Strong inquiry for ewes at Tinwald

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33774, 21 February 1975, Page 12

Strong inquiry for ewes at Tinwald

The Ashburton Countystrong wool two-tooth ewe fair held at Tinwald yesterday was a good one. It started with a pen of Romneys selling at $13.10 and ended with a big pen being split at $l5 and $14.90.

In about five hours and a half of selling only one pen was passed in at auction. The sale was followed by a large gallery and bids came readily throughout. Admittedly prices were quite a long way behind last year’s record fair, but there was little evidence of a recession and lack of confidence at the Tinwald yards yesterday.

A feature of the sale was the steady inquiry. There was a stage in the early afternoon when it might have seemed a little slacker, but it may have been due to a run of rather lesser quality sheep coming forward.

However, compared with( the top sheep some of the medium to good class!; seemed to sell very well—perhaps they tended to come (within the price range of! more buyers.

Although l the sale was a good I one a stockman,. however, notedl that there was little in it fon some vendors, who paid $l2 to 1

$l4 a year ago for the sheep they were selling yesterday. The yarding totalled 20,432 head, and included 14,053 Romnels, 4156 Coopworths and Border Lelcester-Romneys, 1054 carded as Romnev cross, 505 three-quarterbreds, 375 Perendales, and 284 Border LeicesterCorriedales. It was about 4000 head down on a year ago. There was a premium for the Border-Romneys and Coopworths, and these did not show the same decline on last year las the Romneys. A comparison i between 10 pens of sheep sold ■ yesterday and five of the same : vendors’ sheep sold a year ago showed that the market this week was back about 35 per cent.

BEST $17.50 The best of these sheep made from about $l5 to $17.50, with good at $l3 to $l5 and others at $lO to $l3. There was a very strong sale for 462 from J. R. Cocks (Alford Park, Ashburton Forks). These sheep were bred with stud rams with a fertility backing of more than 200 per cent. The five pens

sold from $16.10 to $17.50. with 99 making the top money. The auctioneer started the sale of the top priced pen at $l6. For his five pens Mr Cocks had a pen average of almost $l7. D. S. Sewell (Mayfield), who topped tlie sale for BorderRomneys last year at $2B, had : 150 yesterday which made $l7. and for 595 in five pens he had sales from $14.90 upwards. His

pen average was $16.25 compared; with more than $24 a year ago. P>. G. Holmes (Methven) also sold 102 Border-Romneys at $16.75. E. G. Milne (Highbank), who; had sales at up to $15.90 for 195. i sold 629 from $13.50 upwards and for five pens averaged $l5, In the Romney section the

I level of prices for 19 pens i of sheep sold yesterday was ‘down about 39 to 40 per cent compared with the returns fori

12 pens of the same vendors’ sheep last year. The best of these brought from about $l3 to $l5, with good at $ll to Sl3, medium at $lO to $ll, and light down to $B. N. S. Murdoch (Mayfield) had one of the best sales of the day with 103 bringing $l5 and a second cut of the same size bringing $14.90. A. Doak. Ltd (Wakanuil. realised $14.75 for 188 and $14.70 for 60, and for 520 in five pens selling from $12.20 his pen average was $13.75. Conlands Farm Company (Dromore). had 210 at $14.25 and this price was also paid to P. A. Watson (Winchmore) for 83. The latter vendor sold 412 from $11.30 to $14.25 and for five pens this average was almost $12.70. E. G. Milne, who headed the (Romnev sale a year ago at $27.25 and achieved a pen average of $24 sold 1223 yesterday from isl2 to $13.60 and a pen average (of almost $l3. I D. S. Sewell (Mayfield) made from $12.90 to 514.20 for 311 and his five pens averaged al■most $13.40, compared with $22.50 |at last year’s fair. TWO-TOOTHS | Two-tooths carded as Romney ■ cross ranged from $9.60 to $l3, three-quarterbreds made from ' $10.25 to $l2, and Perendales ; from $ll to $12.20. A small selection of Border i Leicester - Corriedales made from $13.40 to $l4. R. S, and E. P. Wilson (Hindsi received (the top money for 104.

State houses. — Contracts for more than 100 Housing Corporation rental houses would be let in Dunedin by March 31 next year, said the member of Parliament for Dunedin Central (Mr B. P. MacDonell) yesterday. — i(P.A.). t