1 Ava., 1899.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 199 
much, and the farmer had to take what was offered or else go to the trouble of 
taking his pig home. As this was very irksome to the farmers, local auction 
yards were established, and they were carried on for a month or two with a 
certain amount of success, fairly good prices being realised. The buyers, 
however, then determined to put a stop to the auctions, and about 2 months 
ago, 300 pigs were yarded, and when they were put up not one was sold, not one 
buyer turning up to bid for them. One of the bacon firms had an agent there, 
and he immediately wired to his principals the facts of the case. ‘The result 
was that a buyer was sent up, and he got every pig at his own price. The 
farmers came to the conclusion that there was no other remedy for the evil but 
co-operation, and they made a move in that direction then and there, several 
hundred shares being taken up before the people left the yards. The Meat and 
Dairy Act would perhaps be able to assist this co-operation, but a dairy must be 
clean, and I do not think that in our district a dairy and a bacon-curing 
establishment could be very well worked together. If they start a co-operative 
bacon factory alone, I understand they are not entitled to any assistance from 
the Government. ; 
The Hon. J. V. Coaraway: One moment. There is another vote of 
£10,000 that was passed on last year’s Estimates, which is available for any 
such work as that to which Mr. Blake refers. 
Mr. Brake: In any event we have made a start, and I hope you will hear 
ere long of the successful establishment of the Lockyer Co-operative Bacon 
Factory. 
r. B. W. Perk (Loganholme): I think-we should all feel thankful to 
Mr. Robinson for his paper on pigs, and it is hardly necessary to mention that 
Mr. Robinson is a great breeder of this stock. A's for the suggestions about _ 
the best methods of disposing of pigs, I may state that my association have at 
present this matter in hand. Up to the present time most of the proprietary 
companies, &c., who manufacture bacon, have been in the habit of sending 
buyers round to the farmers, and I do not say on have not given satisfaction. 
In some cases farmers are very well satisfied with the prices they get, but the 
prices mentioned in Mr. Robinson’s paper do not obtain in the Logan district. 
I have seen splendid pigs, from about 180 to 140 lb. in weight, disposed of at 
80s., which is about the highest price that could be got for them. They are 
chiefly Berkshire about the Logan and there are heavier animals than the 
weights I haye mentioned, but the farmers use them for home consumption. As 
I said before, my association have had in hand this question of the betterment 
of the pig market, for the system that has been going on hitherto is not 
altogether in accordance with the wishes of the seller. We communicated with 
the largest proprietary firms in Brisbane and got different answers. Hutton (I 
do not suppose there is any great secret about the names) said that they did 
not favour the auction system, but preferred sending buyers round to the 
different growers, who would also give advice as to the kind of pig required. 
Mr. Booxer: That supports Mr. Robinson’s contention. ¥ 
Mr. Park: Howes Bros., of Oxley, said they would fall in with the views 
of our Association; that they were in the habit of sending a buyer round, but 
they asked us to consider if it would not be better to establish open sales, each 
farmer taking his pigs to the yards, and the buyer going round from one pen. to 
another. The Graziers said they would Support any auction, and that they 
would deal direct by auction at local sales. This firm considered the auction 
system would save them the expense of sending men round to the different 
farms. In the matter of the question of the sale of pigs by weight, we thought 
ij would be a good idea to have a weighbridge established in the pig race. 
' After thus going into the matter.we decided to go on with auction sales, but 
before doing so we again interviewed the Messrs. Hutton to see what their 
objections to the system were. Their manager told us that his objection to 
auctions was that he frequently found that a sale was advertised and their 
buyer attended, but found that the pigs had all been bought up the previous 
day by the auctioneer, who, when the sale came on, ran them up against the 
