AUCTIONEERS' REPORT.

Press, Volume XXXI, Issue 4293, 3 May 1879, Page 2

AUCTIONEERS' REPORT.

Messes H. Matsos 4; Co. report on the live steck market, &c., for the week ending Thursday, May Ist, 1879, as follows :— Metropolitan Live Stock Market-r-Yesterday, at the Addinrton Bafejards, a heavy supply of beef and matton was penned-for the week's requirements, the whole of the sheep pens and fat cattle yards being well filled. In sheep, with the exception of a few good lines, the general quality was below the average, and with a thin attendance of buyers competition was not very brisk, and had it not been for the attendance offa West Coast buyer; there most have been an extremely dull market and a large number of sheep unsold. As it was, nearly J every line was quitted, though at very irregular; prices, the demand lor light mutton showing a. slight improvement; crosebred wethers at last' week's rates; whilst forfat ewes and mixed quality sheep there was a drop of f uQy Is per head, with adifficult sale; for stores there is no improvement in demand or price, and very few are taken for breeding purpose*. For prime beef there is an inquiry* at fair values, to the neglect of light weights and inferior quality; in fact, the supply of fat stock! yesterday was censlderably in excess of the requirements, and prices luffered in consequence. Tke sale or store cattle passed off more satisfactorily than usual, a bujer from the Peninsula taking a large number of two-year-olds at from Jfc> 15s to £5 10a for grazing purposes, and it is many weeks since we hive since we have seen the yards so well cleared of store cattle, low though the prices may be. The totals yarded for the day comprised 6771 sheep, 339 head of cattle, and 40 pigs, of which onr entry included 191 head of cattle, 3177 sheep, and 40 pigs for—Messrs F. Birdling, Wm. Boag, G. F. Bitso, A. Nicol, J. Tweedy, J. Tomee, D. O'Callaghan, W. B. Clorkson, Heywood and Bowron, G." Kinley, T. Wrijchfc. Jiu>. Hurst, C, Fairburne; Clsrkson Bros., T. Weaver, E. J. Xee, Jaa. Kinley, H. McConnoll, M. Jones, B. Marrocks, Hay Bros., T. Tubman, Hewlett, H. Matson, Tobeck, H. Mad* dison, li. Perrin, "H. Morley, W. Hayes, G. Stanbury, W. Ladbrook, J. Johns, Simmonds Bros , G. Bowron, W. Hooper, X. Marquet, John King, John Ferguson, S. Tubman, and others. In sheep our principal sales were:—2o9 prime cross-bred wethers, the property of Mr F. Birdling, at 10a 9d and lls; different owners, 78 at 8e 6d; 60 cross-bred ewes at Be, 65 mixed at 9s 3d, 55 at 8s 3d, 59 at & 9d, 28 at 7s 9d. 61 at 7s, 91 at 7s, 86 at 93 3d' to 9s 6d, 71 at 7s 9d, 86 at 6s, 65 lambs at 4s 3d, 136 2-tooths at 5s 9d to 6s, 46 at 6s, 124 cross-bred ewes at 6s to 6a 6d, 62 at 6s. Stores—l3l »tore 2 tooth cross-breds in low condition at 2s Sd. 63 merinos at 3s 7d, 280 mixed cross-breds at 3s 6d to 4s 6d, 136 merino ewes at 2s 3d, 77 at 2s 3d, 201 cull merinos at Is 9d, 91 cross-bred ewes at 3s Id, 66 lambs at. 5e to 5s 6d. fat lambs at 6s to 6s 9d.

Fat cattle—4 at £910s, 3at £9155, 24 at £7 7s 6a, 2at £9, 2at £8, 4at £7 12s 6d, 4 at £6 10s, 3 at £8, 10 at £10 2s 6d, 4at £810s, 3at£B 23 6d. Stores— 15 at £3 ISs, 6 yearlings at £115s, 10 two-year-olds at£s, 7at£3ss, 7at£s2s6d, &c. : Wool, Sheepskins, Hides, and Tallow—At the usual weekly sale of the above, held this day at our Canterbury stores, 3112 sheepskins, 136 lambskins, 134 oz hides, and 124 bags and packages of batchers' rough fat and tallow comprised the catalogue. There was a fair attendance of buyers, and all lots were sold, tut competition was dull, and prices exhibited little or no improvement upon late Bales. Batchers' best crosshreds made 2s 6d, 2s 3d, 2s lid, to 3s Id; medium. Is Bd, 2s, 2s 2d, to 2a 4d; inferior, lately shorn and badly saved, 10d, Is, Is 3d, to Iβ 6d; best merinos, Iβ, Is 3d, to Is 6d; second quality, 6d, 9d, to IOd; lambskins, best Is 6d, Iβ 9i. S3, to 2s 2d; inferior, 10d, Is, Is 2d, to Is 4d. Best rough fat, lfd, l£d, to2d parlb; inferior, ljd to ltd per lb. Salted oz hides, 3id ; green, 2Jd; calfskins, Ssd per lb. Canterbury Horse Market.—Last Saturday at Tattereall'swe held our usual weekly sale, submitting 89 horses of various descriptions, inclading heavy unbroken colts, draught and plough horses, hacks, light harness horses, &c., &c, for the day's auction. There was a. fair attendance of buyers, and the demand for plough horses seems slightly improving, although sales can only he effected to a •very limited extent, and at greatly reduced rates, but the market for two or three weeks past lias decidedly shown more vitality than it- has done for a long time. What has to a great extent so demoralised the trade here is the large number of horses j that have been poured into the province from all parts of the country, chiefly the North Island, glutting the market, completely overdoing the requirements, and shutting oat our local stock, which would have been more than sufficient to meet the demand under late and present circumstances. Our quotations are—Young sound heavy draught horses, £40 to £50; medium weight and aged do, £25, £30, to £32; spring cart horses, £20 to £28; mnbroken draught colts, really good, £38 to £50 and £55 j lighter sorts very unsaleable at from £18 to £25; well bred hacks and harness horses, £16 to £20; ordinary do, £12 to £14; weeds, £10, £6 to £4 ! each. j