ADDINGTON MARKET

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22883, 2 December 1939, Page 8

ADDINGTON MARKET

A BRIGHTER TONE DEMAND FOR CHATHAM WETHERS Although the Chatham Islands carry something less than 100,000 sheep—the 1938 return showed 97,000, including lambs—they provide Canterbury flockowners with no small number of fattening sheep each season, and also butchers with a limited number of mutton sheep. The number of the latter is partly dependent on the nature of the trip across. The Chatham flockowners have kept steadily to the one type of sheep—the Romney—but have kept improving the type' by the use of well-bred rams from the mainland. The wet climate of the islands suits the Romney better than any other breed, and as transport and distance from the market make fat lamb export impossible, and lack of loading facilities cattle export exceedingly difficult, production is confined largely to wool and surplus wethers. It is Worth noting in passing that of the 97,000 sheep on the islands in 1938, breeding ewes numbered 43,768, the number of lambs tailed 36,462. and the number of sheep shorn 87,412, of which 18,936 were lambs. -There is always a keen inquiry when these Chatham wethers are offered in the store pens at Addington. This was indicated on Wednesday, whep big pens made from 21s to 23s odd. The sheep are big-framed types, and when fat carry nearly half as much weight again as average fine wools, and for fatteners who have the feed there has been a steady extension of the demand for them. A very considerable proportion of Wednesday’s Chatham sheep, as an instance, ’ ere bought for Southland, graziers there apparently seeing a margin in them, even at a cost of 3s or so a head railage. The proportion of the sheep that has been drafted into the fat pons has been much larger this year, and those who have studied the sales lists each Wednesday will see how keenly they sold. Drafts from the Chathams were penned at the corresponding sale last year, but from different vendors, and they averaged about 3s a head less. The Blenheim sheep have been coming down for some years. Last year they made from 10s Id to 14s 7d for the four, six and eight-tooths, with the bulk from 12s lOd to 14s. The same ages this year ranged from 10s to 15s, but the average price was about Is to Is 6d a head less than that of last year. This year’s consignment, moreover, was slightly better conditioned. Apart from the wethers there was little in the market, but the good rain stimulated the demand generally. The following is a comparison of ■prices, compared with those of a year ago:— Nov. 30, Nov. 29, 1838. 1939. s. • s. s. s. Ewes and Lambs— Good .. .. to 152 to 152 Medium .. 11 to 123 H to 12 Good wether .. to 143 to 133 Medium .. 12 to 13 Wethers— Ex. good Medium .. 15i to If 15J to 17i Ordinary .. 14 to 153 to 15 • Spring-Lambs. u The needs of ..this 'market are difficult, to estimate. .Last week a Penning of 400 head was much too big, and values slipped to about Bjd. This week only about 170 were penned, and the price jumped by an average of 2s 6d to 3s 6d a head for prime lambs, or to 9Jd. There has been a great improvement in the quality of the lambs this

last few weeks, due to the more substance the stretch of deg weather gave the feed. Fat Sheep The smaller penning gave , the fat sheep market a chance of steadying to a small extent, and. there was a free sale for good quality sheep. Some outstanding lines of wethers were forward, and these sold at a slight appreciation, but heavy ewes were definitely better. Light sheep recorded very little change on the rates of last week. Wethers— » ,Ex. prime heavy to 272 to 351 Prime heavy .. 20 to 23J 311 to 331 medium-weight 171 to 191 27 to 31 Ordinary ~16 to 171 22 to 261 Light . .. to 152 to 21 prime heavy to 21 ' to, 272 Prime heavy ..16 to 19 24 to 26 Prime .. . : medium-weight 14 to 151 2 1 to 231 Ordinary 11 to 131 161 to 20 Light .i .to 101 to 15 Fat Cattle, Wednesday’s penning of fat cattle included some very heavy bodies, which would have met with wider competition a month or more ago. Some of the cattle which made £22 or £23 would probably have sold at £25 -six weeks ago/ Light bodies sold well at an advance on the rates : of last;week, but not to ari extent that recovered the fall on that occasion. There appeared to be fewer bedrock prices for cows on Wednesday. The market, towards the conclusion, scarcely maintained its earlier briskness. Steers— £ £ . £ * £ Ex. prime heavy to 172 to .242 Prime heavy 151 to 161* 17. to 191 Prime medium-weight 14$ to 151 15 to 171 Ordinary , ~ 11 to 14 111:to'141 Light j to 104 -to ll

Heifers—; Ex. pirirhe - to 141 to 162 Prime .. 101 to 12 Hi to. 13J Medium .. 9 to 101 9i to 11 Light .. to 82 to 9 Cows— Ex., prime .. ■■■ to 131 to 13| Prime - ... 9' .to Hi 10 to Hi Medium ‘7l to 82 81 to 92 Light 1 to ft-