The Waikato Time AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political. THURSDAY, SEPT. 6, 1888.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2521, 6 September 1888, Page 2

The Waikato Time AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political. THURSDAY, SEPT. 6, 1888.

Tiiehe is [mother question which bsars with no little importance on the success, or otherwise, of our farmers. It is one that has lately sprung into notice and has already acquired prominence. We refer to the practice which has hitherto prevailed in the Waikato in holding cattle sales, week after week, in all parts of the district. It is a praecipe extremely detrimental to thefarnier in more ways than one, and the farmers themselves are realising the fact very clearly. We have amongst us several auctioneers, and there is, perhaps, no exaggeration in saying that between them all they induco farmors to absent themselves from their homes on an average for three days out of the week. In this way the important and imperative work of the farm, which, under all circumstances, can brook no delay, is neglected and permitted to fall in arrear. With systematic and practical agricultural operations all the world over, timo is, or should be, as money to the bona fide farmer. The man who imagines he can cultivate the soil and rear fine herds and flocks without constant personal attention and unflagging individual labour devoted upon them for the greater part of every day of the week, and every, week of the year, simply invites failure, or at least very imperfect results. This is unfortunately the case in the Waikato; the farmers here have fallen into the pernicious and expensive habit of sacrificing valuable time in going from place to place attending the numerous sales held by each and several of the auctioneers. It is a conspicuous custom, one that at once strikes the observant traveller, and is condemned as absurd and characteristic only of the amateur. The Waikato loses credit thereby, and it is said of it that there are very few true farmers in it. In another column will be found a letter on the subject from " A Farmer," who evidently smarts under the effects of this practice, and goes straight to the root of the evil. The remedy he suggests is a practical one. There is, without doubt, perfect truth in " A Farmer's " statement that stock is hawked about from sale to sale by sellers in the vain hope of ultimately obtaining their own price, until the actual value is swallowed up in commissions and fees. Our correspondent suggests that the auctioneers should hold simultaneous periodical sales, such as has recently been so successfully tried at Hamilton, and at judicious intervals. Thus he proposes there should be one sale, a fortnight at Ohaupo, one monthly at .Hamilton and Cambridge, and one every three months at other outlying districts in rotation. This plan would reduce the number of sales to four a month, quite sufficient opportunities for the farmers of Waikato to buy and sell to advantage without wasting so much of the personal supervision required by the real work of the farm. The remedy is simple, and rests with the farmers to enforce it being carried into effect, and if they study their interests in the right spirit they will accomplish it. We doubt if any other Evgricultural or pastoral district in the colony can be found where such a hurtful system exists as the one that has so long prevailed here.