Few high prices at Tinwald fair

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34097, 8 March 1976, Page 21

Few high prices at Tinwald fair

Few high prices were paid when the Ashburton open adult ewe fair was held at Tlnwald on Friday. However, ♦or the class of ewe on offer, values compared well with rates paid at sales earlier in ♦he week. The fair drew a yarding of 25.000 head, and thev were drawn from a very widespread area There was a large selection of annual draft ewes from Central Otago districts, and Waimate, while a number of big consignments was sent from gorge properties in the Mid-Canterbury lr Some buyers who attend this fair each year did not think the sheep had'come forward in such good order as usual. The Central Otago sheep, in particular, looked ■•aded. having no doubt been in hand several days, then lorried a long distance. Overnight while thev stood in the yards at Tinwald did not add to their apoearance. The yarding included an offering of 5000 fwo-tooths. most of ♦ hem halfbreds and Corriedales Thev were a mixed selection, and manv f»f them met an indifferent sale. However, the small selection of •well-grewn met useful comnetit’on. ' r he top price was SIB 30 for 115 Corriedales from J. D. Mcßae iWaihaorunga). J. w Blakely (Ranfudv) sold 156 at *lB. while sales at <17.40 werp made by R. G. Richards with 126 Corriedales, and by L Blain (Dun-

sandel), with 109 Border-; Corriedales. Apart from these sales, few 'two-tooths bettered $l5. Most of the small to medium_ sheep ranged from Sil to $14.50. Among the principal sales was; a line of 679 early-shorn halfbreds from Tripp Brothers <Orari Gorge), which sold at $11.60 to 512.70. ADULT EWES Considering that this was one; of the last fairs in the Canter- i ! bury area, and that the ewe: . market has lost much of its ear-; Her lustre, the cast-for-age ewes had a fair sale. Selling, however, . was generally very slow’. Although there were a number t of passings during the day, the J level of values was distinctly beti ter than at Methven on ThursThe top price of the section j was $13.20 for a line of 463 . early-shorn four-year-old Corrie- ; dales from G. and F. Mcßae. For its line of 388 annual draft ; Corriedales, the estate D. C. •’Smith (Hakataramea Downs* received $l2 for the first cut of 240. and $ll.BO for the balance, i A line of 483 early-shorn ewes - • from Hakataramea Station was ; taken by two buyers, the first J 150 at $ll.lO. and the remainder . at $10.40. Top price in a medium offer- ; ing of Romneys was $12.60 for 217 early-shorn four-year-olds • from J. T. Oram, of Methven. ,: Apart from some of the prin- . • cipal lines from inland districts, j good sound-mouthed ewes off

paddocks sold regularly at $9 to] 510.50. and others at $7 to 58.50. MERINOS TO 58.50 Some of the annual draft ‘ Merinos provided a minor ■ feature of an otherwise uninter- i esting sale. The annual line of ewes from the Mount Possession ; Run Company came in for some: very solid bidding from buyers : as far as Blenheim. The first pen of 260 changed * hands at $B.lO, the second of 487 was split between two buyers : at $8.50 and $8.40, while Xhe] remaining 340 sold mainlv at ! $6.20 to 56.30. Most of the other Merinos were in fairly hard condition. | Proutings (Mesopotamia), Ltd J sold 641 wethers mainly at $3.50j to $4. with one pen of 82 at! $5. Seven hundred and sixty-five ! ewes from the same vendor were] sold mainly at $3.25 to $3.50.1 with one pen of 86 at $5, > Mount Arrow-smith Station sold i 296 ewes at $3 to $3.10, and 129 j wethers at $3.70 to $4.