ADDINGTON

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 115, 10 February 1944, Page 3

ADDINGTON

CHRISTCHURCH, February 9. Values for all fat stock at the Addington market today were on a par with those of last week. The fat sheep entry was about the same as last week, but a greater proportion of rough cows in a larger fat cattle section kept values down. Fat sheep: An entry of about 4000 included a fair proportion of wethers. There were a few pens of Chatham Island sheep. The quality was mixed, so that both ewes and wethers showing prime condition were eagerly bought by the trade. The freezing companies took almost the whole of the remainder of the entry at prices about 1/- a head more than last week. Top price for wethers was 42/4 for a line of four-tooths and a small pen of maiden ewes made 36/7. • Two-tooth wethers made to 38/- and a line of exceptionally biff-framed Chatham wethers sold for 34/1. Store sheep: The entry was comprised mostly of lambs, .which sold well at an advance of about 1/- a head on last week's sale, the improvement being caused by the recent rain. The best price was 21/- for a line of open-woolled lambs, and another line of similar sheeb made 20/-. There were several station lines forward, one of 837 halfbred lambs making from 11/9 to 16/5. A few lines of Chatham ewes and wethers were offered, one of two-tooth ewes making 38/6 and one of four, six and eight-tooths sold for 20/9. A line of four-tooth wethers sold for 28/-. A pen of four-year-old local ewes made 23/-, bilt most of the yarding in this section was made up of old ewes, which sold ud to 11/9. Fat cattle: Uneasiness about the effect of the introduction of meat rationing and the acute feed position only partly relieved by the recent rain, was responsible for a crowded yarding in the fat cattle pens, last week's overflow entry being exceeded by an entry of 620. There was a great shortage of prime beef, while for the number of rough to moderate cows showing the sale was a record. Some were from dairy herds, but the majority were merely unwanted sorts, and the sale they met was in line with their quality. Taken all over, the sale barely maintained last week’s rates. The demand for prime butchers’ beef was firm, but inferior stock depreciated by £1 a head. Early in the sale when the demand for prime beef was best, four from a truck from Pigeon Bay i sold at £22/17/6 and late in the sale a feature line of 16 Southland Herefords . averaged £l9/18/6, the top beast bringing £2l/17/6. A particularly good sale for fat cows was £lO 12/6 to £lB/2/6 for 10. Best mediumweight beef averaged 47/- to 50/- a 1001 b., good 42/- to 46/-. medium to 39/-, ordinary to 36/6. Best cow beef made to 40/-« secondary to 34/-, and inferior down to 26/- a 1601 b. Fat pigs: In the porker pens, the yarding was of medium size, and there was a good sale, all buyers competing up to full schedule rates. The chopper entry also was of medium size, but values showed no change. In the bacon section, the yarding was again large and the sale was keen throughout, last week’s better values being fully maintained. The average price per lb. was Bd. to Bid.