ADDINGTON MARKET

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22307, 22 January 1938, Page 11

ADDINGTON MARKET

GENERAL PRICE EASING

DKMAM) TOK STOKSC LA.MUS

The high prices nil in?; recently brou?;hl largely increased entries to Addington on Wednesday. It had been apparent that the inflated values were due to the short entries for some weeks and that it was only a matter of a large entry to bring prices back to normal. This return took place on Wednesday, as in practically every department there was an over-supply. There was no drastic fall, prices steadying at what may be stable values tor some time.

With an entry of more than 75U0 fat sheep this department was crowded out, and values assumed a lower level from the start of the sale. The scarcity of prime wethers for some time hud caused butchers to turn attention to heavy ewes, and there has been an excellent market for these for some time. On Wednesday the market carried a large number of this class, and prices came down from Jis to -Is a head. Many excellent pens sold round about 22s and 235, and the medium to good sorts from 18s to 20s. The light-weight freezing types maintained rates much better, due to the competition of company buyers. Possibly a substantia' number of those ewes were: secured f. :• the local trade. At all events practically half the penning in the section must have gone to company buyers. .who paid full export rates. The shilling or more of an easing which the

lighter ewes recorded brought values to within the schedule. Considering the heavy penning the market contained quite a fair proportion of prune quality. With the harvest now cxereisin" attention and feed becoming plentiful it is doubtful if so many light sheep will be trucked to the market in the next few weeks. Judging by the high values ruling in the store pens for wethers it would seem better business to keep for another fortnight or so many of the lighter class now going into the fat pens. An element that has an important bearing on values at the present time is the lifeless market for skins. Many butchers are holding heavy stocks of these for which there is practically no market. The following is a comparison of values with those of last year: Jan. 20. Jan. 19, IM7. 1938. Wethers- s. s. s. s. Ex. prime heavy to .i.S.I 10 .1 4 Prime heavy .. 211 to 31 31i to .{4 Prime mcdiimweight 2tV\ to 27.5 UK 1 to ,U Ordinary . . 24 U, 2a 2r,.> to 21} Light .. •■ l 0 - :! i l "

Ewes— „,. Ex. prime heavy to J!)., __ ,7,, Prime heavy . . 24 to 2u3 -- "J -' Prime medium-. weight 20J 10 2I!J 21 to 22} Ordinary .. l»i ■<> 2»i 13 to 20. Li«ht .. •• to I'J M I7i

I-'at Lambs It was inevitable that with the increasing of factory costs the export schedule would case, and on Wednesday exporters had to keep their bids down to 73d for first grades. Butchers were prepared to pay a shade more than this for the better class lambs, and the result v/as that exporters secured only a small proportion of the entry. Store Sheep The store sheep section was crowded with wether lambs. The drop m tnc export schedule was reflected in trie price of these, which sold at Is to Is Cd a head less than the week before The prices, in view of the position 01 the market, were good. The best of the pens forward, which were particularly good lambs into the bargain sold at 19s 9d. For the owners lpe lasi year the price was 24s Gd and -as set, and it was claimed that this week s dralt was fully as good, if not a shade better, than last year's. This drop of os odd is a fair indication of the general decline. To-day's rape lamb price is quite satisfactory considering the several new factors that have recently come into the industry. ■ One old factor, which is assuming more serious importance is the grater liability of lambs to disease. Another factor, of course is the increasing costs of handling. The one ong range satisfactory factor is that there S Uttlo chance of the Dominion exceeding the meat quota thisi >ear The English market will take all tnc lamb the country can produce A note during the week re: erred to the probable prices for ewes at the au

; tumn lairs, it being suggested that they ! were iikely to be substantially lower i than those of last season. Although I there were too few lines of ewes for- | ward on Wednesday to Rive any indi--1 cation, a guide was provided by the ' price of a bin line of 200 ewe lambs j from Mr R. Furze's Mount Vernon j i Port Hill.-) property. These were an ' exceptionally good line, and sold at 21s ; (id. The corresponding line last season i made lifls <>d, or (is more. The return | from a ewe lamb is restricted in comj fiarisnn witii (hat from an adult ewe. ' warrant in?; a wider margin, but the | few pens of ewes sold this last few j weeks might be taken as indicating that the difference with thrown owes will : not be much less.

F;;t Cattle An entry of 555 head of fat cattle was much more than the market could absorb, and values came back rather sharplv. The heavy penning does no! necessarily indicate that there is plenty of beef about. Half the penning comprised light unfinished steers, which could have carried another 1001 b or more of flesh. The over-supply was doubtless due to the high rates which have been ruling—the best in January for voars. At this stage of the season it is'improbable that there will be any marked recovery, unless lamb and mutton take an upward turn. Steers-- £ X. ■>- '- " Kx. prime heavy to If, to lIP, Prime heavy . . 12 to 14 IV. to la.l Prime mediumweight 11', 1o 121 I2J I" 1-1 Ordinary . . !>i to W\ »:! «> l~.i Light. '.. ■• to !).', l<> i»i Ilciler.-, ■-- , Extra prime .. '<> '' " - Prime . . !> to 1» !l i'" ln i Medium •• Hi t" »1 7:i l<> j> Uuiit -- •• "' (i ,(> 7^ C 'Kxt'ra pr.me .. I.' 11 1«> 12 Prune . . ■ • '< »•» "■> '' "' L' Medium " •• a.I "> (i t r 'i \" 1. Ught. and uKcd •- to 5 to i> 1