NOTES BY THE WAY

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21533, 24 July 1935, Page 17

NOTES BY THE WAY

DEMAND FOR SHEEP Growth /* "" and one^2 'l ?* &st ™*> "«t to mention 2» * w other * actors - a ver y £» has for ***eppßtwdtarly for .ewes. In many districts south of the Wainotice' an abunSonths ?f g *? another ""P l * of TOcSrm?sr,» J This is BK n S a 'demand for forward week In IT £°g! ets was sold this week m the Ashburton County at withJS u Und u forward halfbred wethers ha b sem at SpL ?. War u!- one -year ewes have nf £ but „ th ? likel ihood of plenty ?Lf een fßed at lambing and the 7 ss p ?:ts . make this class of ewe better buying than ordinarily. Generally there is more confidence in the outlook—for July—than there has been for some years.

BEEF SUPPLIES The firming In beef values at Addington during the last fortnight draws attention to the. supplies of beef available for the local trade. Information from various sources suggests that if the present values a f. e . maintained, or improved slightly, there will be ample beef from other provinces to supplement .local .supplies. It is improbable that the North Island will be-a supplier to ordinary markets, although the few special lines that come down in each year for the National Mis in August may again be forthcoming. South Canterbury has had a good season, and the usual supplies- may be expected from that quarter. On recent values at Burnside there is not much margin for shipment to Addington. Last week, when there was an easing of 10s a head for a normal entry, best bullocks were making to £ll 17s 6d, as against £l3 2s 6d at Addington, although the Addington cattle were exceptional.- Good steer beef sold at Burnside at from £9 10s to £lO 15s, and medium weight prime from £7 15s to £8 15s. These prices are very similar to those ruling at Addington, and on figures there would be no advantage in southern fatteners sending their cattle north. However, there is more elasticity in the Addington demand, and an excess at Burnside would be more Craßcult to absorb than at Addington. In the event of Addington price's advancing another 2s or so a hundred it is. not unlikely that southern cattle v/ill come forward members, although the season in the south has been an irregulay one for fattening. A source of supply which might be under-estimated is the West Coast. A visitor last week to the beef dis- | tricts of South Westland told "Straggler" . yesterday that it had been estimated that south of Hokitika, which included the districts of Kokatahi, Koiterangi, Hari Had, Wataroa, and south of the Waiho, there were close on 2000 well finished cattle ready for the market when prices advanced a little. As the districts in the Grey district are also moderate contributors it would seem that there will be fairly substantial supplies coming from across the ranges. The next fortnight's sales, which will include tha "National" on August 7, will probably give a line as to the amount of beef available for the local market, and the consequent influence it v/ill have ori prices.

THE COURTED ALE IN AUSTRALIA

"So optimistic are farmers and graziers running flocks of Corriedales and British breeds of the part New South Wales is ultimately to. take in the fat lamb export trade, that they can already visualise the complete reorganisation of the local sheep-breeding industry to permit of New South Wales fulfilling its desI tiny, not only as a wool producing province, but also as a great meat producing state." , . The foregoing is an opinion expressed by Mr W. B. Tart, one of the leading men in the New South Wttfes sheep industry. The opinion, Considering the abundance of firstcross merino ewes that can be obtained in New South Wales for the lamb raising industry, is a useful contribution at the moment. A writer in the "Sydney Mail" states that "supporters of the great Australian breed, the Corriedale, which has now gained a wonderful international reputation, again staged at the Sydney show a commendable dislay of sturdy, vigorous, dualpurpose sheep." A New Zealand visitor to the show expressed the

