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-». THE ¢iiARL0'f'1‘ETowN GUARDIAN s ;;sE1>'rEMBER '12, 1914. l
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R.jJ. McNEILL BIIAC-K &4 SILVER FOX COMPANY LIMITED I
' i=i`R`o1‘s“i“~l=o1-U-s oi=-`
i=iNANciAL DEPARTMENT. 1 ' _O coMPANY's RANCH:
NEW BIRKS BUILDING, - ~ - _ _ . J ., MONTREAL , MeNE1LL 'r0wN -‘ = `- - - - PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Authorized Capital . - - - . _ - $1,000,000 Present Issue - - - - - - - - - - $159300
E _ COMMON STOCK, NO BONDS OR PREFERRED STOCK TO BE ISSUED.
PAR vAi..uE-ol=.,s_l-IARES $5-OO EACH
Tyne Valley Prince Edward Island
McNeil. Maurice F. Stevens, Dover, Maine. William RhMcII:ieiI,
Vice-President: LEO FRANK, Montreal. _ - Keeper &Caretalier ol llancli: ‘WILLIAM ll. MCNEII., McNeil Mills, Hor5ee]ga;is,é‘Montr6alEtandard, Montreal, Louis P. aut er, Sec’y &_'l'reasurer: RODERICK J. Mclllill., Merchant, Tyne Valley, _ I M' -» ~ ‘° “lm “° ec'
(MINIMUM SALE FIVE SHARES) O F' F C E R S
Prince Edward Island. PIIIICC “Wifi lilillll- i
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The above Officers and Directors are men of character, integrity,--and standing in their l'eSD¢¢tlV¢ C0mIIll\l\lt1€S- They are In 110 S€11S¢ P1'0feSS10IlHl Dl'0m0f6l‘S. 11105 °
the Directors are citizens of Prince Edward Island
Their knowledge of Fox industry is born of personal experience and obsei vation. They are intimately acquainted with every phase of this industry, and their confidence in i s ci ure 5
_ . . _ _ _ , , 'I s 9 » ’ I ,_
evidenced by the investment of their personal means and the individual attention they are giving to this company s interests.
. I
CHEQUES PAIABLE To A
I
President: JAMES CHAMPION, M. D., Physician and Surgeon; General Manager, Financial Depatlment: LEO FRANK, Montreal. Board of Directors: James B. Champion, M. D. Leo Franlr, Roderick J-
R. J. McNeill Black & Silver Fox Company Limited., New Birks Building, Montreal.
The Treasury Stock (not issued) to be used in the future only for further purchase of Fur Bearing Live Stock if deemed advisable
Members Of P. E. Island Fox Breeders’ Association, Charlottetown, P. E. I. if
OR LD.
RESULTS OF FOX RANCHING ASTOUND THE Fl`NANClAL W Last Spring the R. J. McNeill Black and Silvegnli ox l?I;i5n:zJ&lIl‘i’l;`(E1‘E’l§'il‘3(l)1t»
ollened its office in Montreal and offered to the DU ‘ C 9- _ b k losed on stock, which was over subscribed and the companys stock oo s c
April twenty-seventh, nineteen-fourteen.
Lack of coiifldence was never better demonstrated, wxelrii sgmedlixgléaig
absolutely refused to take tlie stociléi because they could not e ev
_ _ s e.
of elglilizilvlierillldlsfilcllrtl Ilv€l1rs,cl3il¢li dghlit, the result of stock market transactions.
Today, this company has over seven hundred sharchiolde‘Il's, llviplgm5;‘lt;<;I
of the fact that they received one hundred per cent. div den , an at t en ment made at the company's meeting held on August third, nineteen- our c . at Tyne Valley, Prince Edward island.
THE McNEILL RANCH FOXES REPRESENT A FORTUNE.
