535-03 Page 168First Tobacco Sold On New Tillsonburg Exchange��
Buyers lean across the tables and growers crowd
around in background as the first tobacco auction
gets under way in the Ontario Flue -Cured Tobacco
Growers' Marketing Board exchange at Tillson-
000 La
Tobacco
Auctions
burg yesterday. About 100,000 pounds of flue -
cured tobacco were sold by Dutch 'auction clock.
(Photos by Mawson).
A leading buyer, shown watching the bids, was
Clayton Miller, of Rothmans of Pall Moll Canada
Ltd., who purchased 602 pounds of high grade to-
bacco at 65 cents a pound.
F 13,000
Jams Ceremony
By RALPH SODEN 1107
7
Free Press Staff Reporter
TILLSONBURG, Dec. 9 — A $75,000,000 gross
intake and a guarantee that fair prices will be paid
for Western Ontario's tobacco crop this year were
promised at the official opening of the Ontario Flue -
Cured Tobacco Growers' Auction Exchanges here
this afternoon.
More than 13,000 persons jammed the 63,000-
square foot Tillsonburg exchange for the cere•
monies. Only 5,000 had been expected.
Just Press Button ' Started in May
This exchange and others ni The marketing board was
Delhi and Aylmer have revolu- `voted lot, being last May and!
tionized Canada's tobacco mar- on June 12 elected directors be-'
keting system. Until now buy- gan organizing the completely.
era have dealt privately with in-
dividual growers, more or less
horse -trading for crops. Construction of the three ex
Under the Dutch Clock system, changes —built for a total $1,300,-
which will be used in the three 000—began as soon as possible.
exchanges, buyers will bid on To mark the offatal opening
lots by simply pressing a button dances were held '
when the clock registers a price and Aylmer exchanges tonight. the Delhi f'
which suits them. If the price In Tillsonburg, a demonatra-j
is below the reserve bid, a no- tlon of tobacco receiving, grad -
sale will be recorded. ing of farm -sorted tobacco and
Canada's first tobacco auc- auction procedure was presentc•d'.
[ions start tomorrow. at 10 a.m. At noon a parade.
led by the RCAF Station Aylmer
An arbitration board Saturday Band, moved through the down
set the minimum average price town area. The band gave a''
of the 1957 crop at 49 cents a concert at the exchange at 110
pound. Last year's minimum p.m., prior to the opening cere-
nverage was 45 cents a pound. monies. A reception and din -
The crop totals about 150,000,00" ner for special guests followed,
pounds.
Dutch clock operator Aime D'Hondt, with paper in yesterday method by which tobacco will be sold in
his hand, and committeeman Paul Van Lander- future. The Dutch clock keeps tracks of bids in
sele explain to a crowd of growers attending open- tobacco auction and is being used for the first time
ing of the new tobacco warehouse at Tillsonburg in Canada in this type of sale,