A WELLINGTON CATTLE HOLDER AND THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XVIII, Issue 1633, 15 October 1862, Page 4

A WELLINGTON CATTLE HOLDER AND THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES

Wi cxhaet the following fiom the Bail'/ Times, of the 24 th September The following kttci li is been nddiessed to us per favour of the Wrllai'ilim hnhpcndnii, in lesprd to the r|ii()tations of thp Wellington Cattle- Maiket, fnun-ihul to us I)}' oui os\n conc->pi>n(lcnt Tt is light to say that, while giving nisei tion to tins letter, wehaveeveiy confukiuo in the good f.uth of om coiiespondent, anil that the letnaiks of "A Cattle Holder" must lie simply takui fot wli.it they <nc worth — To t/ic Lditur of Ihe Olai/o Dudij Times, per fm our of (lie Welliw/OM Indc/tcndenl Sn , — In \oui issue of Septembei 12th, under the head "Coininucisil, ' I find the following — " Wulhngton, Soptctnbi i Bth, 1802 --In my last I indicated that the then jmec-s of stock weie not to be depended upon foi moie than a fortnight The pieqent state of the mailed fully justifies my lemiiks. The demand foi cattle, fat oi stoic, is bmlc ; piices have risen, and have still an npw ard tendency. One gentleman, a late ainval from tho poutli, bi ought up an older for 1000 head of young htock, but will have to increase his offer by some 50 per cent befoie he will get them, though three months ago, the writer would have been very glad to have hold Huch <i mob at his piice. Purchaseis from the North and South aie actively bidding against each other, but with the piobability of a still better market at o'ir own doois, by the supply of troops expected this year, to be introduced for road making, make* it difficult to buy at all. Of actual sales I may mention a mixed lot of 450 head, sold by Rhodes and Co., last week, at £7 a head, cash, deliveiableat Wanganui— equal to .£7 10s. at Wellington." Sir, Now I can assure you that the above statement has caused the greatest astonishment here, I am largely inteiested in the giowth and sale of cattle, and should lie delighted to witnees the demand and consequent rise in price your conesjiondent indicates. I certainly havo heai dof Rhodes and Co selling a pi ime lot, mostly bullocks, at about £7 per head, but the rest of youv informant's statement is so strange and contiaiy to fact*, tnat thete is an impression here that you must have been hoaxed. We know nothing about troops coming to eat our beef — the demand for A uckland is falling off — and tho 50 per cent liie only exists in the imagina tive brain of your veisatilo conespondent; but wo do know that a gentleman, Mr. Bad, from Ota^o, came JiDie some time ago, Bout his agent up the country, and bought a mixed honl, consisting of bullocks, cows, steers and heifers (tho latter not calves), at £3 6s. per

head on the rnn, l>ut finding he could get plenty at £8 per bead on llio inn, ho lowered his price, und advertised to give only £2 ss. per lioad, delivered in Wellington ; of couise no one would look at tho latter piioe. But T beg to inform you, Fir, and the Otago public, that at tho foiinor prices there are plenty of ciittlo to be bought in this province. — I am, Sir, yours obediently, A. Cattle-Holder. Wellington, September 17th, 1862.