TARANAKI STOCK MARKETS

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 21 May 1932, Page 10

TARANAKI STOCK MARKETS

ACTIVITY IX DAIRY SECTION. FARMERS’ CO-OP. REVIEW. Presenting-its weekly review of the Taranaki .stock markets the Farmers Co-op. Organisation Society of JMew Zealand,, Ltd., states that a busy period, with activity in the dairy section, has been experienced. All other sections were very quiet. Yardings continue to be big in most centres, aithough there is a falling, off in the cull cow section, and it is apparent that most farmers have got rid of the cows they do not intend to feed through the winter. There is little or nothing doing with store sheep, only odd sales being made, although there is still an enquiry' for forward lambs which would require very little topping off. Few lines are offering in this section, the majority offering being small and inferior. Two and four-tooth wethers are enquired for, and sales made during the week include a line of good two-tooths at 10s and some forward four and six-tooths at 11s 3d. Good eWe hoggets are easy to place, hut here again the quality' is usually ordinary and this class of ewe hogget is very difficult to place. Prospective purchasers are willing to pay from 10s to 11® for really good lots, with few available-.

Flat sheep are on a. par, with no apparent shortage and prices remaining firm at late rates. Fat ewes make from 8s to 10s. depending on quality and weight, and good fat wethers are available at from 13s to 15s. Fat cattle show very little change. Here again there seems to he an acle- . quate supply, with a number of holders anxious to quit. Prices ruling this week include a line of bullocks at £5 15s and fat cows and heifers at £3 15s, £4, £4 5s and £4 10s. The store cattle market is quite' stagnant, with practically no enquiry for station cattle of any class and the values ruling at the present time are disastrous to anvbodv forced to sell, with little prospects until the spring feed comes of any material alteration m the position. In dairy cattle a few weaners have changed hands during the week, two big lots having been purchased by outside buyers, with an increasing number of local farmers filling their requirements. The better class heifer is being sold at from 35s to 40s, with an odd sale being made at about 50s, but this price is rather the exception than the ruile and the average of all the sales made for good weaners would be about £2. In-calf heifers continue to he sold in dribs' and drabs, truck lots being the order of the day, with only a few purchasers going in for big lines. Values remain on a par with, the prices ruling last month, and the majority of sales are made for early deliverv at between £5 and £6, with selections of high-class heifers being sold in odd lots at £6 10s to £7. At the Hawera sale on Thursday over 200 heifers were offered, and, included a number of nice early calvers, all good quality. These met a dragrrjnrr sale, although we were able to dispose of over half the entry at auction and privately' after the sale. Although outside buyers were present they operated cautiously, and the big bulk of the heifers remained in the district, only two pens going to the Waikato. Mr W. Duggan’s heifers were a particularly choice lot, the tops making from £0 2s 6d to £7 os 6d. with the more backward heifers at to to £5 15s. Mr P. Duggan’s top heifers were also very good, and made from £5 15s to £6 2s 6d. with the more backward heifers selling at ±*o. The majority of the heifers; entered on account of other vendors did not meet vendors’ reserves, hut those disposed of were sold at an average of £5. The sale was disappointing, in so far. as it was quite evident that the outside hovers are at present operating on lowlimits, while the local farmer is not ready as vet to make his purchases. Over 100 store cattle were yarded, including some lines of station cattle, which were disposed of at very low monev. Fat cows brought from £-3 5s to £4. forward station cows lbs. to , 20s. emptv rows 16s to 18s. springing find calved dairv cows £2 15s to £6. Fat ewes (extra good! realised from : 11s 3d to 12s Id. medium 8s to 9s, fat j lamb si (<?o«ncl) 11s 3d to 12 s Id, fat wethers 13s 6d to 14s 6d. The Manain sale drew a particularly , o-ood entry of store cattle, consisting j mainlv of' cull cows and including a < number of good conditioned sound < emptv cows, which met a -slightly bet- 1 ter market at from 15s to 255. Fat j cows made from £2 15s to £3 Ips, .< good stores 15s to 21s. poor 10s to 1-s j 6d. bulls £2 10s to £3. : The Kakaramea sale brought the . usual entry of .store cow's and entries ( of pigs and sheep, with prices at rul- > ing rates. Store ewes sold at 4s to ss. , store cows 10s 6d to 275, and bulls £3 < to £4 Is. , For the Eltham sale a smaller yard- , in.tr of stock came forward. Store cat- { tie’sold at current rates, while bidding <_ was a little easier on young meaty' t cattle. i The Opunake sale drew a good yarding of store cattle and some yarding of "weaner heifers, sundries, etc. Cat- s tie sold at late rates, weaner heifers j (medium) bringing 20s to 30s. bulls £2 ( . to £3 19s, forward cows 18s 6d to 38s. f store cows 13s to 15s. v