The company owns tweiity-three pairs of the finest strain ofhblilicke and
silver foxes on Prince Edward island and it is ilifhcult for those vi' o ilgvu :Bo studied the developments of fox farming, to appreciate the va ue o iw
aumgilzl you realize that a pair of silver black foxes are worth over thirty thouusand dollaral Tlils is the current price for "proved breeders” that ls. foxes over one year of age that have raised litters. In some cases forty
thousand dollars have been paid for a pair of prolific breeders, and ttlllillsnigdrll-It considered unreasonable, for if they raise four pups pol' Yeilf. FB n twelve thousand dollars per pair, there isa handsome annua re ur . hr I
it ls impossible to write upon the subject fairly and be considered trut u .
`> To give the prospective participants any idea of th; grant ca;-2 aiiridlhgtéggll-
tion exercised by the R. J. McNeill Black and Silver DX OIIID Y. _- twentv-two young pups, without a single loss, were added to the companys assets for nineteen-fourteen, and as a result of a dividend of one hundred per cent accrued to each and every shareholder. Can better demonstration be given to the thrifty? `
SOME HESITATE AND LOSE-HERE’S AN EXAMF;LE. th m'
Last April, during the time that thc local papers were carry) ng I e cond
pany's advertisement an official of tho company was called up y p lol:/}e,Num the question asked, “What do you think of the possible dividend IPI thc; c tp Company, as 1 have ahwidowcd lady and she wants my advice he ore nves nl;
"vo ‘l')l7ll;:a(ll-,Bl'lllli€lo‘lElil>rtlIiiil So' 1 think you can safely figure on forty per ce;it."and probably fifty; still I tlilnk you can figure on forty. to be absolutely sa o. H "All right, 1'll tell her. Of course, I wouldnt like her to take any chances.
The idea of receiving forty per cent. was too great- T116' SBI"-1911101! fe*
ferred to lacked lnformatioii and general knowledge ot’ Canada s great monop-
oly of the world's most valuable furs.- d
imagine the surprise of that gentleman when, later on, he was advise
of the actual dividend declared: vis, One-hundred per cent. The widow: lost. The friend, however, meant well. The old adage. “Knowledge is Power may
well.be applIeilF to all \\}rll;io know the stability and revenue results of Prince
raiic n .
ll0](E`l'(?tl'lllIEsl\aFIl]'dS DIIPIDEND 51/ILL, NO DOUBT, PROVE A SURPRISE TO THE . . . . . ... ....FlNANClALWORLD..... . . . . .
The McNeill stock of breeders amounted to only eight pairs prior to the
breeding season of iiliio teenlourteen, and what was the result? One hundred por cent. dividend on a capitalization of $176,000. Imagine the dividend to be distributed In September, nineteen-fifteen, from the progeny of twenty- three pairs of the finest foxes In the world.
MANAGEMENT MEANS MUCH.
This company's president, Dr. Champion, of Tyne Valley, Prince Edward
Island, has made a life study of these animals, and it is largely due to his untlrliig efforts, aided by ranch manager McNeill, that the company holds such a world-wide reputation. ,
The island autliorltles, and tho Government in cartlcular draws a large
portion of its revenue from the fox lndustry, and every precaution is taken to safeguard it. Foxes are registered according to classes. All the McNeill ranch foxes are "Class A" the highest registration, a fact substantiated on application by anyone to the Government authorities of Prince Edward Island. EXPLANATION OF HIGH DIVIDENDS IN FOX FARMING.
Silver black fox raising is the most lucrative business in the world today.
The lndustry although yet in its infancy has been successful beyond even the most sangulne expectations. To minds accustomed to only the conditions which govern profits, fur farming with its profit of fifty per cent. dividends seems like a wld-cat scheme.
Tho word "dividends" to the ordinary business man suggests, as a rule,
an Indiistrlal concern, with a large and expensive plant, an army of laborers and clerks. together with taxes, wear and tear of machinery, insurance, sd- vertlslng iiiid outlay for gr-II<~i'i\l management. llmcr these conditions in~ crease of wealth is a slow and painful process.
In breeding operations, condltioiis are different. Here all these sources
of expenditure are eliminated and the high dividends explained In terms of natural reproduction.
