404 STABLE SERVANTS. 



may be put down roughly at five per cent, on all forage, 

 harness, saddlery, clothing and tools ; a shilling on each 

 shoeing, and sixpence on removes. Some men require six- 

 pence on each bushel of oats, or hundredweight of hay or 

 straw. The ordinary commission, or rather present, recog- 

 nised by dealers is a couple of guineas on the sale of a hunter 

 or carriage horse ; although the interest of some grooms and 

 coachmen in their masters' purchases cannot be stimulated 

 under a tenner or even a " pony." Ten per cent, on the 

 bills of veterinary surgeons is not uncommon ; and five per 

 cent, is very reasonable according to stable opinion. On the 

 Continent, the recognised commission is ten per cent, all 

 round. 



Apart from the moral aspect of the case, it is evident that 

 the two great faults in the practice of stable servants receiving 

 commission, are that it tends to render them slack, if not 

 culpably careless, as to the quality and quantity of the articles 

 supplied; and inclines them to "crab" all forms of stable 

 necessaries from which they do not obtain profit. Thus we 

 find instances of inferior forage being charged at high prices, 

 and good, sound horses turning out unsatisfactorily in the 

 hands of grooms and coachmen whose palms have not been 

 oiled. It is almost needless to tell men and women of the 

 world that, with respect to commission, stable servants are 

 neither better nor worse than the members of trades and 

 even professions in which the secret profit system is practised. 



This commission system is so generally and so firmly 

 established, that unless a master has a man upon whom he 

 can thoroughly rely, he will have to accept things as they are, 

 and make the best of them, or buy all stable supplies, horses 

 included, himself, without any reference to his groom. In this 

 case, to be just, he should see that his head man has a 

 comfortable living wage from which he can with economy 

 save a modest provision for his old age. Although the 



