Romneys Meet Hard Sale At Methven

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31306, 28 February 1967, Page 21

Romneys Meet Hard Sale At Methven

Romneys had a very indifferent sale at the Methven twotooth ewe fair yesterday. It was the weakest Methven fair for several years, and certainly the weakest sale for strong-woolled two-tooths in the current series of fairs in North and MidCanterbury.

The yarding rose from 13,103 last year to 16,700. Almost from the start it was apparent that buying interest was not going to be strong. Many in the gallery, it seemed, had simply come to watch. The weak sale was put down to a combination of factors, among which lack of credit seemed to be an important one. It is accepted that farmers in Mid-Canterbury are undertaking bigger cropping programmes, but one vendor commented yesterday not anyone could afford to keep up sheep numbers with two-tooths at £3. Passings were heavy. A conservative figure would be 30 per cent. Some auctioneers frankly commented. “No bid, no business.” or “We can’t sell sheep if you don’t bid.” However, the term “seventy shillings buys them,” or whatever figure bidding had closed at, was frequently used. This could have been taken to mean a sale or a passing, but yesterday it usually meant a passing. The sale was very much like last year’s sale in reverse. With a low lamb schedule, low prices for crossbred wool, a tightening of credit (and sheep at half the price) and taxes to pay very shortly, the gallery was not in spending mood. Values Back £2 Over the whole sale, values were back generally from 30s to £2 a head—a drastic drop on the boom-time levels of last autumn’s fair. Approximately 190 pens of two-tooths were offered, and bidding reached or bettered the 70s mark only 48 times. From this figure, there were probablv about 35 sales. Only 11 out of the 48 pens exceeded 80s. This was a vivid contrast to last year’; fair when 108 of 168 pens sold at £5 or more, with 16 of them at £6 or more. Top price yesterday was 89s for a pen of 65 Romneys from T. A. Greig, of Methven. The top Romney price last year was £6 10s. Mr Greig had other sales at 65s and 70s. A. A. Grigg, of Alford Forest, whose Romneys have a good reputation at this fair, sold a pen of 94 at 83s, and another pen of 114 at 78s. These were good levels of values on the day, as there were other well-known lines of sheep which consistently sold or were passed from 60s to 655, and some at less than this. Typical Sale A typical sale for one of the larger lines was that of the estate of L. L. Richards (Mount Hutt). The estate sent forward just on 1000 Romney cross and halfbred ewes. Offered in seven lots, they sold from 55s to 68s, to average 61s, with two lots being passed. Last year the estate’s twotooths averaged 95s 6d, with the lowest price, 88s. D. W. Knight, of Hill Park, Methven, again offered a fairly big draft. His 486 Romneys, offered in four lots, sold from 62s to 87s, to average about 755. M. V. Poff, of the Rakaia Gorge, again offered a line of Romney-Corriedales, his two pens, amounting to 225 head, selling at 64s to 655. They were late-shorn ewes, but their lower values this year gave a good indication of the state of the fair. Only a few pens of Corriedales were offered, and the top price was 81s for a small lot from D. L. Ensor, of Glenrock. Except for the best fine-woolled ewes, buying power was little stronger than for the general run of Romneys. Back On Tinwald Comparing quality for quality, a lot of the better ewes offered at Methven were several shillings back on Tinwald, and they were also easier on Addington values. Plain and smaller twotooths, however, were selling at levels similar to those at Addington and Tinwald. Following is a range of values, with those for last year’s fair being given as a comparison:— 1967 1966 s. to s. s. to s.

