COMMERCIAL

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 13 April 1934, Page 8

COMMERCIAL

STORTFOIM) LODGE SALE.

MOST “DEAD” FOR. MONTHS. HASTINGS, April 11

To-day’s sale of fat cattle at Stortforcl Lodge was the “deadest” for months, values dropping heavily right from the start. Bullocks suffered the greatest decline, cows and heifers easing in sympathy. In consequence, buyers were loth to sell and passings were frequent. The reason for the slump to-day was the withdrawal of export competition, which had been a feature in this section for some weeks. The fall in prices ranged from 15s to 30s a head on ah entry of 343 head. Bullocks, medium to prime, made £G to £7; others, from £5; cows, medium to prime, £3 15s to £4 2s 6d; others, from £3; heifers, medium to prime., £4 to £4 ss; others, from £3 2s. The store cattle market was variable. On an entry of 907 head there was little change from last week’s sale. There were fewer passings compared with last week. Steers and bullocks sold to £5, cows to £2 2s, and heifers to £2 3s Cd.

About 4500 fat sheep were entered, ewes and lambs predominating Ewes fell from 9d to Is a head. Wethers made late rates, and lambs showed a klight improvement under keen export competition. Ewes, medium to prime, 17s to 21s 6d; others, from 15s 2d; wethers, medium to prime, 21s 8d to 24s Gd; others, from 20s; lambs, 16s to 24s 6d. A total of 15,000 store sheep was offered, values being much the same as last week. Selling opened quietly, but picked up later. Lambs met a fair demand. Breeding ewes in lamb to Southdown rams met a moderate inquiry, while wethers sold well. Twotooth ewes sold to 21s 3d; 4-tooth to 5-year ewes, to 18s; fattening ewes, to 15s 6d; wethers, to 22s 8d; lambs, to 18s lOd.

BRISK WESTFIELD SALE

LATE RATES MAINTAINED

AUCKLAND, April 11. The demand for Ibeef ivas brisk a.t WeSffield to-day, and late rates were fuflv maintained. Some well-finished cattle realised good prices. Extra choice ox ibeef sold to 22s- per 1001’b, choice and prime 18s to 21s, secondary and plain 14s to 17s, prime young cow and heifer Ibeef 16s to 21s, ordinary cow ibeef 10s to 17s.

Extra heavy pi'im© steers made £8 15s to £9 7®*6d, heavy prim© £7 10s to £8 12s 6d, lighter prime £6 5s to £7 7s i6d, light prime £5 10s to £6 2s 6d, small and unfinished £3 10s to £5 7is 6d. Extra, heavy prime young cows and! heifers £5 to £6 15s, heavy prime £4 to £4 17is 6d, lighter prime £2 15s to £3 17s 6d, other killahle cows £1 10s to £2 12s 6d.

There was a shortage of calves - and the demand was’ keener, with a. rise in prices for better sorts. Inferior, lines sold about on ai par with last week. A particularly prime Polled Angus runner made £4 9s. Runners '3os to 735, veal* ers 15s to- 575.

The dry weather is beginning to influence the yarding® of sheep, and these were offered in much reduced numbers'. The yarding included a large number of unfinished sheep, which tended to be n little cheaper. Prime sorts, however, sold well" wifth ewes firmer than they have been for a few weeks, and wethers maintained late rates. A small offering of special wethers made 325, prime wethers 22s 6d to 29s 6d. unfinished 17® to 23e Gd, prime ewes 15s to 245, unfinished 6s to 18s Gd. In a large yarding of lambs there were very few that were not in prime condition. Oompetiti on was steady throughout, and values remained very firm on late rates. Prime lambs 15s to 2Gs, unfinished 10s to 16s 6d. Sphere was an extra large, yarding of fat pigs. A)l,l prime baooners met a steady -demand and sold freely at late rates. Porkers were a trifle easier, particularly unfinished sorts. Store pigs were not Wanted and suffered a marked decline ini alive. Average prices per lb. 5d to 53 d for baooners and 4Jd to 5d fov porkers. Baooners made 42s to 695, porkers 16s to 38s, large stores 12s to 21s.

