Stock Marketing Problems Of Chatham Farmers

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29179, 13 April 1960, Page 22

Stock Marketing Problems Of Chatham Farmers

. (From Our Own Reporter)

NELSON, April 12. Farmers on the Chatham Islands have to contend with much the same kind of marketing difficulties as farmers in New Zealand before the develop- . ment of refrigeration and mod- , ern transport,’according to Mr S. M. Wilkinson, of Stoke, who, with Mr A. L. Cook, of Riwaka, : has just spent five weeks on . the Chathams. i Mr Wilkinson said that the ‘ principal market for the islands ' was Addington, but, because of 1 the cost of getting the stock to r the market it was hard to make the business pay. ! A consignment of sheep sent to Addington from the Chudlelgh 1 ’Estate brought £1056, but ex--1 penses amounted to £916. A 1 farmer sent 180 sheep to Addington and received in return a ■ cheque for 7d. The consignor 1 of 160 sheep to Addington had > to send £2 16s to cover ex--1 penses. > Under these conditions, said i Mr Wilkinson, it was quite un- • economic to try to market any 1 except the best-quality sheep and J cattle. No sheep over a two- ! tooth was worth while market--1 ing. This month 4000 five-year-old i ewes would be shorn on the i Chathams and killed. Some , cattle had also been shot, but a I proportion of these were wild, s A cattle beast had to realise a t minimum of £ll at Addington ; and a sheep 27s before expenses i were cleared. The position might be improved by the interest the Ameri-

cans were taking in supplies of livestock from the Chathams, Mr Wilkinson said. They had been to the islands and had offered to buy cattle on the hoof at a minimum price of 4d a lb for anything over 6001 b live weight.