If some Captain of lndustry c0Ul'1. 31' B process of alchemy discover a.
method of production whereby in the space of one year a manufacturing con- cern would be able to create a mass of wealth double or treble the value of the original plnnt, we would have a state of lndustry somewhat similar to fox farming.
Since tho prolific strains of foxes raise litters of four, live, and as high as
seven, lt is quite possible for ii fox company to have at the end of a breeding season, three or four times as many foxes as It started with.
lt is practically inipossible to enter upon the manufacturing business
with the ownerslilp of, say-a $100,000 plant and to have at the and of one year three more similar concerns worth $100,000 each.
The $150,000 worth of stock now offered by the R. J. McNeill Black md
Silver I-‘ox Company. Limited. which paid one-hundred per cent, rm- the “gsm or 1914, Is to be oflarodand sold at par $5.00. CANADNB MOST PROMINENT MEN ENJOYING FRUITB OF FOX RAIBING
By reference to the Prince Edward island records and advertisements
published over the signature of Premier Mathlesou we find the following:
His Honor Lieutenant-Goveriior, Hon. Benkamin Rogers. '
The Minister of Agriculture, Hou. Murdoc Me](f|m°n_ 4
The Minister of Public Works, Hon. J. A. McNeill, The Hon. Charles Dalton. _ ,_ The I-lon. John Agnew. < -‘ . The Hon. John Richards. V
Blr Loullii Davtlos. i one h nk ` 1 p
And ot ers 0 Drom n e ave en an act ve into at and ' ii be
of these leiitlemen are actin! ll directors and many moi-orare to lio.fod‘llld as P"-'°°°"‘°.“‘::.°.'°::.'2:I.lz:.':.°%.f.'2."°;:.'°°-r I
P. I. ISLAN T MoNllLL CHA I
DOLLAR! PRIOR T0 THI DIVIDEND ANNOUNCFMENTLT MN.
It is practically impossible to bay any shares of the stock sold prior in
April twenty-seventh, iilnetmn-fourteen. md by “tug “mum ”'¢. R |. doubtful if McNeill shares 1 be available next summer at twenty do||a|».._ m ¢|,,.y¢rna of Premier Altlnlth of Great Britain, “Walt and les."
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT IS HERE CLEARLY DEFINED. H
Not many years ago on the great West prairies, hundreds of tho noi e
buffalo whmcil at will. and owing to the unjustifiable and indlscrlnilnate slauglilei' ol' the days gone by, only the remnants of this noble animal are to
bo found in protected reserves. V I `
Then again, don’t overlook the great Hudson s Bay (.ompI1T\Y. almost UW
oldest and richest corporation in_ the world. it practically controlled the vast Dominion.
. Hudson‘s Bay posts were scattered throughout this Province, even at
Lachine, for the purpose of receiving furs from animals now practically ex- tinct. Today their posts are to be found in Ungava, Labrador, and all the remote parts of Canada, far from civilized centres.
The millions paid to their fortunate shareholders were derived from the
very fur~bearlng animals that this company is so successfuly propagating on their ranch at McNeill's, Prince Edward Island.
The demand for foxes for breeding purposes has been so great that not
one pelt was sold for commercial reasons.
The demand for breeders tar exceeds the supply, with the result that the
fur was at a premium.-Boston Record.
A fox can be fed for a year from $5 to $15. Dividends paid by most of the Prince Edward Island ranches for 1914 have
been from 40 per cent. to several hundred per cent.
The R. J. McNeill Black and Silver Fox Company, Limited, plan to have
twenty~three pair of silver black foxes of the best pedlgreed and registered stock, of which twenty»tliree females and eleven males are now fn the ranch and owned by the company. A sufficient amount has been reserved in the treasury to purchase the remaining ,twelve males as soon as a choice lol: at reasonable figures can be obtained.
The company owns a flue 211-acre farm with farm buildings, including
one of the most modern and up-to-date ranches on the island.
it has an experienced, honest and careful keeper, upon whom so much
success of the company depends.
