"PASSING IT ON"

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 17, 15 October 1919, Page 3

"PASSING IT ON"

WHY HEAT ISDEAE. At least one of the factors in the bjgh cost of.food to the consumer has been laid by the heel in tho revelation of a system of stock speculation—or, perhaps, the absence of any system at ailthroughout the west (states tlio Bathurst coriespondent of tho Sydney "Sun"). During a recent week, cattle were sold in the Bathurst yards after having gone a roundabout course! at different points of which the middlemen havo had their substantial cut. One particular consignment originally came from Queensland, and.was offered at Homobuah. An agent acting ..for an Orange firm bought the stock, which were later trucked to Orange. There they were offered at auction again, and bought by another middleman, who, in turn, brought them to Bathurst. Here the animals were finally taken over by the butchers at a high figure, and retailed at a price sufficient to enable the butcher iimself to show a profit. Permanent agents state that there is now little doing with cattle so far as they are concerned. It would seem that pure speculators buy supplies at Homebush when the market is favourable, and then truck the cattle to whntever country town is most in need of meat, and where, v accordingly, competition is keen. Instances have been quoted of stock ibaving gone ' from Bathurst to Ilomebush, and. after passing through several hands, come back to this town and sola at pounds above-the original price paid to the owner, li'iose paddocks are only a matter of yards distant from the saleyardj. Tins season much the same thing has been experienced with cauliflowers, big quantities of which hr.ve been trucked to Sydney for sale wholesale, Ultimatelv much of the produce has returned to Bathurst in smaller quantities and sold in the shops in front of which the wagons passed with the cauliflowers before they'entered on their 300 miles' tour. In a months th'e process will be repeated with Bathurst apples. The whole position is accepted as demonstrating a policy of.absolute drift in the distribution of produce.