LIVE STOCK MARKETS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 287, 4 December 1930, Page 4

LIVE STOCK MARKETS.

EXPORT PRICES LOWER.' I WEEK OF FALLING VALUES. -*1 STORES DULL OF SALE. The poor returns available for wool, coupled with the announcement by meat export buyers of greatly reduced offerings for lamb and mutton for export, have had the inevitable effect on values, and these have shown further declines in virtually all classes of stock. The drop is so substantial as to involve many farmers and dealers in severe losses, though the producer will obtain partial compensation in the increased returns that may be expected from a favourable season. Last year's operations proved unprofitable to most of the exporting firms, and, following on previous losses, directors cf companies have been faced with the necessity for vital adjustments. The oldestablished Canterbury Meat Company has just announced a net loss for the year of £47,388, following a deficit the previous year of £48,414. The Gisborne Sheepfarmers' Company, after a prolonged spell of difficult trading, has agreed to a merger with the bur British firm, Nelsons, Ltd,, and the Wellington Meat Export Company has come to an arrangement with a private export house to conduct its export trade. It is common knowledge that the big importers who bought the bulk of the Dominion's meat exports lost heavily during the past two seasons, and a similar remark applies to those who purchased our wool. The present ]ow range of offers is obviously an endeavour to rectify past mistakes. Latest reports from Smithfield are fairly satisfactory, though it is reported that there is little interest being_taken m old season's lamb, of which New Zealand stocks must be fairly substantial. Evidently Australia and Argentines new season's are preferred at the present time. The market for dairy produce has shown little movement during the past week, and there is some reasons for believing that with butter bedrock nas been reached. This may also be the case with wool, as the sale at Napier showed Bradford bidding keenly against Continental competitors, and if this continues prices may improve. At Westfield yesterday there was a fairly large entry of beef cattle, and a comparatively weak demand saw a further fall in values. - Runners and veal can es were also cheaper. Sheep were penned in large numbers, and sold at about JaU. rates. The yarding of lambs was not quite so heavy, and values improved a little An average entry of pigs as disposed of at about late rates. The range of prices, together with those ruling the previous week, was -is follows:— This Week. Last Week. BEEF (per 1001b)— •>-/ Extra choice ox . 32/6 3°. Choice and prime gl/ 30/ t0 34/ Choice anil prime cow and heifer 22/ to 30/ .8/ to ~4/ Boner and rough 14/ to 18/ SHEEP (per head)— _ Prime wethers 15/ to . 7 4/6 Unfin. wethers . 12/ jo h - Si!i»/« «/« CALVES s , «75/ «/»»/• PIGS (per head) — ~ t> .is/ to 60/ 48/ to 60/ Baconers , '«/ V' Weaners V:'!: 12/ to lu 20/ to 23/ 5UM.....•... 20/ to 27/ 22/ to 28/ Large stores ... 28/ to 34/ -9/ to •0/ fsj Z, LOAN AND MERCANTILE. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited, report on the weekly Westfield fat stock sale held yes terday as follows: . Beef —Beef was penned in large numordinary cow beef, £ 1 5/ to_ £ 1 / ? heavy prime steers ranged in price from £13 5/ to £13 17/6; heavy prime steers, £12 to £13; lighter prime steers, £10 U, to £11 15/; light prime steers, £9 0/ to £10 10/; unfinished and small, £1 10/ £9 2/6: extra heavy prime young cows ind heifers, £8 to £9; heavy prime young cows and heifers £7 to £8 2/6; lighter, £6 to £6 17/6; light cows, £0 to »£o 17/b, other cowa, £3 10/ to £4 15/. . Sheep.—Sheep were yarded in large numbers, and there was an improved demand for prime wethers. The demand was weaker for prime ewes, which were easier in values. Heavy prime wethers. 19/9 to £1 0/9; medium prime wethers, 18/6 to 19/6; light prime wethers, ljv to 18/3: small and unfinished wethers, 10/ to 16/9; prime ewes, 10/6 to 15/6; fatted ewes, 7/ to 9/9, . Lamb—Spring lambs were penned in large numbers. Prime quality sold readily at late rates, selling at from 14/6 to £1 0/9; small and unfinished, 8/6 to 14/. pjgg__An average yarding of pigs sold at values on a par with last week's quotations. Choppers sold from £2 to £3 I<V» heavy and medium baconers, £2 14/ to 18/; light baconers and heavy porkers, £- 8/ to £2 12/; medium porkers and light porkers, £2 to £2 6/; small and unfinisned porkers, £1 10/ to £1 8/. Store pigs sold at late quotations: large stores, £1 10/ to £1 16/; slips, £1 to £1 8/; weaners, 11/ to £1 4/. . Calves.—Calves were penned in large numbers. Values again eased on late quotations. There was no demand for rough calves. Runners, £3 to £5 7/6; heavy vealers, £3 to £3 16/; medium, £2 8/ to £2 18/; light, £1 16/ to £26/; smaller, £1 4/ to £1 14/; small and fresh dropped, 7/ to £1 2/; rough calves, 7/ to 14/. .