In its management it luis strong men who are thoroughly conversant with
the business, which bespeak good dividends to tho stockholders.
its authorized capital is $1,000,000 divided into shares,of $5.00 each. McNElLL FOXES ARE STANDARD.
The foxes are of the best strain of ranch-bred animals, coming from such
stock as Dalton, Tupllii, Gordon-Tiipllii, Rayner, Oulton and Champion and registered on the books ofthe P. E. Island Fox Breeders' Assoclatio
n.
These animals cannot be excelled anywhere for beauty and lustre; and
are bou l t b i
ni o c n great demand, from a breeders point of view as this great
industry becomes more known. SOME IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT THE SILVER BLACK FOX INDUSTRY.
The first Island ranch was started with two pairs of Anticosti Silvers,
bought from o. trapper l'or experimental purposes solely, and same proved so successful thiit the fox industry started to be devolo ed.
D
In the year 1910 n. pair of breeders could be bought for $4,000.00; in 1911
the rl
p co went to $6,000 II pair, during 1912, a pair at $10,000 was consid-
ered hlgh but not unusual, and at the time of writing (Aug. 31st, 1914) lfvo breeders can bring any price from $20,000 to $35,000 according to fecundity. and options on the unborn of next year are selling from $12,000 to $15,000
About $15,000,000 is said to be invested In the fox lndustry in Prince
Edward Island. showing a gain of over $8,000,000 inside ii year.
Official returns for the present year show that the 277 fox ranches on
the Island contain 899 silver breeding foxes (441 males and 458 females). The total number of silver offsprlngs for 1913 was 703 and the average assessed value was $4,892.53 per fox.
The total valuation of the young silver black foxes for the current year
is abinét62$5,349,449. The total number of silver foxes in the ranches for 1913 was , .
Pelts from ranch-bred Prince Edward Island silver black foxes have sold
at the London auction sales as high as $2,628.00.
A recent writer in the Boston Transcript had the following to say of fox
farming: Fur farming hiis arrived because fur trapping has extensively failed, owing to continuous decrease in and Invasion of fur-hearing areas.
Elaborate statistics of iniportntloiis to London are furnished from the
books of the Hudson Bay Company.
That greatest of fur markets received 12.391 fur seals ln 1850; rising to
83,997 in 1868; to 149,808 in 1869; to 210,745 in 1881; to 214,557 in 1899, grad- ually falling to 44,608 In 1910.
Similar or analogous declines in almost all furs are recorded. Simultaneously prices rose in 1880, the best black fox pelt sold in London
for $632.00; In 1900 for $1,557.00; In 1910 for $2,628.
Consequently incentives to fox farming have Increased, are liicreaslng;
and can scarcely be much dfminlslieil by the practice.
THE RANCH.
The ranch is beautifully situated lu ii hardwood grove at McNelll's Mills,
Prince County. in Prince Edward Island. It consists of two-liundred and eleven acres farm land, farm buildings and keeper’s lodge, upon which f
arm
the fox ranch is located. lt is an ideal spot that cannot be surpassed as it ls is a very secluded and is I
o ated locality with surroundings that almost slniulate
the natural haunts of these animals; each pen contains a number of trees, as well as grass growing therein-ii very Important factor and a matter that is very often overlooked by inexperienced fox breeders, owing to the fact that foxes require a little grass to eat occasionally, as well as shade trees for shelter during the hot season, to make them healthy. Again, there are thirty pens, and each is large and commodloiis, being 28 x 40 feet mid constructed under the latest and most efficient methods. The inside fence embracing the fox pens Is made of the best 15 guage fox wire above ground, and 14 guage wire under ground, and extends to is height of eleven feet above ground mid three feet under ground to hard pan. The trench at the bottom being two feet wide on which is laid a carpet of wire, covered with clay to the level of the ground. and on the top of the pens Is an overhang of wire two and one-half feet wide, thus making It Impossible for a fox to escape, but In order to make sure, doubly sure, the pens are all surrounded with a guard fence 11 feet high constructed on similar lines to the pens.
