FAT LAMBS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 264, 7 November 1935, Page 4

FAT LAMBS.

LONDON CHRISTMAS TRADE,

GISBORNE'S FINE SHIPMENT.

(By Telegraph.—Special to ''Star.")

GISBORNE, Wednesday,

About 5000 lambs were killed at the Kaiti freezing works yesterday and to-day for shipment this week for Christmas arrival in London. The price paid by buyers was over 0d per lb, the highest in the district for several years. Some buyers were operating on 9%d schedule for prime lambs, with %d lower for seconds. This is %d higher than in Hawke's Bay, where the schedule is usually %d to %d higher than in Gisborne. Other buyers secured: drafts at per lb all weights and: grades. These quotations are "on hooks"! prices. Last season opening buying was carried out at 7%d, while the season' before B%d operated for the first buying I on October 24. In 1932 the opening shipment was bought at 394 d per lb for prime! lambs. I

The total of 5000 lambs received for slaughter was larger than anticipated. It was thought at first that 1200 might be all that would be ready in such a backward season, while a few weeks ago few were sanguine enough to predict that any lambs at all would be sent for the Christmas market.

Apart from show exhibits the quality of the lambs killed was good, although many of them were light. Weights usually ranged round about 301b, sometimes a lii-tle over, but in the majority the quality which Gisborne has achieved for its Southdown lambs, particularly for early shipments, has been preserved. i