Richard Becker Feb 23rd 1902 letter to his sister Bertha Zwar nee Becker
Appila
Feb 23, 1902
May God greet you!
Dear Siblings,
I was very happy to receive your letter on Friday and to get some news from you again. Especially that you are all well, for that is almost the best thing one can have. Things are going fairly well for me here except for Mother who still does not seem to get really well. One day one thinks she’s getting better, the next it’s just the opposite. She was very keen to hear the news of your little son, and especially that you are all in good health. But she says, ‘You haven’t anything about Gerhard’s doings; whether he is fully recovered or not?’
Dear Paul, you write that horses are so cheap in your area; here they fetch outrageous prices. Anything young, even if not very strong, sells for £20 and over. Even light horses have a good price because the dealers are buying most of them up to send to Western Australia and elsewhere. At Hicks brothers near Gladstone there was recently a sale of 70 horses, both heavy and light which fetched an average of £19.10 shillings, even though many of them were already old … Mr. Lange bought a medium strength horse at Russack’s sale for £17 though it is 13 or 14 years old. A nine year old fetched £20. Here it is nothing to hear that a horse was sold for £30 or £32 or a two year old for £16 to £19. I refuse to buy horses for the price they are now because farming can’t afford such costs. So yesterday I put my land near Laura into the auctioneers’ hands. Whether he will be able to sell it will soon become evident. If he does so I’ll have horses enough. But if they are as cheap in your area as you wrote, then I’m almost tempted to go down there. But to be certain about that, could you maybe write me right away what the horses, including the dearest, brought at the Stockman’s Sale. If they are that cheap then I’d like to come down to you on the 8th March, then on to Kapunda on the 10th and from there by train to Eudunda to go to Kluske’s Sale. The paper advertises there: a three year old, eight of 2 years and two one year olds. That would be just what I want to have because I much prefer to buy unbroken horses. If there are any of those at Stockmans you might also write me what (prices) they have brought. But there is no need to go there just on my account. Perhaps there is someone who can tell you what they fetched. For I don’t put much store on the monthly auctions,for at these they are also much cheaper here, because there’s rarely a good horse among them; most of them have some defect. So if you could reply immediately I might go down there. I’ve had my fertilizer a long time: 10 tons of English Super. With lots of greetings from us to you all,
I remain,
Your brother Richard Becker.
P.S. We also congratulate you on your little son. [Edward b. 7.02.1902 +13.08.1991]
Appila
Feb 23, 1902
May God greet you!
Dear Siblings,
I was very happy to receive your letter on Friday and to get some news from you again. Especially that you are all well, for that is almost the best thing one can have. Things are going fairly well for me here except for Mother who still does not seem to get really well. One day one thinks she’s getting better, the next it’s just the opposite. She was very keen to hear the news of your little son, and especially that you are all in good health. But she says, ‘You haven’t anything about Gerhard’s doings; whether he is fully recovered or not?’
Dear Paul, you write that horses are so cheap in your area; here they fetch outrageous prices. Anything young, even if not very strong, sells for £20 and over. Even light horses have a good price because the dealers are buying most of them up to send to Western Australia and elsewhere. At Hicks brothers near Gladstone there was recently a sale of 70 horses, both heavy and light which fetched an average of £19.10 shillings, even though many of them were already old … Mr. Lange bought a medium strength horse at Russack’s sale for £17 though it is 13 or 14 years old. A nine year old fetched £20. Here it is nothing to hear that a horse was sold for £30 or £32 or a two year old for £16 to £19. I refuse to buy horses for the price they are now because farming can’t afford such costs. So yesterday I put my land near Laura into the auctioneers’ hands. Whether he will be able to sell it will soon become evident. If he does so I’ll have horses enough. But if they are as cheap in your area as you wrote, then I’m almost tempted to go down there. But to be certain about that, could you maybe write me right away what the horses, including the dearest, brought at the Stockman’s Sale. If they are that cheap then I’d like to come down to you on the 8th March, then on to Kapunda on the 10th and from there by train to Eudunda to go to Kluske’s Sale. The paper advertises there: a three year old, eight of 2 years and two one year olds. That would be just what I want to have because I much prefer to buy unbroken horses. If there are any of those at Stockmans you might also write me what (prices) they have brought. But there is no need to go there just on my account. Perhaps there is someone who can tell you what they fetched. For I don’t put much store on the monthly auctions,for at these they are also much cheaper here, because there’s rarely a good horse among them; most of them have some defect. So if you could reply immediately I might go down there. I’ve had my fertilizer a long time: 10 tons of English Super. With lots of greetings from us to you all,
I remain,
Your brother Richard Becker.
P.S. We also congratulate you on your little son. [Edward b. 7.02.1902 +13.08.1991]