The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1902-12-25
WHY PRICE OF MULES IS HIGH.
The Beers Are Buying in the Missouri
Market and the Price
Goes Up.
From The COlumbia State

From The Columbia State.
The prevailing high prices of mules
puzzle the purchasers who do not keep
up with the Market said Columbia
dealer few days ago. Our customers
do not understand why the price should
be up, now that the Boer war is over, but
the fact is that there is still demand
from South Africa for American mules.
The Beers are now buying them, as the
British were fewE Emonths ago"
This statement is SubStantiated by a
newspaper dispatch from Kansas City,
which is the great centre of the mule
trade. 1t states that when the Boer war
ended and peace was declared, the Kansas
City mule dealers thought they had sold
their last mules in South Africa They did
not expect to see more British gold, ex-
cept what the Indian government might
leave until King Edwards government
got into new troubles.
But they have been agreeably surprised
The Beers are now buying mules.
During the three years that Great
Britain was buying mules and shipping
them to South Africa for war purposes
the Beers were not asleep.
Occasionally they would stampede the
mules Of provision train and it not in
frequently happened that the train, as
we'll as mules, fell into Boer hands. But
for the habit the Beers had of taking the
| British mules the market in Kansas City
would not have been so lively as it was
1t is said that at one time there were as
many Missouri mules in the hands of the
Beers as the British had, though it was
the British who had paid for them.
The Beers found the Missouri mule a
good animal to deal with. He was sure
footed, faithful, reliable enough wher
duly watched, little obstinate, but tough
as iron, and a ready feeder on supplies
that horse would starve on.
He made his own way in the world an6
built up his own reputation, having gone
into new country, with money to vouct
for him and under circumstances that
were not calculated to make him popular
The Beers liked the Missouri mule.
The British government will give the
Beers $15,000000 with which to stock
their farms. Now that there is no longer
any chance to get mules by the old
method they want to buy them.
Accordingly a Boer speculator who
had money came to the United States tc
buy things for his countrymen. In New
| York he found Yankee with the trad
ing instinct we'll developed, and one OF
the first things decided to do was to send
a ship load of mules to the Transvaal.
The Boer member of the firm wanted
to get them where the British had bought
theirs, so they would be sure of getting
the same kind of mules Accordingly, he
went to Kansas City and recently bought
1000 mules. They were persuaded to
take better mules than the British bought
at somewhat higher prices. The mules
have been sent south, preparatory to ship
ment.
$50 we are still getting British gold,
said the seller of this lot. 1T always
looked good to US, and we were glad OF
another chance to send mules to South
| Africa. Still the market south is good
We refused $170 a head for bunch of
$50 mules this week.
"The cotton trade will open up in a
few weeks, and then mule dealers will be
busy all the time. We are getting ready
for big business at home, but if the
Boers want any more of our mules we
will sell them"
The mule is a product of southern
Europe and is not we'll known in the
north. The Beers did not know much
about them until the war with the British