IN EXCESS SUPPLY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 92, 20 April 1939, Page 7

IN EXCESS SUPPLY

LIVESTOCK AT SALES

SOME SHARP PRICE FALLS

" Beef prices for a larger yarding | dropped sharply at the Westfield stock , sale yesterday, the demand being very > slack. Values also fell sharply for one [ of the largest entries of calves seen [ for some time, the fall in many cases ; being 20s a head. Meeting a slack ; demand, values for • wethers slumped. ; The entry of sheep being large, the : easing tendency was also noticeable - in the ewe prices, though it was only . slight. Lambs came forward in aver- , age numbers and sold at late rates. I Values were fully firm for a full aver- [ age entry of pigs. : No change in values for fat cattle was seen at the Burnside stock sale yesterday. The yarding was made up of medium weights with the usual number of cows and heifers. Starting at late parity, the market did not vary appreciably at any time. A large entry of fat sheep came forward, con- j sisting mainly of medium weights with ! a larger proportion than usual of finewoolled wethers. The supply was well beyond the demand, a general easing of 3s a head resulting. About 1500 fat lambs were penned, butchers competing for the heavy grades. The sale saw little alteration in values. Fat pigs sold keenly at slightly advanced prices. MASTERTON SALE. The Associated Auctioneers report that fat sheep were easier by Is to Is 6d a head at the Masterton stock sale yesterday, and stores were about on a par with late prices. A large entry of fat shee> and good quality lines of wethers and wether lambs were offered. A small penning of extra prime heavy wethers made 245, and the top price for fat ewes was 13s. Fat lambs went as far as 19s. In the store sheep section a choice line of four-tooth wethers in very forward condition brought 17s 6d. and an outstanding pen of two-tooths sold at 15s 6d. An extra good lot of wether lambs realised 12s. A big entry of horses, including a consignment of South Island draughts, was submitted to a large attendance of buyers, and though in some cases prices were rather disappointing, a good clearance was effected. Prices are:— Sheep.—Extra prime wethers. 20s to 245; prime, 17s to 19s 6d; medium to good, 16s to 17s; prime heavy ewes, 12s to 13s; medium ewes, 10s 6d to lls 6d; b.f. two-tooths. 15s to 17s; fat lambs, 13s 4d to 16s 3d. extra prime to 19s 6d; best four-tooth wethers, to 17s 6d; best two-tooth wethers, 15s, medium 13s to 14s; best wether lambs, to 12s; medium to good, 8s to 10s 6d, small 4s to ss. Pigs.—Weaner pigs, 5s to 6s. Horses.—Draught mares, two to eight years, £34 to £40; aged draught mares, £17 10s to £29 10s; agea draught geldings, £13 to £28; hack and harness gelding, £17. LEVIN PRICES. Abraham and Williams, Ltd., report that unusually heavy yardings were offered in all sections at Tuesday's stock sale in Levin. Prices for porkers remained on a par with late rates, but baconers were in demand and brought higher prices. Fat cattle and vealers were hard to quit, because of the large yarding, and prices showed a slight decline. • There was a keen demand for dairy cattle and values showed a good increase. Fat ewes of good quality brought high prices, but the demand for store sheep was poor. Quotations: —

Pigs.—Light porkers, 26s to 355; medium, 38s 6d to £2 ss; heavy, £2 7s to £2 15s; baconers, £3 to £3 6s; small stores, 5s to 8s; larger, lls 6d to 18s 6d; prime, 23s 6d. Sheep.—Fat lambs, 20s to " 22s lOd; fat ewes, 13s 6d to 16s 3d; fat hoggets, 16s 6d to 22s 6d; two-tooth wethers, •15s Id to 15s lOd; store ewes, 8s lOd to 10s 9d; ewe hoggets. 12s 8d; store lambs, 9s 6d. Cattle. —Light fat cows, £3 5s to £4; medium, £4 7s 6d to £5; heavy, £5 10s to £6 2s 6d; vealers, 27s 6d to £3; runners, £3 lls to £3 17s; yearling heifers, £3 4s; weaner Jerse-" heifers, £2 17s 6d; springing heifers, £6 12s 6d to £10 10s.

ADDINGTON MARKET.

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

CHRISTCHURCH, April 19,

The continued dry weather in the province was reflected at the weekly stock market in Addington today by an overflow of stock in several of the more important sections. The result was a general easing in prices, though fat lambs sold up to schedule values. The store sheep entry was much smaller than that of last week but the market showed little change. There was a fair demand for coarse-woolled ewes, though these have been steadily easing for some weeks. A good-condi-tioneci line of Chatham Island soundmouthed ewes made 19s 9d; other coarse wools, not so good in mouth, sold at 12s 6d to 15s; best two-tooth fine wools 19s 3d; best lambs averaged about lls, medium 6s 6d to 9s, low conditioned down to 4s. The demand for adult wethers was poor and most of these were passed. The entry of about 3000 fat lambs was the largest for some time, about 1700 being forward last week. Competition from the export trade was restricted and lambs sold at no better than the bare schedule rates.

The entry of about 7500 fat sheep was an overflow one and mixed in quality, though there was a good proportion of prime wethers. The sale opened at a lower level than the average rates of last week and improved a little later. There was an easing of Is 6d to 2s a head on nearly all classes in the latter part of the sale. Extra prime heavy wethers made to 27s 7d, prime heavy 21s 6d to 245, prime medium 18s 6d to 21s, light to 14s; extra prime heavy ewes to 20s, prime heavy 14s 6d to 18s, prime medium lls 6d to 14s, light to 7s. The fat cattle section was heavily oversupplied with a total of 630 animals, against the 390 of last week. The market opened well for the best lines of steers and heifers, there being only a very minor easing on the good rates of a week ago. For all other classes, however, the market was down, particularly for second-class cows. Considering the oversupply of indifferent quality animals the sale for good beef was satisfactory. Mediumweight prime cattle in a number of cases made 36s to 37s a 1001b. and medium 32s to 345. Extra prime he?vy steers mad. to £17 17s 6d. prime heavy £14 to £15, prime medium £12 to £14, light to £8 15s; extra prime heifers to £13 2s 6d, prime £9 10s to £10 10s, medium £6 15s to £8 15s, light to £6; extra prime cows, to £13 7s 6d. prime £7 5s to £8 15s; medium £5 5s to £6 ss, light and aged to £5. The entry of porkers was the largest for some time, and prices from the outset were easier than for recent sales. Baconers were yarded in larger numbers than for any sale so far this season and prices eased from 5s to 6s a head all round. Choppers were in fairly heavy supply, meeting a good sale at orices fully on a par with those of a week ago. Choppers made 53s 6d to £5 18s 6d; porkers 37s 6d to 54s 6d, an average price a 1b of 6Jd to 7d; baconers 54s 6d to £4 6s 6d, an average price a lb of s£d to 6|d.