Feilding as a Leading Stock Centre

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 227, 26 September 1935, Page 3

Feilding as a Leading Stock Centre

SECOND PLACE IN' THE DOMINION. FOB SHEEP DESPATCHED BY BAIL. .The annual railway statements presented to Parliament include much interesting statistical information and by no means tho least interesting is that which points to Feilding’s leading position as stock centre. Seasonal disabilities influence these returns which are made up to March 31 each year and it often happens that traffic which would normally be included in tho financial year is excluded owing to tho vagaries of tho weather. For that reason Feilding’s position varies, although actually if not in the lead, is never far behind the leading position, which for tho year ending March 31 last was held by the East Coast stock centre, Waipukurau, where tho station despatched 290,000 sheep for the year. Feilding was next on the list of tho Dominion’s railway stations handling live stock with a total of 237,000 sheep and the South Island centre,, Addington, third, with 225,000.

In the caso of cattle forwarded Feiiding was easily first of the Dominion’s stations with a total of 18,000 head, Waipukurau being second with GOOO and Addington third, with 3700 head.

Tho figures relating to the Feiiding station are striking in their illustration of the magnitude of the livo stock business handled by tho local railway staff under Mr. J. Finlay, stationmaster. Adding to these figures the inward business tho total reaches well over half a million head of live stock handled during the twelve months. The exact figures for tho inward business, as they affect Feiiding, aro not readily obtainable owing to the Kailway Department's system of accounting. Certain business handled at Aorangi station is not credited to Feiiding, although tho Feiiding staff attends to tho trucking and untrucking, etc. From tho Kailways Statement it is estimated that; the inward traffic in sheep totalled 27.1,07(5 for the twelve months, while round about 26,000 head of cattle were handled. On this sido of tho statement Waipukurau is well down the list, receiving only 12,000 head of sheep. Big figures are recorded at tho big slaughtering centres, such as Wellington and Addington. The total sheep received at the Ngaliauranga station for the twelve months was 691,000 and at Petonc 600,000, while Addington received -140,000. Wanganui’s figures equalled those of Feiiding, namely 27.1,000.

For the twelve months the Feiiding station handled approximately 508,000 head of sheep and 44,000 head of cattle.