! opinion to "Straggler" that the carcase aspect of the Corriedale sheep exhibited .showed that New South Wales Corriedale breeders were following the right lines for lamb production. THE WOOL CLIP The weight of the Australian wool clip is of direct concern to • New Zealand growers, particularly in the South Island, where the next class of wool is grown. A recent estimate of the current clip gave the decline as a result of the Queensland drought, at about' 300,000 bales compared with the previous season. Since then good rains have fallen in Queensland, and estimates have been revised. The decline will now be' less, whilst, if further rains fall, there will be-an improvement in the weight of the individual fleece. One reliable authority estimates the loss of the Queensland sheep by the drought at six millions, which approximates 160,000 bales. These figures suggest that the total decline may not be far short of 200,000 bales. As "an instance of the difference the rains made in Queensland, sheep values within a few days advanced by 5s a head, and woolcutters by more. Mutton entries at both the Sydney and Brisbane markets have shown a marked decrease since the rains, pastoralists now holding their sheep for the clip. This again means that thousands of sheep will grow a full clip as against a three-quarter one, had the feed scarcity compelled them to be sent to the butchers. CLYDESDALE MIS-RULE

It has long been a grievance with South Island Clydesdale breeders that the control of the Clydesdale Horse Society by the North Island is far in excess of the. importance of the north in the industry. Funds have been rolling in for years, and have been stored away in investments, whilst the cause of the horse in the matter of publicity has been completely ignored. The few northern breeders have kept the association a close corporation. Money should have been spent from the ample funds available to assist breeders in the many avenues m which assistance could be given, such, for instance, as subsidising show prize lists with some liberality, meeting.'part of the osts.of transport to the shows, or repaying importers part of the cost of freight, or in general publicity. Whi.e other methods of transport have had advocates to spend money on their popularising the Clydesdale has been left to fight its own battle. Some very plain speaking on this neglect took place at the annual meeting of the Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Association the other clay by Mr Joseph Mosley, who represented the society at the annual meeting of the Clydesdale Horse Society, held on June 19 (of which, bv the way South Island papers—or at all events "The Press"—have not received a word of the report of the proceedings). In the course of his report Mr Mosley said:."In regard to rule 23, I explained the hardship this drastic rule inflicted on South Island breeders and exporters, owing to the intermittent sailings of ships from South Island ports, which often varied their sailing dates, also in imposing this harsh rule they were penalising their own members. I moved that

the rule imposing a fine of £5 5s a horse on any exporter if he did not give 14 days' notice of his intention to export to the secretary ba modified and reduced to £2 10s. This was seconded by Mr W. J. Jsnkins, and on being put to the meeting was defeated, all the North Island members but one voting against it. I also moved that the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Society and the Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Society be appointed branches of the Clydesdale Horse Society of New Zealand to assist breeders and exporters in matters that arise in connexion with pedigrees, etc. I pointed out that the Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Society's parade of Clydesdale stallions was ,he most important fixture of'this kind held in the Dominion, and Otago should rightly have some voice in natters pertaining to the associatior. as a whole. This motion was also seconded by Mr Jenkins, but was defeated on the secretary ofc;ecting that this would tend to weaken head office control."

In speaking to his report, M- Mosley said that while in the North Island he travelled many miles, but saw few. if any, Clydesdale horses, and the general type was far inferior to those of the south, where Clydesdales of *cood quality could, be seen from Canterbury to Southland. The South Island membership of thft Clydesdale Horse Society was more than four times that of the North Island. The last volume of]

the Clydesdale Stud Book gave the figures as follows: — North South Island. Island. Life governors .. 2 3 Life members .. 53 156 Annual members .. 78 405 Affiliated A. and P. Societies ..12 23 "145 587 The North Island provided 28 judges, and thft South Island had 60. Of registered animals the North Island had 96 mares and the South Island 468, and of the registered stallions there were 68 in the north and 207 in the south. It was apparent to everyone that the surplus of funds held by the Clydesdale Horse Society and invested in North Island securities were principally drawn from South Island members, and until there was proportional representation on the council of the Clydesdale Horse Society South Island members would not get justice. At the present time there were 12 members of the council for each island, but on a proportional basis if the North Island was entitled to 12 members of the council, then the South Island was entitled to 48 or more. The only show of stallions oi any consequence in New Zealand was that held at Dunedin at a considerable cost each year to the Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and it was grossly unfair that southern breeders should be ruled by a few North Island members.

The cause of Mr Mosley's complaint has been developing lor years, and it seems strange that there is not some means whereby the South Island can sever the objectionable knot and institute a South Island society, with a distribution of the present society's rich assets on a basis of each island's contributions.