.
170
FAIRS AND MARKETS' COMMISSION, IRELAND.
SiaBBEEEEN,
20th November, 1852.
292.
John Shea.
make them say, upon then- conscience the cattle were not sold. I am sure, in spite of all,
I do not get paid for all that are sold.
3344. Can you say what proportion of cattle going into a fair, are sold ?- -No, I cannot.
3345. Do you keep a toll-board at each of the gaps ?—I do. I wish to state, that there
was a complaint made to me, by a man, the last fair, that he Avas charged 6d. for heifers,
and I paid him back 3d. I employ the most respectable men I can get, for my own sake,
and get the money from them in the evening of the fair.
293.
Daniel M'Carthy.
Daniel M' Cartliy examined.
3340. Wheat is your occupation ?—I buy corn in this town ; I pay no tolls; it goes direct
to the stores.
3347. Do you make any charge for weighing at the stores ?—No, I make no charge of
any kind.
3348. What is your system of weighing?—AVe
weigh
with a cast of the beam; the
smallest weight used is seven pounds; the scale need not touch
the ground
if the beam
were cock-and-cock, I would allow that weight to the farmer; I buy in bulk, not in sacks;
I turn the corn into a box, and weigh it without the sacks; I deduct one stone seven
pounds from thirty-three stone of oats, as beamage, or seven pounds on each draught of
eleven stone. A person weighing at my store could not lose more than one stone seven
pounds on a barrel of thirty-three stone of oats. In weighing barley, I deduct, for
beamage, seven pounds on the barrel of sixteen stone. Four j^ounds was at one time the
beamage deducted here, but it was raised to seven pounds on account of the dirty state in
which the farmer brought his corn to market.
3349. If corn was found dirtier than the sample, would you not, in addition to the
beamage, cut it down in price ?—No; if corn were purposely made up with dirt, and I
attempted to cut it down in price at my stores, the seller would have it taken away to
some other buyer. Farmers would generally prefer that I should deduct from the weight
of the corn, instead of reducing the price ; and when I refuse, they go to other parties.
3350. Have you heard any complaints made of the system of weighing in the merchants'
stores ?—I have heard it complained of in some cases. The farmers sometimes mix sand
with their corn, on account of the hea^-y deduction for beamage.
3351. If corn was brought into your stores in a perfectly clean state, would you still
deduct beamage?—I would.
3352. Then the system of deducting beamage in all cases, is an inducement to the
farmer to bring corn in a dirty state ?—I fear it has the effect of preventing persons cleaning
it properly.
3353. Would you be in favour of a general market, with sufficient accommodation, an
efficient staff, and under the supervision of a sworn weighmaster, in which all the agricul¬
tural produce sold in the town should be weighed and sold ?—I would be very mucli in
favour of it; and, with Mr. Mannion. I have for many years endeavoured to get the landlords
here to get a proper market established in this town.
3354. Would it not be better to weigh all agricultural produce at standing beam, using
one pound as the smallest weight, and abolishing all deductions, taking only from the gross
weight of the draught the actual tare of the sack ?—I think it would be much better; but
at the same time, if beamage is taken off in Sldbbereen, the seller can get relatively a
greater price than in other towns, where they do not deduct so much beamage. I have
as at Cork; this may, in some degree, be caused by the
sold as high here
The system of weighing you propose would.
294.
Eich. Beoher, esq.
known corn
rivalry which exists among the buyers.
undoubtedly, be the most honest one.
3355. Would you be in favour of an assimilation of tolls, weights, and measures, over
the whole country ?—-I would; the more these things are simplified the better.
3356. Have you any further suggestions to make ?—Only that there is a great deal of
undue influence used by particular merchants to get the corn into their stores; they employ
and pay men to persuade the farmers, and their servants, to bring the corn to these par¬
ticular stores; we call the men so employed sky farmers. I must also add, that I have '
always found the greater number of the merchants of this town desirous of a public market,
and a sworn weighmaster. In 1823 I think there was an Act passed, imposing a penalty
upon any seller mixing sand with corn, but the merchant does not act upon it, or he would
get no corn to buy.
Richard Beclier, esq., J-p., examined.
3357. Do you wish to make any observations?.—^Yes; I wish to state that some very
respectable farmers told me that they had to mix sand and gravel in their corn, in order to
counterbalance the loss of the deduction that was made for beamage. A public market
would protect the honest coi'u buyer, as well as the farmer; for the farmer would bring in
his corn in a proper state, and would be punished if it were exposed in the market in an
unfit state. 1 have been greatly annoyed to find that twenty-one pounds are often taken
from a barrel of corn of my own, after I have used every precaution to have it properly
cleaned.
3358. Do you not think that proprietors of fairs should be obliged to afford to the public,
properly enclosed fair-greens, with proper accommodation, in return for the tolls they
receive?—I think no proprietor should be entitled to receive any tolls unless proper
accommodation was given in return
