FARMERS AND FARMING.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2119, 6 February 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

FARMERS AND FARMING.

No X. " Arcrio.NLKi..'. 1 ' It ia a great pity that thi«* cinqs of gentlemen should bo allowed to absoib such an enoinnnis percentage of the produce of this country, in return for which they render no adequate service. In the face of this asbortiou the question might naturally bo adtcd, " How much do they absorb 2"" This letter will answer the question in detail. For the ba^is of my calculation I shall take au animal, which, when fat, is supposed to he an average beast weishing 600lbs, dead weight. " Fin?t," this animal is taken to the auction yauls by the breeder to be sold a<» a " htore," and on being put up brings the very ordinary price of £1 ; and, to make everything complete, we must again ima^inD thi-< animal to be sold on credit, or, iv other words, a three months' bill, for a very large proportion of the auctioneers.' buhinocs is eouducted in this way, and lie pipfers it; and for why? B-cause of the interest that filters into his pocket. H n ncc at tho "first" sale of tlm animal there aro tlnoe distinct char err- reaped in this very lucrative bnxiuoes. These nro commission, yard tees, and interest. A commission of 3f per rent, on £t equals close upon 2s Bd, a yard fee of 6d, and interest at the rate of 10 per cent, per nnnum, means 2$ per cent, for threo months-, which is equal to 2s on £4. or the whole gross gain on this one transaction is 5s 2d, which amounts to a gross percenta re of rather under 6J. Fancy an auctioneer selling, nay, the email quantity of 150 head of stores per week, and realising the sum of £39 for abonfc a quarter of a day's work ; nay, much less. We must again suppose that tho bill of exchange is renewed at the end of the three month", so as to allow a fair portion of time in which the unimal can be properly fattened Secondly, this store animal bought for £4 is sent to auction in good beef condition, and realises £5. Again come the charges. 3+ per cent, commission equals 3« 31, yard fee 6d, and the 2| per cent, for renewal of bill equak 2*, the total for this second .sale amounting to 5a 9d, which upon £5 is a gros3 psreentage of sf, or a total sum of 10s lld gross gain on each animal sold from its birth to his death. Does not this sum seem outrageous to the intelligence of an ordinary man? I do not use the word "appear," it actually is exorbitant, and again I assert that the sen ices rendered for this handsome remuneration are practically " nil " For these auctioneers take good care to look after Mr Ego when taking bills of exchange, and, as I previously observed, keep what is really an auctioneer's detective, to look after their interests. Our "friends," may demur to a part of the above statement, though in itself, it is not far from the point of substantial correctness.. I am quite aware there are exceptions to tlio rule laid down. For instance the breeder of stock may also be the graiicr, licnce there is only one commission aud ono yard fee. I entirely ignore what the auctioneers may gain iv tho final transaction with the cattle dealer or butchers. It is quite optional for the buyer to pay in cash or bill. Aerainst there or any other exceptions must bo placed tho per contra y , tho fact that cattle very frequently pass three or four times through the auctioneer's hand", with a corresponding number of bills. I must observe further that I have presented the matter in tho most favourable light. For in the eve of sheep, pig?, and calves the charges are heavier in the shape of yard fees. Ono ponnyj per head for sheep and pisrs and, note it well, sixpence per head for calves. As an example, take the sheep, say at an*j average of GOlbs each, the number required to equal tho GOOlbs of beef will be 10. So here we have tonpenCe for yard fees instead of sixpence, ■which i* mther over 1 per cent. Supposing the 10 sheep bring- £1 as stores, and ft 1 per cent, when <:old fat foy £o. In the case of pis,'S it will lo less, and a vast deal more in that of cilvo.s I *hall hereafter liitve occasion to deal in a large way with the commi-siou, yard fees and interest gainod by the<*o auctioneer*. After this biiof investigation of the matter in hand, the farmers may conclude they have ou an average to pay lls per huud of c itt'u 1 , or what is' equivalent to it. Us sh«t>ji, &<;., to tho auctioneer Of this item the bleeder will pay 3s 2d an commission an 1 yard foo. Tho balance of 7-i 101 falK entirely to the grazier, " a neat littl-i rtnt of seven shillings and ten pence upon fvery head of stock fattened. 1 ' S>> if a farmer fattens 100 head of stock these is a rent of £39 3s 4d to pay out of the sum realised for them. I would still furt.'ior impress upon your minds the mode in which cattle are sold, "by lump,'' aid not "by weight." The auctioneers know best why this way of doing the business, is kept "up, when tho fairest and moot honest way would be to sell by " live weight," and certainly the most satisfactory to the farmer, for then he would have i ome idea as to the price he was petting for his cattle. No, this would never do. m interfering to a serious extent with the perquisites obtained by the butcheis in the Bhape of over weight. No, the auctioneer plays into the hands of this other class of middlemen, the butchers, to the serious loss of the farmers. Our "friends" may deny this, but why deny it in the face of the persistent way in which the present mode of selling is kept up, and this in spite of the wishes and appeals of the farmers. The only practical way in which a denial can be made is to adopt the mode of selling by live weight, and do it without any further futile and senseless grumhlings, or loss of time, aud of money to the farmers. It must be a very pleasant sight for comparatively new arrivals who intend to farm to see in the local papers the market reports, quoting fat cattle as selling at from 20s to 22s per lOOlbs. Ask the man who farms land and fattens stock. He will at once tell you that the quotation is a false oue, and which would be much nearer the mark if a subtraction of 10s per lOOlbs. was made. Week by week and month by month do you read in tho papers the stereotyped qnotntiou of fat cattle selling at from 20s to 23s per lOOlbs, Avhen the auctioneers, the peoplo v, ho supply the information, know well that 13* to 16^ per lOOlbs is much cearer the truth, the former for cow beef the latter for bullock beef. Then in tho oase of horses, and other kinds of stock as wall — there is that practise adopted by auctioneers known by the name of trotting, "trotting up pricex,'* by bogus bidders planted for the purpose. I make no remarks upon this honest mode of conducting business. I only ask is it a fair and square way of selling ? I have treated this part of the business of farming at some little length, fully trusting it may set the. farmers to think and comprehend the subject in all its enormity, thence arising from this thinking and comprehension, ' united action. " Ut Prosim.