DALGETY AND CO., LTD. Dalgety and Company, Ltd., report on the weekly Westfield* fat stock sale held yesterday as follows:— Beef—We offered beef in more than average numbers. Tlie quality was first class, but the demand was again weak, and values for all classes weakened. No extra heavy bullocks were yarded. Prime heavy realised £12 10/ to £13; lighter prime steers. £11 to £12 7/6; light prime steers, £9 15/ to £10 17/6; small and unfinished steers, £8 17/6 to £9 12/6. Cow and heifer beef also came forward in more than usual numbers, and a drop in values was recorded. Prime extra heavy young cows and heifers realised £8 2/6 to £9; heavy prime, £7 10/ to £8; lighter prime, £6 5/ to £7 7/61 otlier billable cows, £3 10/ to £5 15/. Extra choice ox sold to 32/6 per 1001b: choice and prime, 30/ to 32/; just billable, 28/ to 29/; prime young cow and heifer, 27/ to 30/; just tillable, 20/ to 26/. _ - . Sheep.—Sheep were again yarded in big numbers, for which a good demand existed, and values were firm at late rates. Prime hoggets made 18/3 to 19/3; extra heavy prime wethers, shorn, 19/ to 19/9; heavy prime, 17/6 to 18/9; medium, 16/3 to 17/3; heavy prime ewes, 12/9 to 13/3; lighter, 11/6 to 12/6; other ewes, 6/ to 10/6. Lambs.—Spring lambs were yarded in well up to usual numbers, and sold steadily at little or no alteration on late rates. Heavy prime lamb, IS/6 to 20/: medium, 17/ to- 18/3; light, 13/ to 16/3. Calves.—Calves sold at about last week's values, plain and unfinished calves being dull or sale, with fair competition for good vealers. Heavy vealers made £3 10/ to £4 5 /; medium, £2 10/ to £3 8/; light, £1 10/ to £2 5/; small, 15/ to 25/. Pigs.—Pigs realised prices oil a par with those ruling last week. Heavy baconers, £2 13/6 to £2 16/; medium, and light, £2 8/ to £2 12/; heavy porkers, £2 5/ to £2 8/; medium and light, £117/. to £2 4/.

ALFRED BUCKLAND AND SONS. Alfred Buckland and Sons, Ltd., report on the weekly Westfield fat stock sale held yesterday as follows:— Beef. —Our beef pens contained 357 head, as compared with 379 head at last Wednesday's market, comprising 202 steers and 155 cows and heifers. There was only a limited demand, and all classes suffered a further drop in values. Extra choice ox sold to £1 12/6 per 1001b: choice and prime ox, £1 10/ to £1 12/; secondary and plain, £18/ to £1 9/; prime young cow and heifer beef, £1 7/ to £1 10,/; ordinary cow beef. £1 to £16/; extra heavy prime steers ranged in price from £14 to £15 2/6; heavy prime steers, £12 15/ to £13 17/6; lighter prime steers, £11 10/ to £12 12/6; light prime steers. £10 5/ to £11 7/6; small and unfinished steers. £7 to £10 2/6; extra heavy prime young cows and heifers. £9 to £9 17/6; heavy prime cows and heifers, £7 10/ to £8 17/6;lighter prime cowa and heifers, £6 to £7 7/6: other billable cows, £3 10/ to £5 17/6. Sheep.—Sheep were penned to the number of 1194. There was no improvement in the demand, and values were much the same as those ruling last Wednesday. Extra heavy prime wethers, 19/6 to £1 0/9;. heavy prime wethers, 17/6 to 19/; medium to heavy prime wethers, 16/ to 17/3; light to medium prime wethers. 14/6 to 15/9; extra heavy prime young ewes, shorn, 13/ .to 14/6; heavy prime ewes, shorn, 11/6 to 12/9; in the ivoi I '. 14/ to 15/; iighter prime ewes, shorn, 10/ to 11/3; woolly, 12/6 to 13/9; other killable ewes, shorn, 8/6 to 9/9; other ewes, shorn, 5/ to 8/3. Lambs.—Our supply of spring lambs numbered 241, as against 364 at last week's sale. Competition was keen at slightly higher rates. Heavy prime lambs, £1 0/6 to £1 1/6; lighter prime lambs, 18/ to 19/6; light prime lambs, 16/ to 17/9; small and plain lambs, 12/9 to 15/6. Calves.—We had a full yarding of fat and young calves. Competition was again slack, and we report a further decline in prices. Runners made £3 12/ to £5_ 5/; heavy vealers, £3 3/ to £3 11/; medium, £2 10/ to £2 15/; light. £2 5/ to £2 8/; small vealers, £1 7/ to £1 15/; bucket-fed calves, 16/ to £1 2/'; small and fresh dropped, 3/ to 14/. (384 calves sold). Pigs.—An increased number of pigs were penned. Values were lower, although the demand was steady at reduced limits. Choppers made £2 to £4 3/. according to weight; heavy baconers, £2 15/ to £2 19/'; light and medium, £2 10/ to £2 13/: heavy porkers. £2 7/ to £2 9/: light and medium, £1 17/ to £2 5/; small and unfinished, £1 12/ to £1 15/. Stores sold readily at slightly lower rates. Best, up to £1 14/: slips, £1 5/ to £1 10/; good weaners, 19/ to £1 3/; smaller, 14/ to 17/; sows due to farrow. £2 to £3 15/. (A total of 499 pigs was sold).