CHRISTMAS LAMB

Evening Star, Issue 15373, 23 December 1913, Page 6

CHRISTMAS LAMB

DECTDKI) DIJOP IX PRICES

M\SY DAY AT KURXSTDK.

Things were brisk ri .f tho weekly stork sales at Buriisido to-day, As oa.rly us (i.30 :ni auctioneer mounted the rails, and in liis host business style invited offers for a pen of Christmas lambs, li was in the lambs that chief interest centred -although at one stage tho sab' of ii number of catllo which had experienced tho unpleasantness of tlio Taieri flood occupied close aitontion —and ilioir plaintive notes fiirollorl into a deep chorus that at odd times was almost deafening. As a matter of fact, before some people wore astir a few pension merits were on their way up the hill to the abattoirs to he made reiUlv to grace the (.able, of those folk who are not i.blo to run to Lurkov.

A big yarding, numbering; 2,280, was forward, consignments coming from as far afield as Oaiuaru and Kdendalo. Several of the butchers had purchased privately to mak" provision against » short market, and tin* consequence was that the yarding was'in excess of requirement s. As none of the local fronting works have yet started operations the result, was thai there was a decided falling off in prices, which, compared villi last week's values, were* back lis per head. For a while it looked as if there was going to bo an even bigger slump. Some of thoso who had bought outside were offering part of their purchases for rcsaV. and in some oases these were resold at a, loss of about .Is to -Is per bead. The quality of the yarding was up to expectations, although there were a few light and unfinished lambs forward. It had bepu thought, by some that owing to tho exceptionally wet. weather there would bo a dearth of good lambs, but their expectations were not realised, and tho lambs ncre. really better than was expected. Host, lambs brought 10s to 18s ; extra, to L'l s fd ; medium. IDs (id to los (id; light and unfinished, lis to 12s. Hutchors as a whole do not anticipate Hint, the trade will ho up to ordinary dimensions. It; is Kt-ntod flint the Christmas trade is nothing like what it used to lie eight or ton years ago. as a big number of pp.ople "have developed the habit of going out of town to country residences and orih.s for the festive season. This year there is an additional factor to be considered in tho effects of tho strike. Slany of the workers have not got much money to spend on tho Christmas table, nor have the other men who have been indirectly affected by the strike. And although Jamb will be selling from -is. 6d to (is per quarter, it is scarcely to be expected that business will be very

bnY.k. Butchers arc never keen buyers of mutton nt tho Christmas rind Now Year markets, and a small yarding of I.]-)-) iva.s forward. JYicos ke))t up remarkably woll. Quotations:—llost wethers, L'l s fid to ;;-ls; extra, to 'Jos; medium, tits to '2ls; host, owns, 21s to 2.1s r extra prime, (o 27s 3d ; others 16s 6d to -2()k.

There, was a. small yarding of 130 fat cattle forward. As usual thoro. was not a keen doma.nd. and tliomrh prices opened on a. par with bifit week 4 ,-!, rates, ac. the sale progressed thoro was :i gradual decline. Quotations:—Best bullocks, Ll'2 to IT.'i 10s; medium, £1(1 10s to ill 10s: best cows, £7 10s to £9 10a: medium. CO to £7.