LITTLE RIVER EWE FAIR

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27603, 9 March 1955, Page 16

LITTLE RIVER EWE FAIR

Strong Demand For Older Sheep TWO-TOOTH ALSO SELL WELL Both two-tooths and aged Romney ewes reached the highest point of this season at the Little River ewe fair yesterday. The sale was a good one for two-tooths, but was particularly good for the aged ewes, and in both sections a number of vendors sold at higher prices than they were paid last year, an unusual experience this sea-* son.

The entry was 11,400 and included □964 two-tooths compared with 11,220, including 5907 two-tooths last year. As usual, most of the sheep came from Peninsula properties, but there were hncs forward from the Chatham Islands, and one from Ashburton county. Most of the buying was by Peninsula farmers, but there was rather more than normal activity by buyers from outside. No part of Canterbury has been worse hit in this last dry year than Banks Peninsula. Some of the bays have fluked moderate rains apart from the main general falls, but for the most part feed has been scarce, and in parts disastrously so. In view of this, the offering came forward in really remarkable order. '

The two-tooths were as a whole showing some sign that they had had a dry time, but they were particularly well-grown, in splendid fettle, and showing every sign of carefull breeding and handling. There were very few of the show style sheep that have appeared at some past fairs, but prettv well the whole offering was of a type and standard to appeal at once to a buyer. They were a first-class assortment of honest commercial ewes of very high standard, and were a credit wJ e men w ho bred and reared them. The older ewes contained the usual assortment of ancient sheep which customarily appear at Little River, but they were liberally laced this year with really serviceable one-year lines, and several which were of top standard. As with the two-tooths, there was not over-much condition on any of them, but they were in great working order. The. sale began with the two-tooths, a na looked rath er unpromising for a start, but after a few minutes, there was a rise which in cases was nearly £ 1 a head. The sale continued on this basis until about three-quarters of the yarding was sold when there was a drop to about opening rates. It was a sounder sale than at Tinwald by several shillings. It is true that the extra choice lines were possibly not quite up to Tinwald, but anything below that special grade was 3s or so dearer, me smaller two-tooths sold verv well compared with Tinwald, and all classes were 5s to 7s above recent Addington rates.

„.S om .P. a J ed^ th lbst y ear ' there was very little difference in the average price paid for two-tooths. So many lines sold at Little River are brought as iambs that comparison of a man's „ one , the next “ strictly valid, but over 29 lines the average difference was a fraction of a »? fa Y° ur ot this year’s sale. With the older ewes there was no hesitation about the sale. Buyers got d ° w “ to work at once. and bought steadily at prices which were a shilling °5. s ? above the excellent Ashburton open-woolled ewes, and several shillings above Addington recently. An average over 20 lines of old ewes showed a drop of rather less than 2s a head on last year, a most modest reduction this season. Top Prices