LOAN AND MERCANTILE, AGENCY ENQUIRY FOR FAT EAVES. A fair enquiry lias been maintained during the week for fat ewes and wethers, and quite a number of both sorts have been absorbed at lading rates, states the report of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company. Ltd. It is apparent that the number of fat ewes and wethers being held is limited, and we look to prices hardening in the near future, particularly as the winter is now upon us and feed is dwindling. Business m other sections of the sheep market is very restricted; a few small lines of in-lamb ewes have changed hands and also a few small lines of store lambs. The market for cattle is in a very disappointing state. Cull cows are still coming forward to the yards in large numbers, but are realising only very low prices. There is a quiet demand for young sound empty Jersey cows, and these are selling at above works price. Beef cattle are still very slow and hard to sell, and we can see no immediate prospect of any advancement. Store cattle, in sympathy with beef, are also very hard to quit, and what sales there are taking place are at sacrifice prices. In the dairy cattle section business has been very steady, and in-calf heifers up to the present have lieen sold in considerable numbers, mostly to fro to outside districts. Vendors generally are willing to meet havers, and although prices realised are lower than for mauv venrs, yet a considerable volume of business lias resulted, mostly being forward sales. Wenners are gradually being bought ito. but prices are not very high, and most of the weaners sold have heen

sent out of the district, the local demand being very slight. Pigs are neglected in the yards, prices being only nominal, as is usual at this season of the year. Stales- of weaners to Te Awamutu and Waipuku.rau were made during the week. Prices at various sales have been, as follow: In-lamb ewes 7s 2d to Bs, 2tooth wethers 10s 6d to 13s 6d, 4-tooth fat wethers to 13s 6d, 31 to 41-year steers £1 5s to £2 7s 6d, dairy com close to profit £5 to £6. NEWTON KING- REPORT. WEANERS AND DAIRY HEIFERS. The review of Newton King, Ltd., states that notes of appreciation of the springlike weather during the autumn are sounded in all quarters of the district, and a continuation of the bright sunny days would undoubtedly assist the pastures to withstand the severity of the early winter. Frosts of a light degree have been witnessed since the last report, and their incoming calls for further consideration as to the future welfare of stock. Holders of any surplus show keeness to sell at lower values than would have been acceptable some few weeks ago, and although no alteration in values is perceptible, trading is a little easier to complete at values in keeping with purchasers’ ideas. Business for the most part has been confined to weaners and dairy heifers, trading in other departments being of little account. The beef market continues to be a problem, the existing freezing rate (15s per . hundred) being far from remunerative, and where quitting is necessary through shortness of feed the only compensating feature is the seemingly low values at which graziers can re-stock. Butchers’ operations are confined to immediate requirements, ox beef being practicallyneglected. Values for best cows and heifers range from £1 5s to £5, while oddments offering at auction sell at from £2 to £3, but competition is