The side alleys are six feet and the main alley seven feet between the
pens. The keeper’s house is Inside of the guard fence. and so located that the keeper can see all the pens and carefully watch and study his animals without disturbing them. The fox houses being located in the side alleys, Instead of in the pen. enables the keeper to clean and examine the houses with the least possible interference with the foxes. The interior of the ranch ia fitted with all modem conveniences calculated to insure the foxes from injury and disease. There Il a fox house in the side alley of each pen, of average sfse and double floored, inside of which is a den for breeding pur- poses, each den being lined with material that absorbs all moisture., with modern ventllatora no arranged that they may be opened or cloled an occas- ivll rolillirsl. t0 wit the chlligeable atmospheric conditions; in short, this is 411;; 'stat the most modern sanitary and best constructed ranches in this
IICC.
THE CARETAKER.
The company has secured the services of Wm. R. McNeill of Wsgt Devon
in Prince County, is man of experience In the fox business which in itself id a valuable asset to the fox company. and this must carry with It a feeling of no little satisfaction, in short It ts Iii itself a guarantee to the shareholders
if
COMMERCIAL AGENCIES: BRADSTREETS & R. G. DUNN’S, e. _[gf
that their interests will be carefully and well looked after. We doubt If there is any mail in the Province better qualified to llll such a position, and GVGFY- one who knows him luis the most inipllclt confidence in lilinl both in regard I0 his experience and eiilcicncy iii the business, as well as his honesty and lu- tegrlty as it man.
, _sam
COMPANY’S PHYSICIAN.
Dr. Champion, the president of the company., is a competent physician
and surgeon, who has had much experience with the diseases and feeding of foxes. He will be in close touch with the caretaker \vlIo will have the benefit of his advice. which should mean strong, healthy aiilinnls, and the company is fortunate in having so competent a man upon its board.
THE FUR QUALITY OF THE P. E. ISLAND RANCH-BRED FOXES. The enterprise of the Fur Farmers of Prince Edward island und their
patient and skilful attention to the details of scientific breeding, have grail- ually brought this, the smallest province of the Doniiiiion ol’ Canada to the position of being the world's chief producer of fur-bearing animals in captivity. Dalton and Oulton, the Pioneers began experimenting with thc Silver Black Fox about a quarter of Ii century ago, ami today, it is estimated that the live foxes in the ranches on Prince Edward Island are worth more than all the other live stock in the Province. That the finest furs have come from the descendants of the foxes captured In Prince Edward island is proved absol- utely from figures submitted by the L onilon Furlloiisc, (I. M.l.:iinps0n & Co. Not only has careful selection and judicious mating improved thc libre of the fur, but the foxes are better ln every respect, in vigor of body, in pigmenta- tion and texture of pelt. “The inimitable skill, origlnalty and good manage- ment shown by the Pioneer Island fox-men are shown In thc quality of the present fox-pelts which have secured the world's highest prices l`or both single skins and pelt collections." (“The Golden Felt," 1913.)
“There is not ln its wild state in this Province any fox as black as the ones
I have developed." (Charles Dalton in Company’s Annual Report.)
No doubt as held by experts, tlio moisture of th_e climate and the absence
of alkalles and lime in the soil of Prince Edward Island are factors which affect the quality of the fur. “A cold rainy season will produce better fur than a dry one. The less sunlight the better the lustre and the darker the fur. Our Island climate ls cool and the changes less marked than In lnlano regions."
HON. MURDOCH McKlNNON, COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE, CHARLOTTETOWN. P. E. I. (I-‘rom the last Annual Report, Den. 1913.)
"The several additions to our fur-farinliig activities will add new interest
and importance to our posltloii as headquarters of the silver fox industry in Canada and the world. And It is to be observed that in each of these new lines of fur production there must inevitably be Ilrst of all ri very lucrative I-Isle of breeding stock before settling down to the stable and remunerative pro- duction of merchaiitablo fur.