HEAVY BURNSIDE YARDING. CATTLE AND SHEEP PENS. DUNEDIN, April 11. Heavy consignments of cattle were the feature of the Burnside stock sales to-day. Fats numbered. 314, stores 360, with, a good show of dairy cows. There was good inquiry for both ox and < ov beef and keen competition which kept rates at a very satisfactory level. Extra heavy prime bullocks made to £ll 2s 6d, prime heavy £8 to £9 10s, medium £7 to £7 15s, ‘light £5 to £6 Is. 1 est coys £6 7s Gd, medium £3 10s to £4 10s, light 50s to 655. The store .rattle entry included ‘several pens oi well-conditioned four and five-yelar-old steers, which met with a ready saleup to £8 4s. Good dairy cows close to profit were worth up to £7 os, but late calvers did not attract much attention. There was a fair sale foi vealers, but graziers’ cows and boners showed no change on late rates. The fat sheep entry numbered about 1700 and included a larger percentage of wethers than usual. Tlio market opened with rates for_ butchers'’ sheep from Is to Is 6d higher than last week, and exporters were operating on slightly better limits. The strength of the market was maintained until

the last race when values, slipped back ', last week’s level. Extra prime heavy wethers made to 325, prime heavy l-o Ogs fid, medium from 24s to 265, light ~U s to 23s extra prime heavy maiden ewes to 26s 3d, extra prim© heavies to its, prime heavy to 17s, medium 14s to los. Fat lamb penning® totalled 366, and, the quality was well up to last week’s high standard, and price* for prime sorts advanced fully Is a head; seconds, however, were not in very keen demand. Extra prime heavies! made to 30s. prime heavy 25s to 275, prime 23s to 24s 6d, medium and light up to 225, a good even line of store lambs ' requiring a month’s feeding brought 19s 6d. . There were 126 fatjoigs and 63 stores yarded. The supply of fats was shardly equal to the demand, and sold at slight-j iy increased rates. Stores were veryj difficult to quit at any price. ADDINGTON RATES' FIRM. KEEN DEMAND FOR. SHEEP. | Normal entries in all sections met a i [ sustained demand at equal to or slightily better than, late rates at Addington to-clay. A very mixed entry of store sueo*/. including North Island, Chatham Islands and Marlborough lines, met a keen sale with ewes averaging Is dealer than last week and wethers very firm. Lambs shared in the general fi nntiess, especially forward sorts. \ a lues were: Good two-tooth Romney ewes 28s 9d to 30s 6d, ordinary 4 and 6-tocin ; crossbred ewes 20s 9d to. 25s 9d; ordinary 6 and 8 Romney ewes, 20s to 2/s 1 3d good 2-tooth half bred ewes to 32s i 6d’, : ordinary two-tooth halfbred 275.] to 28s 9d ordinary 4 and 6-tooth half, bred 23s to 25s 6d, ordinary 6 and 8tooth to 225, good 4-year-old haltbreu 2 9 >s to 245, medium sound-mouth half- ■ bred ewes 19s to 21s. 6d, ordinary sound-mouth halfbred ewes 16s 6d to 18s fid, sound and failing-mouth eaves 13s to 15s 6d, aged and inferior halfbred 8s Id to 12s 6d, forward halfbred wethers 19s to 235. otheis 15s to 18s 6d goqd ewe lambs 19s 9d to 20s 9d medium 18s to 19s, ordinary 16s lOd to 17s lOd, forward store lambs 18s To 19s 17d, medium 16s to 17s 9d, plain and ordinary 11s to- 15s 6d. The fat lamjj entry totalled 3500 head. The export schedule lias been raised £d per lb for all grades, causing increased prices to correspond with the new basis, exporters paying up to Sd, with manv sales at over 8d; extra nme soldT to 30s Id, prime 24s 6d to 275, prime medium weight 20s to 245, light 17s to 19. C 6d. The fat sheep entry totalled 4800, the quality being indifferent. Butchers’ wethers advanced Is a head, with ewes slightly firmer. Values were; Extra ■ prime ‘wethers to 29s Id, prime 245. to 26s 6d; prime medium weight- 2'ls 6d to 23s 6d. ordinary 19s to 21s, light i 15s to IBs 6d, extra prime heavy owes ! to 23s 7d, prime medium weight 18s ■ 3d to 21s, ordinary 1.5 s 6d to 18s, light, i 11s to 15s. The fatcattle entry totalled 540 head. Lines from the West Coast and Southland came forward and met a steady sale on a par with late rates. Best beef made to 24s a 1001 b, good 18s to 21s, heavyweight 15s 6d to 17s 6d, ordinafy quality 13s to 16 s, rough dow r n to 10s fid. Values were: Extra prime heavy steers to £ll 2s 6d, prime £7 10s to '£B 15s, medium weight £6 lOs to £B. ordinary quality £3 lOs to £6 light to £3 ss, extra prime heifers to £8 17s 6d, prime £4 to £6 7a 6d, ordinary £2 15s to £3 15s, 1 ierht to £2 10s, extra prime cows to £8 1.2 s 6d. prime £3 10s to £5 os, medium £2 to £3 5s x light- to £2. Fat pigs. —The demand was irrejgular, but values approximately maintained late rates. Values lverei: Choppers £2 to £4, haconeiis 46s 6d to 54 s 6d, heavy baconers 57s 6d to £3 1 17s fid, average baconers 57s 6d to £3 17s 6d: average price per lb, 4|-d to 5Jd; porkers, 32s to 44s 6d; average price per lb 5d to 5Jd. Store of class w r ere scarce. Good three-year-old steers made £4 8s 6d, two-year-olds £3 to £3 15s, heif•s £2 to £2 10s. yearlings, m.s., 15s to 27s fid. Vealers were sufficient to fill requirements. Rough sorts met a ooor demand. The top price of the market Wa,s £4 8s 6d. Store pigs declined 3si a head! on late rates. Weaners 5s 6d to 9s, stores I Lis to 20s, sows in pig to £3 ss.

