ROMNEY RAMS BRING LESS AT FEILDING

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29716, 9 January 1962, Page 13

ROMNEY RAMS BRING LESS AT FEILDING

“The Press” Special Service

FEILDING, January 8.

Buyers refused to pay any fancy prices for rams at the Manawatu and West Coast thirty-fourth annual stud Romney ram fair at Feilding today and they also refused to buy from the lesser known studs. Consequently, values were well down on last year's good rates, although the quality of most of the offering was reasonably good considering the drought conditions prevailing throughout most of the areas where the rams came from.

Of the catalogue entry of 175 rams nine did not come to hand and 56 failed to sell. The 109 that did find a buyer realised 25.755gn5. compared with 43.150gns for 127 that sold at the 1961 fair. The over-all average today was 237gns as against 339gns last year and 266gns in 1960 The highest individual average was again gained by Mr L. N. Hoggard, of Pahiatua. whose six rams averaged 429gns. The wellknown Bankhead stud of Messrs Brown Brothers, of Kiwitea, took second placing with an average of 374gns for 32 rams. Next best was Mr G Graine, of Kiwitea, with 3l6gns. for four rams.

Top price was 1400gns obtained by Brown Brothers. The purchaser was the Balfour stud. Pahiatua. Last year Mr G Graine gained the top price of 2400gns

A record crowd attended the sale but many of those present were women and children. Bidding was extremely slow for many rams but brightened considerably when a particularly attractive entry was offered. South Island buyers were operating freely and purchased 19 rams. The most consistent buyer from the south was Mr D. McPhedryn, of Invercargill. Other South Island buyers included J. C. Galt and F. J. and C. R. Humphries who formed a syndicate to pay the second best price of the day of 900gns for a ram from Brown Brothers. Only 14 rams fetched 500gns or more and only the top priced entry realised four figures. Top South Island purchases were: account Brown Brothers, Kiwitea, at 500gns to H. R. and D. A. Scott. Ashburton: at 400gns to B. W. and L. T. Johnston, Gore; at 200gns and 500gns to J. Marr; at 600gns to J. A. and C. R. Humphries and W. D. Irwin, Gore: at 640gns to J. Ryan, Invercargill. Account T. C. Tarrant. Waverley. at 210gns to T. Burrows. Christchurch; Account R. M. Nilsson, Hastings .at 270gns and 75gns to D. McPhedryn. Invercargill. Account Bankhead Trust, Kiwitea. at 610gns and 150gns to J. McPhedryn.