Top price of the sale was £6 17s 6d, only a shilling below the top Ashburton price, which is so far the highest hardly needs to be said that the top pen came from T. Masefield (Goughs Bay), who seems to be in process of establishing a claim in perpetuity to the highest price at Little River. He sold 51 at the top Pfice. a h £6 7s 6d » 47 at £6 - “d 55 at £5 17s fid, and his 208 averaged the excellent figure of £6 5s fid a head. He topped the sale at £7 7s fid last year when his draft of 202 averaged £6 18s. A. R. Haylock (Akaroa), who is usually in the top bracket, secured second price of £6 12s fid, with a pen of 74, and sold another 56 s t £5 12s 6d. J. B. Hay (Glenrallock.) had an excellent consignment forward, and made £6 12s with his top pen, and sold 319 at an average of a little under £5 17s. The Springvale Est. (Little River) sold a top pen of 65 at £6 10s, another 65 at £6, and a line of 120 at £5 17s 6d. The 250 ewes from this property averaged £6 Is 6d. A. M. Helps (Mt. Pleasant) sold 60 at £6 8s and 60 at £6 ss, makinghis average for the 120 £f,6s 6d. G.W. R Stephens (Rakaia) sold 75 at £6 7s 60. Altogether there were 49 sales at £5 or better, compared with 43 last year. At Tinwald, where probably half of the entry of 26,000 was of open-woolled ewes, 47 sales were, made at £5 or better, and that tally included some sales of finewoolled ewes. T. E. Armstrong (Mt. Clair) secured top and second prices among the old ewes with sales of 84 four-year-olds at 86s, and 72 five-year-olds at 84s. W. S. L. Mcßae (Forsythe), who topped last year’s fair with a pen of four-year-olds at 80s, this year secured third price, 755, with a pen of 71 four-year-olds. F. Peel (Takamatua) sold 105 five-year ewes at 68s, and Sir Bruce Stewart (Strathmore) sold 124 fouryear at 62s 6d. L. F. Le Lievre (Paua Bay) sold 183 five-year at 625, and Mrs N. L. Patten (Little River) . sold 94 four- year at the same price. The range of prices, with last year’s for comparison, was as follows: 1954. 1955. S. S. S. 8. Two-tooths— Extra good .. 1121 to 147} 112 to 137} Good 97} to 110 95 to 110 Medium .. 80 to 96 80 to 92} Others .. 40 to 75 57} to 76 Aged Ewes— Good .. 60 to 80 56 to 86 Medium .. 38 to 54 40 to 52 Others .. 20 to 35 15 to 38 The principal sales were:— Dalgety and Company, Ltd., sold, on account of: L. H. Field (Port Levy): 74 two-tooth at 87s, 24 five-year at 325. Estate C. E. Kay (Little Akaloa): 40 two-tooth at 87s. Annandale Estate (Pigeon Bay): 102 two-tooth at £5, 60 at 85s. R. R. Turpin (Port Levy): 57 two-tooth at 655. S. J. Stewart (Duvauchelle): 68 twotooth at £6 4s, 119 at £5 10s, 60 at £5 2s 6d. J. R. Harrison (Te Oka): 80 two-tooth F. C. Newton (Akaroa): 67 at £6 2s. W. J. B. Hutchinson (Reids Hills): 193 five-year at 525. E. E. Patten (Little River): 43 fouryear at 525. Mrs N. L. Patten (Little 'River): 94 four-year at 625. National Mortgage and Agency Company, Ltd., sold, on account of: Estate E. Hay (Annandale): 63 twotooth at £5 14s. 63 at £5 12s, 63 at £5 7s. J. B. Hay (Glenrallock): 80 two-tooth at £6 12s, 39 at £5 2s 6d, 80 at £6, 80 at £5 10s, 40 at £5 7s 6d. D. Barwick (Poranui): 65 two-tooth at 81s, 108 four-yesr at 60s. D. C. Hay (Glenrallock): 40 two-tooth at £5 7s 6d. Sir Bruce Stewart (Strathmore): 124 four-year at 62s 6d, 62 at 565, 191 four and five-year at 50s. T. Barwick (Poranui): 60 four-year at 50s. George Steele (Port Levy): 191 four and five-year at 545. New Zealand Farmers’ Co-operative Association, Ltd., sold, on account of: Estate E. Hay (Annandale): 144 twotooth at £5 6s. 68 at 87s 6d. A. G. Reese (Takamatua): 40 two-tooth at 87s 6d. P. Walker (Willowby): 71 two-tooth at £5. O. A. Williams (Port Levy): 69 twotooth at 97s 6d, 63 at 955, 78 at 90s. 73 at 755. L. F. Le Lievre (Paua Bay): 105 twotooth at 85s. 183 five-year at 625. K. Suter (Mt. Vernon): 42 two-tooth at 665. A. S. and A. W. Gray (Wainui): 112 five-year at 255, 153 at 30s, 90 at 255, 77 at 225. D. Woodill (Akaroa): 103 five-year at 575. J. D. R. White (Little River): 45 four and six-tooth at 525. J. R. White (Little River): 33 fiveyear at 355. M. V. Newton (Puaha): 70 five-year at 38s. A. S. McGregor (Little River): 23 fiveyear at 30s. New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Ltd., sold on account ef:

