John E. McAuley: Forty Years in the City Market

By Connor DeMerchant - 7 September 2026

In September 1925, John E. McAuley (1857-1932) marked two significant milestones relating to the City Market. Namely, 40 years as a vendor at the Market, and a 29-year unbroken record of attending the Market on Fridays. Having been an eyewitness to such a long period of the Market’s history, McAuley had insight into the many changes that took place over the decades since he first started selling at the Market.

McAuley had begun selling farm produce at the Market with his father, and over the course of his career had watched dramatic changes in the prices of food, transportation, labour, and the cost of doing business. He recalled that when he first started coming to the Market, pork sold wholesale for between five and seven cents a pound; by 1925, the price had risen to between fourteen and eighteen cents. Eggs, which had once retailed for only eight cents a dozen, were selling for between forty-five and forty-eight cents. Lamb that had brought farmers between $1.75 and $2 a head was now worth between $5 and $7. Cheese, which had once sold for nine cents a pound, had risen to between twenty and twenty-one cents. For McAuley, these changes were evidence of how dramatically the economic circumstances surrounding the Market had changed during his lifetime.

The cost of bringing farm produce to Saint John had also increased considerably. Forty years earlier, railway express cost approximately 35 cents per hundred pounds, while freight was 12 cents. By 1925, express rates had risen to between 24 and 40 cents per hundred pounds, depending on the quality of the goods, while the express rate itself could be as high as 75 cents. At the same time, labour had also become more expensive. McAuley recalled hiring men for between $10 and $26 a month, including board, whereas workers were now earning between $30 and $50 a month, depending upon the season in which they worked. The increased cost of labour, transportation, and other overhead expenses, he observed, made operating a Market business considerably more difficult than it had been in the past.

The changes McAuley witnessed were not limited to the Market itself. Farming had been transformed by new technology and machinery as well. Where one man had once been able to produce only a modest amount of farm goods, modern machinery allowed a single farmer to accomplish considerably more. Horse-drawn equipment had increasingly given way to gasoline-powered machinery, and, by 1925, many farms were using electric motors. Mechanical reapers, binders, mowers, and fertilizer spreaders had become commonplace. These developments, McAuley suggested, were part of a broader transformation in rural life.

Living conditions in the countryside had also improved. McAuley noted that nearly every farmer now had access to a radio for winter entertainment, while modern plumbing, electric lighting, water supplies, and heating had become increasingly common. Yet he also observed a growing concern about the future of rural communities. With many young people leaving the country for the cities, he hoped that vacant farmhouses would eventually be occupied again. He believed that young men and women from the country would adapt themselves to country life and, in doing so, contribute to the prosperity of rural communities.

Despite all these changes, McAuley remained optimistic about the future of the City Market. He believed that the Market's difficulties were connected in part to the increased cost of doing business, but he anticipated better times ahead and hoped that the Market would see greater demand for Maritime products. His forty years of experience had taught him that both the Market and the wider economy were constantly changing, and he expected that they would continue to do so.

McAuley's long association with the Market was also intertwined with his public life. A resident of Lower Millstream near Sussex, he had served as a councillor for the Municipality of Kings County and was involved in local political affairs for many years. He had also operated a general store in Lower Millstream since 1890, as well as a farm and a lumber business. His career therefore was a diverse one, with McAuley being a well-known public figure in both Kings County and Saint John. His recollections offer a glimpse into a period when the City Market was a vital link between the province's farms and the consumers of Saint John.[1]

Mr. McAuley died in 1932, the result of a car accident, and is buried in Kirk Hill Cemetery, Sussex, NB.[2]

[1] “Hasn’t Missed a Friday in the City Market in the Last 29 Years.” The Telegraph Journal. 22 September 1925, Pg. 3.

[2] “Veteran Kings Co. Councillor Dies” The Telegraph Journal. 2 November 1932, Pg. 3.