VALUES IN WAIKATO

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22948, 28 January 1938, Page 5

VALUES IN WAIKATO

REFRESHING- RAINFALL LITTLE RELIEF OBTAINED OPENING OF EWE FAIRS Although the rain which fell this week was refreshing and cooled the air for a space, no great benefit can result until :i general break-up of the drv conditions occurs.

The ewe fairs have opened, but it is not yet easy to determine what the operating basis really is. It is clear that, many need tcr buy, but the belief in lower values, along with the desire to be in at the zero point, appears at the moment to be exercising strong restraint.

At Kauroa the opening was excellent and some of the recognised annual drafts touched within af'shilling or two of last year's rates, five-year-olds reaching 31s. For the inferior classes values were not high, although the demand up to the standard set was fairly keen. Two-tooths sold better than at Central sales, medium, sheep selling up to *i6s. The inquiry for wethers was very strong. At Morrinsville a rather unattractive entry was displayed. An opening line of fair East Coast ewes, four-tooth to fouryear, gave a promising lead, selling, at but the bulk of ths entry seemed older than described, and reserves for these were ahead of public estimates. There appear to be buyers in plenty for sound-mouth ewes up to 18s to 20s, but resistance faces. 1 most attempts to lure beyond.

Sales ex paddock have been common; I this week in the Te Akan area, good j -j lines of four to five-year selling at from 1 28s to ;$Us. This is not greatly below the! current standard of a year ago, but; saleyard vendors can hardly hope to j t be so fortunate. Certainly the majority j jj of prospective buyers have a less ele-' vated notion of value. Conditions in the separate sections; f are: — 1 l j*? B KEF I t The operations of tile week have shown a ' little less buoyancy. Possibly the heat has: lessened consumption, but from some causej values are easier. At Frankton on Tuesday j the demand for ox was distinctly weaker, , and Tor cows, too, although several lines , at the opening did not suffer much. Frankton f rates were: —Prime ox, 3Us to 375; ordinary, j . 33s to .'lss; prima heifer, ;i-s to 355; young { cows, 2Ms to 30»; Jersey cows, 21s to 21s; j rough cows, His to Ifcta. MUTTON Generally steady markets prevail for mutton. Frankton, which for a long period has maintained the even tenor, was more active on Tuesday and wether rates advanced api preciably. Ewes- did not share in the good fortune, in fact lower values were not infrequent. Lambs were traded on the schedule basis of 7/ill; prime wethers soid to 30s, with a few extra choice to 325; good wethers, 27s to 28s lid; light, 25s to '-'Us (id; best ewes, 17s to las Oil; plain from lis to 15s !>d; fat lambs, best, to "Jos; medium, -Us to ; light, from lbs. STORE CATTLE Yardings of boners are very heavy, thej entry at Frankton on Tuesday occupying twice as much space as usual. Fortunately the demand is strong and apparently unlimited. Practically all rough beef is now sold through this channel, where consistent bidding is always available and a not too critical scrutiny offered. Bulls are also prominent and in the same keen demand. Otherwise 1 , little else in this section has been observed, ; although buyers are on the watch for m-| calf heifers, and for weaners also there is, I always interest displayed. These sell at from; I .€2 l()s to ill for well-grown healthy lots. : STORE SHEEP Sellers so far have been disinclined to sell, their ewes unless a reasonably near approach to last year's value is tendered. Both at lvauroa and Morrinsville, chiefly the latter, quite a number of lots were withheld. This policv must have serous consequences, for before many weeks the current supply will 1 be enough to handle without any hold-over. Although some good sales have been made there does not seem any possibility of trading the bulk on that basis. Conditions justify buyers in expecting to purchase at less than Inst season and that they are likely to succeed might as well be realised. Certainly glutting the market with, hold-over lines can only further depress it.' At the same time, opportunities for reasonable purchase are not infrequently offered and those in quest of sheep should take advantage. Buyers have about a month to secure their requirements and if all come into competition together markets must rise. The demand at the mopient is not strong, but seems due to a natural hesitancy in the belief that to wait is an advantage. Ine lamb market seems to have reached a steadier basis and on that, business is proceeding briskly. The good shorn wether lambs at from 1-ls to 15s seem good buying and flrraziers who can handle them, should not have much anxiety. PIGS Competition for fat classes is as strong as ever .but for unfinished and store pigs the demand has slackened. Baconers at Frankton on Tuesday touched £3 10s, the highest figure since November; medium from £3 Ss; light from £3; heavy porkers sold from £2 Its to £3; light-weights from £2; store pigs sold from 25s to 345; slips, lbs to 21s; weaners, 10s to 15sj STORE SHEEP YARDING At the Hamilton store, sheep- sale held by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited, a lighter yarding was offered than hist week. Prices for tfood store lambs showed an advance on last week's rates. Small and poor condition lambs, however, showed but little improvement. We only had a small entry of ewes, these meeting with a fair demand. Rams were penned in good numbers, but the demand was weak, the majority being passed. A pen of whitefaced wether lambs from Mr. David Johnston. of Whatawhata. realised 15s Sd'. A pen of smaller lambs from the same vendor realised Its. Mr. R. H. -T. Given, of Aotea. obtained 15s for a pen of aged ewes. Good white-faced mi<ed sex lambs made 15s Sd to His; good white-faced wether lambs, up. to 15s Stl; others, H)s 2d to lis; small white-faced ewe lambs 13s; cull Romn»y lambs, ts 8d to 7s Oil; aired ewes, 15s; cull, (is (id; rams, £2 2s to £3 3s. KAMO YARDINGS