weak. Business with freezing companies in mutton has been reduced to practically nil. The supplies available now seem to be just sufficient for local requirements, and in consequence values have not eased in sympathy with the recent reduction in the works schedule. Wethers sell at from 13s 6d to 15s, ewes 9s to 10s Gd, and lambs 12s 6d to 14s 6d. . , The store sheep section displays little buoyancy; in fact values for ewes m lamb,” especially young sheep and those that have been mated with Romney rams, are below the figures that ruled before mating. There is, however, a good inquiry for store and forward wethers, but quotations are few and in consequence buyers bid freely for the odd lots that come under the hamper, and those quoted privately are readily absorbed. Forward wethers sell at up to 12s and stores at 9s 6d to 10s 6d. Ewes in lamb to Southdown rams are sought at restricted limits, but those mated to Romneys find little favour. Sales during the week included a line of 4-year-olds in lamb to Southdown rams at 11s 3d, while a line of 4 and 5-vear-olds changed hands at 10s 6d. Lambs continue to find a reasonably good market, well-bred white-faced sheep finding most favour. Wethers sell at from 7s to 8s and ewes at from 7s 6d to 8s 6d. Oddments of Southdown cross offering at auction meet fair competition and prices range from 5s to 8s according to condition. A drop in the works schedule for boners to 4s per hundred comes at an untimely period, as the bulk of the yardings are composed of this class, and values, have accordingly suffered. Meaty cows arc now worth from 18s to 22s and boners 7s 6d to 14s. Weaner Jersey heifers have come in for a little better demand during the week, but prices show no hardening. Outside buyers have been operating fairly freely, but from £1 17s 6d to £2 2s 6d stops most buyers, even for top quality cattle. Good numbers are offering at auction, but only the best cattle meet reasonable competition, and from £1 15s to £2 is the order, while medium sorts sell at from £1 5s to £1 10s and crossbred showing quality £1 to £1 ss. Small and inferior-bred make 10s to 15s.

Business with dairy heifers is spasmodic. Local inquiry is practically nil and trading to date has been confined to outside inquiry. Holders realise that there are many hundreds of cattle available in the district and show their readiness to complete at any reasonable i offer. Buyers favour early culvers showing quality, and where one-truck lots of the tops of lines are selected from £6 to £6 10s is paid, with occasional sales in advance of the latter figure. Larger selections of good cattle are available at from £d 10s to £5 Ids, and in many cases mid-June delivery can be arranged, while wholesale lines suitable for traders are quoted at from £5 to £5 10s. Inquiry from the southern part of the district for dairy cows shows an increasing tendency, and where sellers are prepared to quit small percentages of the pick of their herns, good money is offering. Sales during the week on these lilies were recorded at from £8 10s to £9 according to the percentage selected. At the Kohuratahi cattle fair and sheep sale on Wednesday a good yarding of both station cattle and sheep came forward, but the quality of the former left room for improvement, while a good number of the slieep were a little on the small side and light in condition. Buyers were in attendance from all parts of the district and the hulk of the offering was disposed of at ruling values, which, although low, were readily accepted by vendors, fat and forward bullocks (light) made £8 17s Cd, store bullocks (very light conditioned) £1 14s to £2, 3-year-old steers, Hereford and Doled Angus cross. £2 IDs, young steers, 20 months (poor quality). 19s, yearling steers and heifers (very poor) 7s 6d to 12s 6d, fat cows £2 Ids, dairy cows (late culvers and low in condition) £3, boner cows l()s to £1 6s, works bulls (light) £1 Fls to £1 16s, 4 and 6-tooth Romney ewes (small) in lamb to Romney rams 7s 10(1, 2-tooth Romney ewes 7s 7tl to 8s 3d, f.m. ewes 6s, ewe lambs, Romneys (fair), 7s 9d, ewe lambs, Romneys (small) 6s, wether lambs 6s 2d, mixed 1 sex Jambs 6s 2d, cull lambs 2s 4d to 3s Kiel, in.a. wethers (small) 7s lid. The entry at the Inglewood sale on Wednesday consisted of oddments, which .sold at late rates. These were supplemented by a good entry of dairy heifers and a herd of cows. The latter consisted of crossbred cattle and little information was available concerning the calving dates. In view of this the prices recorded were quite satisfactory. Good young Jersey and Jersey-cross cows made from £4 10s to £d Ids. older and later culvers £2 ds to £3 ds. A line of some forty in-calf heifers of reasonably good quality, but small, changed bands at from £3 to £4, the most backward of the line selling at £2 7s 6d.

Good numbers of pigs are yarded at all the Haymarket sales, but all classes have lost favour and competition is weak. At the New Plymouth Haymarket sale yesterday an average yarding came forward but met with iittle competition, arid prices were if anything down on last week’s rates.

Practically a total clearance was effected. Light-wegiht porkers made 20s Gd, unfinished 19s Cd, large stores in good condition 12s 6d to 13s (id, slips 6s to 7s, best weaners 4s to ss, others 2s to 3s.