PURCHASES OF OATS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2842, 5 August 1916, Page 12

PURCHASES OF OATS

• BT MUNITIONS DEPARTMENT. 'A return setting out the quantity of v. oat 6 purchased by the Munitions Department, and certain particulars regarding : » the purchase,-was presented to the Houso yesterday. . - . Approximately 125,000 sacks of oats .were purchased, representing 1 , approximately 530,000 - Tiushels. Of this quantity .i j S0,000 : sacks were purchased at an aver- • age price of, approximately, 2s. 7d. per bushel, f.0.b.,i s.i., 'while the remaining 45,000 sacks averaged a cost of, approximately, 25.. IOJd. per .bushel, f.0.b., s.i., J', thus giving an average over all of 2s. Sd. to 2s. BJd.' per busliel.. The Tate of renumeration .paid to agents was 1J per cent. Little, if 1 any, rise in the market took place during the period of opera- ".'. . tions, whereby the first 80,000 sacks were ''.secured, but 'when certain.' shipments were made by two [troopships from Dimedin it ; became publicly known that. the Goveminent was operating to secure oats for shipment abroad. From this, point on- . wards the market rose about Gd. per . . bushel from ' what; it was -.when opera--1., tions were first instituted. The Department had only to bear the cost of one brokerage. ; v The following note is added' to the re- . turnln regard .to:the'question gener- , ally.it might bo stated that the'results of operations fully justify the' method ... .adopted, and. t that it is .estimated that fully 6d. per. bushel was saved by the 'i Government;. on the - .whole . order. It might also be'pointed out that the grad- , ing of the total nuantity purchased .. stands approximately as follows:—A grade. 61 ner cent:: B grade, 32 per cent.; ... and "good feed," 7 per cent. •' ,

.. : , Wo note with Interest that all the best ;j prizes for cheese at the. Palmej-ston Show '.and the best prices in the LondonVmarket were, obtained by. those makers who !'r use Victor Vats. These famous vats ein- ; ; body a new principle of middle drainage worth while'investigating. A. J. par- . ton, Dairyman, Carterton.—Advt '