A fair yarding of cattle and pigs came forward at the weekly Kanio sale held by the North Auckland Farmers' Co-operative, Limited. Competition was good,- and everything was sold under the hammer. Forward dairy cows made £5 His to £0 I<in; more backward, CI to £5 ss; inferior sorts, to £3 Ids; heavy fat cows, to i'S; medium, £."is to £0 15s; heavy boner cows, to £4; light, ,t'2 to £3 3s; cows and calves, £3 I.os to .I*s; boner bulls, £3 to £7 10s; yearling Jersey heifers, £3 (is to iU; Shorthorn bull calves, to £3. Dalgety and Company, Limited, reports a small yarding, with a small attendance of buyers Fat cows made to £0 10s; lighter sorts, .t'3 Ids.fo ft 12s; cows and calves. £3 (is to t'.'i 13s; boner cows, t.o £2 ss; boner bulls, t'(i to t(» IDs. Walter Wakelin reports that at his usual weekly cattle nndi pis siile at Kamo largo entries were submitted to a wood attendance of buyers. Competition was keen throughout and a total clearance was effected. Heavy fat cows made t'7 to I'!); .medium, t'-l Ids to .t'"> ss; ii-j-ht, £3 10s to it Ids; store cows, to ,t'3 15s; cows and calves, £-1 Ids to £5 Ids; boner cows, CI Ids to £3 10s; boner buHs. t'3 10s, to £G Ids; dairy cows and heifers, e l to £(!.; sood equality yearlina Jersey, heifers, t'3 Ids to. £1 Is; small, £2 15s; choice Jersey heifer calves, £1 lfis to £2 1,25-; yearling coloured steers, to £2 lds. Pigs: Heavy baconers, £3 (is to £3 Ids; medium, £3 to £3 ss; light, £'2 Ms (o t'3 3s; heavy porkers, £2 Ids to t'3; medium, £2 Is to £2 Ids; light and unfinished, Cl 12s to A'2 (is; stores, Ct Ids to £2 2s; slips, 1% to 30s; weaners, ds to Mis; choppers, £1 5s to. £3 Sheep: Fat wethers, 255; fat ewes, Ids to ISs dd: store lambs, 12s to Ids dd: full-mouthed ewes, to 15s. PIGS DEARER AT TE PUKE [by TKT.BGB.U'H OWN- COBtfIKSPONDFNi] TE PUKE, Thursday The New Zealand Loan ami Mercantile Agency Company, Limited, reports a large yarding of fat and store cattle and the usual irood yarding of fat and store pigs at the Te I,'uke sale. Prices for pigs showed a marked increase over previous sales, especially heavy baconers, the top price of i' 3 19s being the best for some considerable time. Beef cattle- sold well at late rates, while store cattle maintained current rates. Prices realised were us follows:—Pigs: Heavy baconers, £3 15s to £3 Ids; medium, .t'3 lis to £3 lis; light, £2 15s to £3 4s; heavy" porkers, £2 to £2 10s; medium, £1 lis to £2; large stores, to CI Ids; liprht and medium, Ms to £1 Is. Cattle: Fat cows, Cd is *to £0 15s; medium, ft Ms to £5 lis; ligAt, Ids to £-1 10s; store-.cattle, £3 2s to £-4 ss; boners, £2 to £3; Jerseycross heifers, £3 15s -to £1 <ls; IS-month Hereford and Polled Angus heifers, £2 12s Gd to £4 2s Gd; potter bulls, i' 9 2s 6d to £0 10a; others, £5 2s 6d to £7 B§.