Boner Market 'Underground'

Northern Advocate, 19 April 1947, Page 2

Boner Market 'Underground'

Later, when beef values commence their seasonal rise and beef cattle become scarce, an upward tendency in the value of good stores can be anticipated. During this week good 3i and 4.1year steers in forward condition made to £l2/19/-. For 2-I-year-olds, prices ranged from £4/3/- to £9/2/6 according to quality. Good 18-month-old cattle realised £B/14/-. With the exception of cows and heifers close to profit, dairy cattle were not in demand. Anything backward was hard to sell. Best cows made from £l2 to £l2/17/6. There were cases of choice quality heifers selling at prices well under their value because they were later calvers. Few fat sheep changed hands during the week and there is every indication that mutton will be in very short supply this winter. An explanation of this prediction is that a great number of lambs and wethers which would normally have been carried over last year were killed during the drought months.

Owing to the fact that the dairying season is now rapidly approaching its close, and production has declined substantially, fewer fat pigs were yarded. The total offering at Kamo on Wednesday was smaller than it has been for some considerable time.

The demand for fat pigs remained firm, with heavy baconers reaching £6/9/- The best price for porkers was £4/13/-, while choppers sold at prices ranging to 5/10/-. Store pigs, slips and weaners were dull of sale.! Summarised, the market showed that increased values can be expected for mutton, beef, forward conditioned store cattle, and perhaps dairy cows and heifers dose to profit. Lines not selling well were backward and inferior dairy cows and heifers, poor quality store steers and store pigs. The boner market has “gone underground” as far as saleyards are concerned. Most sales are being made in paddocks at scheduled rates. Exporting buyers are not having difficulty in filling what space is available to them at the works.