S. J. Gregory-Hunt (Pitt Island): 76 two-tooth at 755, 120 at £5, 65 at £5 10s, 73 three and four-year at 80s. Mrs Z. M. Partridge (Little River): 53 two-tooth at £5 7s, 46 at £5 16s. T. E. Armstrong (Mt. Clair): 75 twotooth at £6 ss, 69 at £5 2s, 84 four-year at 86s, 72 five-year at 84s. G. W. R. Stephens (Rakaia): 75 twotooth at £6 7s 6d. S. W. Birdling (Birdling’s Flat): 66 two-tooth at £6 7s 6d. S. W. Birdling (Birdling’s Flat): 66 twotooth at 728 6d. F. Coop (Ataahua): 34 two-tooth at 71s, 30 hoggets at 745. S. H. Rhodes (Little River): 50 five-year at 40s. J. M. Flynn (Little River): 78 five-year at 265. H. Matson and Company sold on account of: Estate E. Hay (Annandale): 86 two-tooth at £5 10s. T. Masefield (Gough’s Bay): 47 twotooth at £6. 55 at £6 7s 6d, 51 at £6 17s 6d, 55 at £5 17s 6d, 178 five-year at 60s. H. Hamilton (Akaroa): 60 two-tooth at £5 17s 6d, 60 at £5. A. R. Haylock (Akaroa): 74 two-tooth at £6 12s 6d, 56 at £3 12s 6d. Buchanan and Hay (Kinloch): 119 fiveyear at 40s, 150 at 50s. G. D. Stanbury (Little River): 72 fiveyear at 335. L. A. O. Thelning (Le Sons Bay): 30 five-year at 30s. R. A. C. Rhodes (Wainui): 41 five-year at 30s. A. Robinson (Akaroa): 76 five-year at 495. T. Brankin (Little River): 43 five-year at 475. Pyne, Gould, Guinness Ltd., sold on account of: L. C. Banks (Greenpark): 72 two-tooth at £5 Is. T. D. Barwick (Birdling’s Flat): 82 twotooth at 80s. Estate S. Hall (Perakl): 70 two-tooth at 90s, 70 at 97b 6d, 70 at 72s 6d, 29 at 80s, 252 five-year at 58s, 37 at 335. D. E. Grigg (Hickory): 60 two-tooth at £5, 58 at 92s 6d. P. G. Markham (Te Oka): 100 two-tooth at 80s, 168 five-year at 455. K. A. Rhodes (Flea Bay): 67 two-tooth at £6, 64 at £5 2s 6d. Springvale Estate (Little River): 120 two-tooth at £5 17s 6d, 65 at £6 10s, 65 at £6. A. M. Helps (Mount Pleasant): 60 twotooth at £6 ss, 60 at £6 Bs. K. P. F. Neill (Manderley): 73 two-tooth at 67s 6d, 56 five-year at 345, 52 at 345, 60 at 545. W. S. L. Mcßae (Forsythe): 60 twotooth at 955, 38 at 655, 71 four-year at 755, 83 five-year at 425. J. B. Helps (The Heads): 60 two-tooth at £5. Estate J. T. L. Knight (Lavericks Bay): 61 two-tooth at £5 10s, 60 at £5, 53 at 77s 6d, 355 five-year at 54s to 58s. Annandale Estate (Pigeon Bay): 62 twotooth at £4 7s fid. G. E. Hueston (Hickory): 66 two-tooth at 73s 6d. Willesden Estate (Poranui): 72 two-tooth at £5. W. H. Montgomery (Wairewa): 60 twotooth at 85s, 57 at 60s. R. W. McWhannell (Takamatua): 54 two-tooth at £5 10s. J. R. Stanbury (Little River): 50 twotooth at 755, 103 five-year at 29s 6d. E. B. Hurst (Takamatua): 48 two-tooth at £5 Is, 78 five-year at 525, 112 fouryear at 565. A. A. Hutchinson (Te Oka): 20 twotooth at 80s, 39 ewe lambs at 525. C. E. Jenkins (Port Levy): 89 four-year at 445, 30 five-year at 225. P. L. Hammond (Birdling’s Flat): 107 five-year at 38s, 82 at 28s. F. Peel (Takamatua): 108 five-year at 68s. • } J. G. Waller (Okuti): 39 four-year at 425.

W. H. Moore and Son (Hickory): 160 five-year at 525. I. C. Stanbury (Te Oka): 104 five-year at 335.