FARMING AND COMMERCIAL

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 288, 9 November 1925, Page 5

FARMING AND COMMERCIAL

SHEEP DYING.

OWNERS KILLING LAMBS.

DROUGH IN NEW SOUTH WALES

SYDNEY, Oct. 28. In some respects the drought in the north-west is easily the worst on record. The rainfall i aelrnsy etao . cord. The rainfall is nearly ten inches short of any corresponding period of previous years. There has been less than ten inches. in ten months.

Even the fallowed wheat crops are mostly failures. Sheep are dying and lambs are being descroyed to save the mothers. They are 'being given away to farmers and town residents. There are thousands of sheep in the adjoining district of Walgett on agistment, but it is understood that the pastures there ai-e rapidly dying off. If rain does not fall soon this place of relief will have to be abandoned. Attention is now being directed to the resources of the tabel lands by sheepowners, and it is urged that the position in which' stock owners now find themselves calls for some attention on the part of the State Government. The phrase “Sheep are dying” must elicit the sympathy of all from a humane viewpoint as well as a mercenary one. Most woolgrowers carry with them a financial responsibility, and the question arises as to whether the State should not come to their aid in a more marked degree than is afforded by the existing banking arrangements. “The State assists settlers, especially in case of dire necessity. Why not the sheepowner when he needs it?” sheep men are saying. “All sides m Parliament would be justified in supporting such an outlay.”

LONDON BUTTER MARKET,

Latest reports from London indicate that the market is weak and very dull; prices, which are only nominal, have dropped during the week from 214 s to 210 s. The drop was made by the agents at Home to try and induoe buyers to operate, but the latter, knowing large shipments are on the water, are holding off pending arrivals. Cables have been received by several dairy companies advising them not to draw more than Is 5d against November shipments, so that this figure will be approximately the advance to suppliers for October butterfat. Hpwever, there is every chance that the market can be maintained at present prices so that a good surplus will be available for distribution at the end of the season. The Dominion butter output, so far, is 30 per cent below last year, partly because of so many dual-plant factories making all cheese, and on top of that the Australian make is also below last year on account of a drought, so that there does not seem to be any fear of a glutted market if our shipping can be regulated to within reasonable bounds. The position on the whole is good, but with buyers acting warily for the time being, the farmers at this end must be content with reasonable advances until the effect of our big shipments is ascertained.

EXCHANGE RATES.

Keceived November 9, 8.5 a.m. LONDON, Nov. 5. Foreign, rates of exchange on November 5, as compared with par rates or as averaged first half of 1914, are as follow:

SHIPMENTS OF MEAT FROM SOUTH AMERICA. The New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board has received a cable from it representative at Buenos Ayres, South America, advising the following slhp-

ments to the United Kingdom for the fortnight ended October 29, 1925, from Argentine and Uruguay : 149,400 quarters chilled beef, 26,389 quarters frozen beef, 32,868 carcases frozen mutton, 45,791 carcases, frozen lamb. The quantity shipped to the Continent of Europe during the same period totalled : 204,750 quarters frozen beef, 22,399 carcases frozen mutton, 616 carcases frozen lamb.

FROZEN MEAT MARKET,

The New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board has received the following cable from its London office dated November 6, 1925, advising Smithfield delivered prices at that date as follows: New Zealand wethers and maiden ewes: Canterbury quality, selected brands, 56’s and under Bd, 57-64’s Bd, 65-72’s 73d; other brands. 56’s and under 7Jd, 57-64’s 73d, 65-72’s 7sd. New Zealand ewes: 64’s and under 6d. New “Zealand lamb: Canterbury quality, 36’s and under 113 d, 37-42’s lOid, 4350’s 93d, seconds ll£d ; selected brands, 36’s and under ll{d, 37-42’s lOd; other brands, first quality, 42’s and under 10Jd, seconds lid. New Zealand beef: Ox fores 42d, hinds sd; cow fores and hinds nob quoted. Argentine chilled beef: Ox fores 4d, hinds sid. Argentine frozen beef: Ox fores and hinds not quoted. Frozen pork: 80-1201bs and 120-1801bs not quoted. Frozen veal: Not quoted. Levin and Coy., Ltd., have received the following cable from their London agents, dated November 6, 1925: Frozen meat quotations, prices on a delivered basis, i.e., including storage charges, cartage, tolls, etc.: Down lambs, 28-42’s, none offering; best North Island. 28-42’s, 103 d; ordinary North Island', 28-42’s, lOid; second quality lambs lid. Best North Island wether sheep, 48-64’s, 73d, 64-72’s 7id; ordinary North Island wether sheep, 4864’s, 7-Jd. North Island ewes, 48-64’s, 6Jd, 64-72’s 53d. New Zealand prime ox beef, 160-220’s, 4£d. As compared with last week’s quotations, best north Island lamb is id cheaper, ordinary North Island lamb fd cheaper, second quality lamb jjd cheaper, wethers 3d cheaper, ewes id cheaper. Beef is unchanged. Prices are nominal; market very weak owing to absence of buyers, and the outlook at the moment is unfavourable.

THE FRIESIAN BREED.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —With reference to the summary in your issue of November 5 dealing with a pamphlet issued by one of the Dairy Breed Associations, may I be permitted to place before your readers a few facts. The Friesian breed has easily outdistanced the other dairy breeds in the Dominion in the production of butter-fat. For the period ending 31st October, 1925, the Dairy Division of the Department of Agriculture has issued first-class certificates of record semi-official testing as follows :—Friesians: 29 individual cows with records of butter-fat production in one year exceeding 8001 b. The next best dairy breed has gained 9 first-class certificates for records exceeding 8001 b butter-fat. Friesians : 39 firstclass certificates of record between 7001 b and 8001 b butter-fat. The next best breed has not more than 20 similar first-class certificates. The Friesian breed holds every New Zealand record for all ages for all breeds for production of butter-fat. The Friesian breeds heads all the breeds in the average production of butter-fat for each of the ages from junior 2-year-olds to mature cows. For early maturity and for longevity the Friesian breed holds all New Zealand records. The champion long distance (cow of the world, Burkeyje Sylvia Posch, is a Friesian owned in Otago. Friesian milk produces per pound of butterfat a much greater quantity of cheese than is produced per pound of butterfat by the breed mentioned in the pamphlet. The Friesian is the great cheese-producing cow of the world. The nutritive value of milk depends not only upon the fat content of the milk but also on the general composition of the milk. The highest medical authorities give preference to Friesian milk for use by children and by invalids.—l am, etc., J. P. KALAUGHER, Secretary N.Z. Friesian Assn. November sth, 1925.

b Nov. 5. Par. New Yiork, dols. to £1 4.84 13-16 4.866 Montreal, dols. to £1 4.844 4.866 Paris, francs to £1 .... *122i 25.224 Brussels, francs to £1 . 106.90 25.224 Amsterdam, florins to £1 12.044 12.107 Stockholm, knr. to £1 18.13 18.12 Oslo, knr. to £1 ....... 23.78 18.12 Copenhagen, knr. to £1 19.43 18.12 Berlin, Reichsmark to £1 •20.36 — Rome, lire to £1 123 25.224 Yokohama, pence to yen 20i 24.43 Calcutta, pence to rupee 18 3-16 24 Hong Kong, pence to dol. 28J 24 Batavia, florins to £1 11.99 — *The frano touched 123 to £i, the lowest record, and closed 'N.Z. cable. at 1224.— A. and