ENGLISH MARKETS AND FAIRS. 59 



market authorities had done their best to erect suitable 

 weighbridges in convenient situations, others had not 

 seemed to care about the efficiency of the machines. 

 Other evidence bearing out this opinion might be cited, 

 but it may be said that market authorities had taken, as 

 a rule, no trouble to do more than the Act absolutely 

 commanded, and, unfortunately, no provision had been 

 made for seeing that the facilities provided were sufficient 

 for, or suitable to, the requirements of the markets. 

 Hence arose the recommendation of the Royal Commis- 

 sion on the subject. 



The other recommendation referred to was the twenty- 

 sixth, which was as follows : — 



That it is desirable to collect statistics of the market prices 

 of meat, and, in particular, that the prices of cattle at per stone, 

 live weight, should be collected (in the same manner as the 

 prices of corn are now returned) in such markets as may be 

 selected for the purpose by the Board of Trade. 



The official record of the live-weight prices of stock is a 

 corollary of the practice of weighing cattle at markets. 

 Nothing, it will be admitted, can be more unsatisfactory 

 than a system under which the seller does not know — 

 and has no means, other than personal observation, of 

 knowing — what price his animals fetch. Yet, under the 

 common system, no farmer who sends his beasts to a 

 saleman is able to check any statement which is made to 

 him as to the prices current for the class of animals which 

 he sold. Thus, to quote from evidence given by Sir John 

 Lawes before the Royal Commission, it is possible to 

 know with considerable accuracy, by weighing them alive, 

 what animals will weigh when dead ; but, said Sir John 

 Lawes, " If I send to the London market and look at the 

 quoted prices for that meat in the paper, I find that 

 instead of my animals weighing, when killed, 55, 56, or 

 58 per cent., as I know they ought to weigh, they only 

 weigh, perhaps, 50 or 51 per cent. I know with absolute 