JOHNSOjWILLE sale. LAMB PRICES RISE. Prime heavyweight lambs sold at an increase of Is per head on last week’s rates, while light and medium sorts were on a par, at the Johnsonville stock sale held to-day. A large yarding of cattle came forward. The bul-j locks comprised mostly heavyweights with odd pens of light and unfinished sorts. The yarding of cows and heifers was not up to the usual quality. Competition for prime bullocks and cows was keen, at late rates, while light and inferior quality met with little demand, with frequent passings. Good runners and vealers sold well, other sorts being hard to quit. The yarding of sheep was of good quaity. The demand was not keen, only prime_ heavy sorts being sought after. The price for the class showed litle alteration. Plainer sorts were practically unsaleable. The quality of the lambs was good. Prime heavyweights sold at an increase of Is per head on last week’s rates. Prices were: Cattle.—Prime extra heavy bullocks £lO (single), £9 10s (single), £9 3s ''single), £9 (single), £8 13s, £8 13s 6d, £8 7s 6d; prime heavy bullocks. £7 5s to £7, prime heavy cows and heifers £6 to £4 15s, cows and heifers £4 12s to £4 ss, runners £3 to £2 7s (Id, vealers £2 5s to £1 9s, calves £1 5s to 15s.

•Sheep.—Prime extra heavy wethers 26s 8d to 24s 9d, medium wethers 24s 6d to 245, prime extra heavy ewes 21s 6d to 20s 6d, prime heavy ewes 20s to 19s, extra heavy lambs 24s 3d to 225, heavy lambs 21s 6d to 20s, light lambs 18s to 10s lOd.