SOARING PRICES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 192, 16 August 1939, Page 10

SOARING PRICES.

WESTFIELD MARKET.

STEERS MAKE UP TO £TB.

CALVES ARE ALSO DEARER.

Beef prices soared on the Westfield fat stock market to-day owing to an acute shortage of supplies. All classes of prime cattle advanced 3/ to 4/ per 1001b, following an improvement of 2/ last week. This further rise brings quotations up to 40/ per 1001b for extra choice ox, the highest level reached in August for over ten years.

Usually a seasonal scarcity of beef begins about this time of the year, but this month the fall in supplies has come suddenly, quantities having held up longer than usual. Peak prices for the season are usually reached about October.

Butchers competed eagerly for prime bullocks at this morning's sale, rushing the bids up £1 at a time when choice lots were offered. The highest price of the sale, £18, was realised for the best of a draft of 12 steers sold on account of Ranginui, Ltd.. Papatoetoe. A line of eight from J. Hannon, Hautapu, brought from £13 7/6 to £17 15/; 14 from L. H. Larner, Morrinsville, from £15 15/ to £17 5/; and 18 from R. A. Bent, Puketurua, up to £17.

Calves also met a keen demand, prices improving again, although the quality was rather poor.

AUCTIONEERS' REPORTS.

N.Z. LOAN AND MERCANTILE, LTD.

Beef: A smaller yarding of beef met a very keen demand, and values rose I sharply by 3/ to 4/ per 1001b. Extra choice ox sold to 40/ per 1001b; choice and prime ox, 36/ to 39/; ordinary and plain, 32/ to 35/; prime young cow and heifer beef, 32/ to 37/; ordinary cow beef, 25/ to 31/; extra heavy prime steers ranged in price from £17 to £18: heavy prime steers. £15 to £16 17/6; lighter prime steers, £12 to £14 17/6; light prime steers, £10 12/6 to £11 17/6: small and unfinished steers, £9 to £10 10/; extra heavy prime young cows and heifers, £12 to £14 7/6; heavy prime cows and heifers, £10 to £11 17/6; lighter prime cows and heifers, £8 7/6 to £9 17/6; light prime cows and heifers, £6 to £8 5/; other killable cows, £4 to £5 17/6. Alfred Buckland and Sons. Beef. —We penned fat cattle to the ntimber of 238 head, comprising 83 steers and 100 cows and heifers, against 177 head last week. Our yarding of ox beef included several lines of choice cattle. Bidding was particularly keen and resulted in a sharp rise in values of 30/ to 40/ per head. Cows and heifers also improved considerably on late sales. Extra choice ox sold to 40/ per 1001b; choice and prime ox, 37/ to 39/; ordinary and plain, 34/ to 36/; prime young cow and heifer beef, 35/ to 37/; ordinary cow beef, 28/ to 31/. Extra heavy prime steers ranged in price from £16 to £17 15/; heavy prime steers, £14 to £15; lighter, £12 10/ to £13; light, £11 10/ to £12: small and unfinished, £5 to £10 10/. Extra heavy prime yoong cows and heifers, £13 to £14; heavy prime cows and heifers, £10 to £11 10/r lighter, £8 to £9; other killable cowb, £5 to £7.

Calves.—We had an average yarding of calves, but good quality runners and vealers were in very short supply. Competition was extremely keen and values for all prime calves showed a further rise on last week's high quotations. Plain unfinished and bobby calves sold readily at late rates. Runners, £7 15/ to £9; heavy vealers. £5 10/ to £6 14/; medium, £4 10/ to £•> s'; light, £3 10/ to £4 6/; smaller, £2 6/ to £3 5/; small, 18/ to £2 2/; rough calves, 15/ to £1 12/; bobby calves, of to 16/. . .