EWE SALE PRICES

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22345, 8 March 1938, Page 8

EWE SALE PRICES

SO IKB ZDIXOa Or THJS FSSSS. Sir, —On Tuesday morning I opened my copy of "The Press" with the pleasurable anticipation of being able to gain some first-hand knowledge of prices received for individual lots of ewes at the Amberley fair the preceding day.

The lines of ewes (three) in which I was most interested, the Tipapa sheep, received quite a prominent place in the report, and after reading what your pager had to say about them, I turned the page, deciding that if I was to get any accurate information I would have to seek elsewhere. Your paper quoted the five-year-olds as bringing 24s 6d, as against 21s last year. The price last year for this line was 275. Again, this breeder's top lot of two-tooths were quoted as having brought 32s 6d. These brought 34s 6d. The second line of twotooths you quoted at 29s 6d; these brought 30s 6d. These were the only sheep this breeder had in the sale, so if cases of misreporting are rare, he certainly got more than his share of it. I, in common with numerous others, enjoy reading the accounts of the annual fairs, and comparing prices received by different well-known flockmasters, and hope that in some in r stances at least the reading is made worth while.—Yours, etc., J. MILLIGAN. Motunau, March 2, 1938. [lnspection of the sales book of the firm concerned shows that in only one point of the three of which our correspondent complains, is he correct. One of the pens of two-tooths realised 29s 6dT exactly as reported by us, and not 30s 6d, as stated by him. The other pen of two-tooths sold at 34s 6d, not 32s 6d, as was reported. Apparently our correspondent had as much difficulty in hearing the low price announced as our reporter did the high one, with less excuse, perhaps, on his part, as he was • interested only in the three lines. Our reporter had some hundreds over which to spread his interest. The price of the five-year ewes was as stated in our report for the top pen—24s 6d. Last year a line from the same station, described in the sales book as fouryear ewes, sold at 275. This year's ' draft was guaranteed five year and sold, as stated, at to 24s 6d' The prices, therefore, are not comparably—Ed„ -xjife Press."!