnie, Alnss donas and .JoiTn King. They ail operated in Tiiuaru." Air Alundeli admitted in roplv to another question, that lie had'been iairly successful, all things considered, ami that ho was pleased do have been able to aequiro a fairly good .siieeo station in Central Otago. "known a's "Bellamy"—a- run of ml;)!) ru-ros of freehold, and 27,00: i acres of leasehold besides a httie properly in Timaru Temuka, and Oral dine. About •'-! years ago he built thy Temuka sale- ■ yards, which had been a great success 1 What about a comuarisnn with ear;---'-day auction .sales and" tho-e of to-d.',v' : - "Tho difference." Air Aiundell' replied, "is in favour of the oa'-)<- devs All clearing sales, and tho major 'portion of the public yard sales in the early days were conducted on a r-Hi | system of payment. Sav we had a l clearing sale which realised £IOOO, we would be paid fully £SOO of that amount the same day. There was not so m"-'h paper business as there isto-dav. The same thing was applicable to pubi;,- < yard sales. In those days the two chief markets were- Winchester and Y.'ashdyko, where very good sales were held. Sheep did not" bring tho prices they do now. but cattle « ere iust about on a- par with prosent-ilav' values Ordinary cull owes u-ed jo J'otrj, jYom Is 3d to 2 S (3d, cull lambs Gd to Is 6d ' fresh full-mouthed ewes 5s (3d. fair halfbred store wethers 5s Cd to Gs. i'i,, s '' in t!ie early days hardly paid to rear. Draught horses were verv much dearer than now, due to the fact that, there were a lot of public works lining on then ior winch heavy horses were ' reouirH Jhe railway was then being put through. Clydesdale fillies, 3 to G years, sold readily at £6O to £BO. and gddmgs 0 f the same age, at £45 to i-ou. Aged sorts sold in proportion. ..Ir Alundell added that when he was ii < , ) ," 1 - v , salesre '' ill in Ceralduie, and had the Geraldme rards to himself it was not unusual fof him to sell in one clay from 8000 to 9000 sheen, GO head of cattle and 50 to 100 pigs. "Time limits were not heard of then. At this stage, the busv ex-auctioneer scenting business ahead, moved on leaving the reporter to value, and sell to the best advantage, the ' "lot" of copy knocked ohiwn to his bid.