( 20 )
Q.-He has got some fokies living at his stall, has he not? How many has he there ?
A.-Only one.
Q. He has got a table which takes up a lot of room
A. Yes; it is a considerable size.
Q.-There is not much room left for the meat, is there?
A. We bang them up.
Q.-Hang 16 cattle up?
A.-Five or six a day are hung up at the stall. The meat sent to the Army and Navy goes direct from the Slaughter-house.
Q. His stall will hold five or six ?
A. Yes.
Q.-He said just now he kills 33 a day, including 17 for the Army and Navy. That makes 16 for his stall. How can he put 16 on his stall?
A. You see my stall will only hold six and if there is any surplus left over at the Slaughter-house I send for it if required.
Q-That is not allowed I think, once an animal is killed it has to be cleared out of the Slaughter-house at once.
A. No, we can leave them there for the night.
Q-Does not some of it go to some other stalls-some five or six head ?
A.-No.
The Chairman.-Does not he sell an animal or half an animal to any other but- chers?
age ?
A. Yes, it depends upon what quantity the butchers require.
Mr. Osborne.-How much profit does he make on one head of cattle on the aver-
The Chairman.-One of these Tien Chau cattle which cost him $46 or $47 ? A.—I have lost money on this business for the last two or three years, my losses. have averaged $4 per head this year.
Q.--And what profit has he made after paying expenses
A.-After paying all the expenses of the Slaughter-house and so on I have sustained a loss of $4 per head commencing from the first day of the first moon this year for the last five months.
Mr. Osborne.—If he has 500 head per month and has lost $4 per head he has lost $10,000 ?
A.-I lost $1,900 the first moon; I lost $1,900 the second moon, and about the same the third. I lost about $1,300 the fourth moon and about $600 the fifth.
Mr. Maitland. Who pays the losses; he says he has no money?
A. I have to make up the losses.
The Chairman.--But he has no money; he has to borrow.
A.--But still I have to go on with the business in order to inake profits and pay these losses.
Mr. Osborne.-How does he get money for his rice and food when he is losing money every day?
A. You see I have two capitalists behind me. They supplied me with between $20,000 and $30,000, and I support myself out of these funds. But I have to go on with the business to sec if I cannot make a profit.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.