CURRENT VALUES

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 242, 9 July 1938, Page 7 (Supplement)

CURRENT VALUES

Decline On Prices Of A Year Ago

Values for both fat and store stock were for early July down on those of a year earlier, except in the cases of beer and dairy stoek, which are both well up. Current values for fat stock, averaged over the lower half of the North Island scales, may be quoted as follows: Ox beef, 34/- 1001 b.; ex-dairy cows, good medium, £5/10/- a head. The ox beef is really at chillers, export parity. . Fat wethers, 25/0. This is no more than export parity, an extraordinary situation for mid-winter. .These sheen are fully 5/0 below last year. Fat ewes, 17/0, down 9/0 on a year earlier. The current price is only about that paid by the works this autumn. Which is as strange as is the case , of wethers. - . . , The decline in skin values certainly has materially altered the basic situation for fat sheep. Even so, they are too cheap, and a pronounced rise can reasonably be anticipated. Seasonal influences are certainly playing a part in setting • current mutton values. As the winter advances and feed becomes shorter.. so too will fat stock be less plentiful. The splendid autumn and the late arrival of real winter -undoubtedly kept prices down till lately. Store Sheep. The store sheep marketis dull. The biggest news is the Gisborne collapse of July 4, when a large yarding was sold at about half value.. That would be, however, a local affair. The lack of rail transport may be largely , responsible, for this; coupled with local feed conditions perhaps. ■ • * ’ . Principal trade at present, generally, is in aged breeding ewes and wether hoggets. Standard current values are:—-five-year ewes, 24/-, for . really good lines; down 3/6 on a year ago. For wether hoggets, 18/-, good lines; down 3/- on a year ago. Ewe hoggets have not sold .lately to provide a sound indication, but they would appear , to be worth Z[- below last year, on the current market. Really good two-tooth -wethers are today worth 22/- only. Two-tooth eyres are worth about 30/for good lines; down "4/- on a year earlier. • • . Dairy Stock.

An outstanding 'grade dairy herd nf over 80 cows, sold <it the close of June lor an overall average of £ll/6/-. This week I attended another' sale, of lesser quality, where the average was £7 Only. Here the top price was £ll. . The top prices do tend to give a false idea of values. One hears of a herd averaging. £ll. and .that some cows in it sold at u.p to £l5/10/-. ' Actually, £9/10/- was about the average for June sales of grade herds. Tais would be .up. .from .20/- to 25/- a head on a year ago. ... ... ‘ In three'years, dairy stock have ful.y ■doubled their 'value. During the past fortnight there has been an easing tendency, of 10/- to Lj/a head. This was seen at this time last year, but a few weeks later there was a strong upswing. Perhaps as bonuses are declared, the same will be seen this year.