Fine-wool — Best .. to 81 107 to 120 Av./Gd 62 to 72 96 to 103 Others .. 55 to 60 67 to 85 Details of sales were, all sheep being Romney or Romney cross unless otherwise stated:— Daigety and New Zealand Loan sold on account of: — C. C. Prebble, Winchmore: 75 at 675, 80 at 735, 86 at 725, 92 t at 755. A. A. McLeod, Mount Hutt: f 75 at 645. f M. V. Polt. Rakaia Gorge: 112 ‘ Romney-Corriedales at 655, 113 . at €4s, 42 at 58s. V. L. Dobson, Methven: 78 at 675, 120 at 82s, 74 at 655, 76 at S 70s. G. W. Taylor, Meth ven: 79 at 725, 87 at 70s, 119 at 645. R. H. Ensor, Glenariffe: 54 - Corriedales at 565. $ D. L. Ensor, Glenrock: 76 ; Corriedales at 70s, 29 at 58s, > 43 at 81s. t E. J. Pawsey, Springburn: 65 at 60s. R. G. Holmes, Methven: 15 at . 68s. FR. Goodwin, Methven: 114 at 83s, 66 at 745. J at T g 2s N - Currie » Methven: 103 R. W. Campbell, Methven: 88 1 at 695. [ Gerard. Mount Hutt: 55 at ? H. B. McLay, Mayfield: 70 Bor1 der cross at 70s, 70 at 755, 37 ' at 60s. • L. F. Walker, Manuka Point: - 83 halfbreds at 335. 1 Mount Somers Estate: 75 half- ’ breds at 595. ; G. S. Marshall, Ashburton: 55 L at 765. ’ Double Hill Station, Rakaia Gorge: 85 Corriedales at 725, 33 at 595. R. G. Stoddart, Methven: 119 at 665. ; Pyne, Gould, Guinness Ltd., > sold on account of:— 1 W. A. Trezise, Winchmore: 78 at 60s. , H. W. Lock, Meth ven: 56 at 1 655. • R. M. May, Highbank: 93 at 1 83s, 86 at 735. J J. Irwin, Aldersyde: 77 Bor- [ der-Merinos at 60s, 120 Corrie- ’ dales at 665, 65 halfbreds at 60s, 101 halfbreds at 675. i F. J. Arker, Lyndhurst: 54 at 1 70s. 75 at 745, 71 at 70s, 77 at 765, 75 at 735. 5 P. A. Groundwater, Lynd1 hurst: 50 at 555, 178 at 68s, ; 151 at 645. ; G B. Henderson, Lyndhurst: 73 Corriedales at 71s, 100 at 735. F. H. Syme, Staveley: 55 at ; 60s, 90 at 60s. 1 T. A. Greig, Rothesay: 65 at t 655, 68 at 70s, 65 at 89s. R. B. and J. McMillan, Methven: 199 at 745. f A. A. Grigg, Alford Forest: 94 i at 83s; 114 at 78s. Annadale Farm, Ashburton 1 Forks: 109 at 595. ■ Winterslow Station, Mount Hutt: 100 halfbreds at 555. B. H. Pridie, W’aimarama: 36 at 565, 87 at 545. G. E. Totty, Lawn Hayes: 84 ■ at 635. L. P. Chapman. Mount Somers: 104 Romney halfbreds at 71s.

New Zealand Farmers' Cooperative Association of Canterbury, Ltd., sold on account of:— N. E. Law, lO6 at 625. T. L. Lucas, Creekdale: 70 at 565, 114 at 82s, 94 at 60s, 34 at 535, 120 at 80s. W. J. Symes, Garthowen: 65 at 555. J. D. Marr, Longfield: 100 at 745, 155 at 695. D. W. Knight, HiM Park: 54 at 625, 120 at 87s. 162 at 70s, 150 at 80s. V. W. Wright, Methven: 85 at 675, 91 at 70s. R. W. Campbell, View Brae: 88 at 71s. R. H. Maidens, Maymarket: 62 halfbreds at 71s. Wright, Stephenson and Company, Ltd., sold on account of:— R. J. Syme and Sons, Staveley: 100 at 645, 45 at 465, 88 at 645, 55 at 645. H. R. and E. F. Clark, Staveley; 79 at 645, 100 at 725. J. E. McKenzie, Mount Somers: 100 at 555. R. I. Petrie, Staveley: 122 at 665, 85 at 625. A. W. Lockhead, Methven: 70 at 665, 117 at 675, 82 at 635, 100 at 68s, 72 at 70s, 91 at 675, 84 at 71s. R. J. Ashworth, Dromore: 78 at 595, 85 at 675. Ashworth Brothers, Urral: 33 at 555. Donald Brothers, Westerfield: 97 at 81s. J. G. and U. A. Humm. Springburn: 86 at 725, 89 at 665. E. Ludeman, Eiffelton: 72 at 60s. C. C. Prebble, Winchmore: 86 at 625. Daigety and New Zealand Loan, Ltd., with the National Mortgage and Agency Company, Ltd., sold on account of:— Estate L. L. Richards, Mount Hutt: 115 Romney cross at 555, 149 at 675, 108 at 595, 128 at 575, 137 halfbreds at 68s. National Mortgage and Agency Company, Ltd., sold on account of:— E. G. Milne, Highbank: 108 at 775, 100 at 78s, 100 at 70s, 103 at 71s. R. F. Nish, Winchmore: 112 at 675. R. J. Hill, Methven: 90 at 655, 70 at 635, 73 at 635. E. T. and T. A. Grigg, Alford Forest: 105 at 625, 99 at 675. A. J. McKenzie, Anama: 120 at 755, 120 at 635. V. C. Chambers, Methven: 62 at 635, 78 at 655. J. Hendry, Methven: 68 at 565. F. J. Arker, Lyndhurst: 72 at 725. J. M. C. Sauer, Methven: 64 at 555. J. T. Oram, Ltd., Methven: 95 at 725, 105 at 71s. W. A. Hart, Methven: 121 at 745. E. J. McLaughlin, Riverbank: 50 at 645. C. R. Sparrow, Lismore: 100 at 535. D. P. Histen, Mayfield: 56 at 58s. W. L. Greenslade, Alford Forest: 74 at 645. T. A. Hart, Alford Forest: 101 at 675. D. S. Harrison, Drayton: 50 at 745.

Romneys— Best ».• 79 to 89 110 to 130 Good k .] 70 to 78 100 to 108 Av. „ 60 to 68 90 to 99 Others ...J 50 to 58 78 to 88