Those best acquainted with the situation believe that funfarmiiig must
be in the future a great world industry, and It Is fortunate Indeed that Prlnco Edward Island has boldly entered this fleld of industrial activity while the cnterprlse is yet new and while the rewards are so great and the prospects so bright as they are at the present time."
I SUPPLY AND DEMAND.
Tile following two tables prepared by Alfred Fraser, New York, based
on the London sales of C. M. Lampson & Co., are suggestive. (From “Fur Farming In Canada/’)
INCREASING PRICE OF PELTS.
1892-1901 1902-1911 1892-1911
Kind of Skin over over over
1882-1891 1892-1901 1882-1891
Fox,SIIver..... . . . . . . . . 155 55 300
Marten, Pine . . 470 15 Fisher or Pekaii . . . 430
MlIIk............ . . 60 150 .£00 Skuuk......... 20\ 110 150
G80 430
. DECREASING NUMBER OF PELTS.
(Statement based on the London Sales of C. M. Laiiipsoii & Co., by Alfred
Fraser; New York.)
Percentage Dccroiisc In Numbers 1892-1901 1902-1911 1892-1911
0V(‘l" OVUF OVHF
1882-1891 1892-1901 1882-1891
Fox, Silver . . . . .. . . . . . 10 45 50
Marten, Pine .. . .. . 65 55 20 Fisher or Pekau . . . . 5 95 95 Mink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 75 55 Skunk 30 55
Kind of Skin
20 100
Tile supply of silver fox skins it seems, has fallen off 50 per cent. during
the past twenty years from 1892 to 1911 and the prices have Increased 300 per cont. since 1892. This convincingly shows how far the fox fur market is from being adequately supplied. The only way the demand can bo success- fully met Is to domestlcate these valuable fur-bi-aring animals.
RISING PRICES OF FURS
The following table is taken from the work of Enill Brass the famous
German stiitlstlcanz -
1880 1890
Sliver Fox .. . . .....$632 $876 Sea Otter .. . . .. 584.. 778 Marmot .. .. . . . . .10 Stone Marten .. . . 1.43 Perslans 2.06 Skunk. best lot . . . Japan Fox . .. . . .83 Japan Marten .. .. .. .. .35 B. Chinchilla . .. . .73 .36 Wombat.. .. .. .. .. .12
Kangaroo .. ..
Wallaby .. .08
Aus. Oppoanum . .. .. Muskrat . .. .. .15 .22 Mink . . . .. 73 10:!
I- -.1
_ neu sox, P... E. I. .. ._ I zfvs 2192
LYnk......'............ .... 5.00 5.73
1900 2822 1362
.12 2.86 3.09 2.07 1.43 1.43 2.92 .36 .|'i0 .50 .28 .16 2.58 9.00 10.80
1905 1908 1070 2238 997 .43 .43 3.33 5.23 4.12 4.64
3.30
2.38 4.38
.73
.17 .41 4.46 5.25 7.48 9.25 13.15 15.60
1909 1508 1849
.43 6.19 6.15 4.40
.97 .47 5.61 14.96 32.00
R. J. MeNElLL BLACK AND SILVER FOX COMPANY, LIMITED, M
SUCCESS IN FOX RAISINC.
This company never asked the public to contribute one dollar to make
1910 2629 1703
.90 6.66 6.70 7.06 4.05 3.81 9.73 .73
1.10 1.20 1.95 .87 6.34 10.55 39.86
EAN8
it what It is today. Only after spending considerable money by a few serious minded business men to make the ranch a success, was the opportunity given the public to share In the unprecedented financial returns. The pioneers of the company financed the concern personally until success was achieved. How different to the many concems asking for support, with not even A ain- gllgugcg iigtzhelr possession, only a gllt~edged prospectus, filled with visionary
The shares of stock are par. llvo dollars each (minimum sale five shares).
Send all enquiries and applications to
R. J. McNEILL BLACK I. SILVER FOX COMPANY LIMITED, Fllilrlolll Office, New Birks Building. Montreal.
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