OddBits

[parsley]

In the United Grain Growers January 25, 1925 Market Letter, in hand, the stockyards in St. Boniface, Manitoba sold:

2060 cattle
201 calves
2,429 hogs
717 sheep.

This is the "Eastern Division" Market Letter.
Light weight steers sold at 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cents per pound with the odd ones at 7 cents.
One steer from W. Logan in Lenore, Manitoba sold for 6 3/4 cents a pound.
E. Lang from Scott, Sask sold for 5.85 cents a pound.

UGG's bank was Union Bank of Canada

The General Manager was E. Rice Jones.

A few highlights for you from the Market Letter, Pars

[farmaholic]

You couldn't even take your family(barely yourself) out for dinner today for the amount of money that calf brought in 1925.

Imagine cows can wean 800lb calves(late fall early winter born) these days, when the cow was probably not a whole lot more than 800-900 lbs. back then.

Thank goodness the cattle prices have improved for those who stuck it out. You more than deserve what you're getting for your cattle today.

[parsley]

On 1927, my receipt says 162 pounds of BS coal cost $2.00 Pars.

[farmaholic]

Parsley, was that burned using clean coal technology with scrubbers on the chimneys?

[parsley]

On November 6, 1962, it cost $1.50 for a fuel filter , .08 cents tax on it and .50 labor. Imperial Esso.

[parsley]

farm, you should know better than to move to dangerous territory so early in the year.

[cottonpicken]

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled. Inflation

[TOM4CWB]

CP,

Charging interest on loans... is the second biggest trick...
is when the money is created for the loan...

[as Bank Deposits can't be loaned out or they would be impossible to get back when we need the money]

The currency is NOT created to pay the interest on the loan just issued!

The monetary system is not balanced. It can only work... with QE at the base... and/or ever increasing loans being lent out!

[farmaholic]

Dirty tricks everywhere. A lot of stuff I buy is going up. Contents of packages getting less then charge the same, or worse yet, more. Disturbing.

One would have thought 08 would have been a reset but things seem just as crazy now as then. Maybe we need a total economic collapse and things should re-align themselves. Let some true values get established...based on what? This shit is beyond me, but see some of the insanity.
I am not smart enough to know why static economic growth isn't good enough or why someone would be surprised when the economy can't/won't grow. It's like they don't want to, or refuse to, take the bitter pill.

Everyone talked about kicking the can down the road... when will they get to the dead end with no where to go?

On topic, Parsley, A cousin of mine bought an old grocery store in my home town and converted it into a small gym. In the attic of that building were bill books(the store's carbon copy) of general store items our family(and others) bought from them, some from the early 40's, 50's and early 60's. Interesting stuff in them. I guess it seems dirt cheap compared to today but probably like for us now, everything seems to cost enough.

[rockpile]

Ha, Ha, Ha! I love reading personal accounts as to how it was back then. A good place to start in is in the archives of old rural newspapers. What those early pioneers had to go through is truly admirable and inspirational.
A little parable of my own past. My first car that I ever owned was a 1960 Buick Electra which I paid $600 for in 1966. Totally loaded, electric everything. 34 gallon gas tank but gas was only 22 cents an Imp Gal, ins cost me 35 dollars and plates were 15 bucks. It was about then inflation started to kick in. My dad gave me 35 acres to farm which paid my University tuition, books and rent - not much else. A totally different world now, wouldn't you say?

[fjlip]

My first car that I ever owned was a 1960 Buick Electra which I paid $600 for in 1966. Totally loaded, electric everything. 34 gallon gas tank but gas was only 22 cents an Imp Gal, ins cost me 35 dollars and plates were 15 bucks. It was about then inflation started to kick in. My dad gave me 35 acres to farm which paid my University tuition, books and rent - not much else. A totally different world now, wouldn't you say?

Way better than my 64 Acadian in 1968, only $400, bare bones only option was the AM radio! Ya the gas was 45 cents a gallon by then, 10 cents a liter. Five bucks usually filled it up. When was your university year? I went in 71, $3200 for all costs for the year including room and board. I have OLD receipts from grandfather in boxes in shop, could dig up lots of prices.
Saw diesel at 5 cents a liter! The JD 730 used 1 gallon per hour on a 16' drill at 5.5mph, maybe 60 acres in 12 hours for $3.00 of fuel! Try beat that with 600 HP! Think the GROSS income from 800 acres was $25000.

[farming101]

These days you don't even have to start the tractor up and it costs way more than that!

[parsley]

Can't read or reply or even grunt until UFC is over. ... Pars.

[LEP]

My grandfather told me a story about selling a couple yearling steers in the late twenties. I think he loaded them on rail to Winnipeg and after selling them they sent a bill for freight because the proceeds didn't cover it.

Despite some difficult times I think none of us have never seen it that tough.

[RD414]

LEP, you don't have to reach back into last century to get cattle prices like that, my dad got a cheque for a good butcher cow July 14, 2004 for 3 dollars. Kept the cheque and framed it.