STORE CATTLE MARKET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20071, 8 October 1928, Page 7

STORE CATTLE MARKET.

NUMBERS FROM THE NORTH. WIDE DEMAND OPERATING. Store cattle, so necessary to tho sheepfanner for pasture control purposes, have in recent years been in short supply. The improvement of the beef market and a season of prolific grass growth are accentuating tho position. A representative of a large stock and station firm, discussing tho situation on Saturday, said it would take some considerable time for the supply of cattle in tho country to regain tho proportions which existed before the "Argentine meat war." That near-crisis in the industry had so lowered values as to make tho breeding of station cattle unprofitable. Barely sufficient were raised for tho ordinary purposes of pasture control and now the demand exceeded the supply and prices were high and being forced slightly upward. While there was a general shortage of store cattle, they were . yarded in very fair quantities at sales 'in and about Auckland and were bougnt freely. The Northland this year had sent great numbers of ,cattle south as far as Taihape. while liberally supplying the middle and South Auckland regions. Although that was to the good of tho southern areas it did not betoken the best state of large scale farming in the north, where obviously there .could not be any great surplus of storfc cattlo over and above the minimum number required for keeping the open country in good condition. Some districts further south, where store cattlo had been largely reduced during the dry summer and autumn spoil last farming season, were now seeking to enlargo the. herds. To meet the demand from Auckland in any appreciable dogrce was impossiblo on account of the freight cost, and so the store cattle market was being sustained at fairly high levels throughout (he island. Many lines of "stores" yarded, it was regrettable to note, did not indicate breeding of the standard expected. It was hoped that tho advent of better times in tho beef trade and a strengthened local domand would result in pastoralisls paying inoro attention to this phaso of their activities.