Levin Stock Sales

Horowhenua Chronicle, 16 September 1916, Page 2

Levin Stock Sales

i HE COMMITTEE'S REPORT

A -meeting o.f fanners was held in trio Town Hall yesterday to receive the report ol the committee set up at tho ptevious meeting to go into the question oi arranging one day for the Levin stick sales and other matters connected therewith. 1 hero w.is a fa'r attendance and the mayoiv(Mr C. Blenkhorn) presided. An apalogy for absence was received irom Mr AY. Simpson. J lie report read, as follows: — A our committee have, pleasure in placing befe.ro you the result (f their conimun cations with tho auctioneering firms, and their recommendations thereon. , Day of \\ eek.—The auctioneers are willing to hold tho r-alos on the one day in the week, such day to he Tuesday or Wednesday a.s the fanners mav decide. •J-o'nt sales.—Dal'.'etv .piid; Co. and the Xeiv Zealand Loan and Mercantile .are agreoah'e to holding joint sales in joint yards, but Abraham .-aid Williams are not, and as they cannot agree on joint sales and yards they jointly propose as follows:— That the sales skirt -at 11.1.) a.m. and be continuous: starting with dairy stock and pigs in >Xo. 1 yard, whilst at noon tho same class of •stuff would be sold in the other, or Xo. 2 viird. Then at noon in No. 1 yard the sale of fat sheep and cattle would commence continuing in Xo. 2 yard at 1 p.m., whilst in Xo. 1 yard at the same hour the sale of store sheep would, commence eontimrnsj in Xo. 2 yard at 2.15 p.m. In Xo. 1 yard the sale of store cattle would commence at 2.13 p.m. and continue in No. 2 yard after the «ale of store sheep. Order of Sale.—Grown bullocks to be offered first: single beasts, as far as practicable, will be sold at end of eiich section. (X.R.— If store sheep not concluded, in Xo. 1 yard bv 2.15 p.m., fifteen minutes' grace, to be allowed, thereby making starting time 2.30 p.m. •Store cattle.—Order of sale same as in Xo. 1 yard. •Stock sold in one yard are not to be offered in the other yard on the Same day. .Stock arriving after commencement of the sale of that particular class of stock will be sold at the end of the sale. Timekeepers to be appointed innd are to take the sales in each yard -alternately. Each auctioneer will be allowed to two minutes to sell each lot from the time he makes his opening remark. The order of sale will he recorded by means of blackboards, stiles to be erected between the respective yards. Alterations in tho conduct of the sale are to be jointly advertised throughout the district. The question of which yard shall start the sale is not yet decided by the ianctioneers but it is suggested by Abraham and Williams. Ltd., who offer tlio other firms the right to start, that whichever firm starts should continue to do so for twelve months, whilst the other firms think a change ill order every three months. The proposed changes to come into force on first sale in October.

Rates of Commission.—The secretary of the local branch of the .Stock Auctioneering Aso.sciation. reports as follows:—I have been instructed by my association to -write and inform you that, the members have decided, to reduce the rates of commission on public yards .'•flies of store sheep and cattle, aa from Ist January, 1917, from 4 per cent to 3:i per cent in the whole of the district covered by the association's operations. This reduction,- I might point out, brings the association's charges into line with Wanganui and Waixvirapa districts.

Concreting yards. —All the firins are quite willing to meet the wishes of the fanners in respect of this matter, but point out tha he expense involved will necessitate the work being done ' bydegrees, which course they propose to adopt.

VOI"]? COMMITTER RECOMMEND

1-—That Tuesday be the day on which the weekly sale should be held, for the reason that AVednesdiay is tho town established, half-holiday and difficulty and delay would occur in having it changed.

2.—That an expression of the keen disappointment of the fanners at tho non-success of their efforts to estabFsh joint sales in joint yards he conveyed to iJIe-sirj Abraham and Williams ,Ltd., and that it he pointed, out to that Jinn that the farmers of district consider that it is in their best interests that their wishes in this direction be given effect to and urging them to reconsider their decision.

3.—That they are, however, of opinion that the nenv order of sale as proposed, is superior to the old arrangeuient, and that .if established frequent changes would be- undesirable and lead to confusion ; they therefore recommend the proposal of Abraham and Williams, Ltd., namely, that the firm which"starts the sale nhould continue to dio so for twelve month, be adopted, but that in the meantime agitation for the joint sale® in joint yards be continued.

-!.—As to com mission they recommend that further representations be made (in the (subject as they consider that tlie concession granted to 'be altogether inadequate both in amount and in the extent of it.s application, the same not applying to fat stocks The committee feels that a rcbite of i per cent all around might nnder the circumstances hare reasonably been expected. the same to apply to .nil clauses of .stoc kyfcirded, and further'that some differentiation in the rate of commission charged might have been made between the large lines and snialler ones. or some system established whereby commission shotikl be charged on a

slid in gscule goverened by the returning price of stock. They, however, recommend that the concession be laeceptod in the meantime. s.—Thnt the (i:ms eonee;lied be thanked for wlint they have done, audi what they/ propose to do in the matter of concreting the yards. On the motion of Mr J. Kebbell, seconded by Mr A. K. Simpson, it.was resolved that the committee set up at tho previous meeting be constituted in standing eommiteo to further the resolutions adopted. Mr P. W. Inge whs appointed convenor. The report was adopted and n hearty rote of thanks and appreciation to the cliiairnian terminated tlie meeting.