ACROSS COOK STRAIT

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12211, 8 August 1925, Page 19

ACROSS COOK STRAIT

FINE WEATHER CONTINUES MEAT PRICEsTvERY HIGH , (Written for the “N.Z. Time*.”) 1 Spring weather continues for which th* average farmer is very thankful, knd lambs are making their appearance freely in the*.various parts of the country, and the weather that has greeted them has certainly been in the interests of the little strangers. On every hand team work is' being press ed on, and the wheat which could not be sown in the early -winter is now being put in under favourable condi tions, and .it is hoped that the area will not be so small after all. We a fcher conditions in the autumn were decidedly averse to sowing then, and many farmers gave up the idea of sow-. ing the grain, and intended to devote the . land to sheep feed. With good weather setting in early there are many who have changed again, and will have more wheat in -than intend ed a month or so ago. In Canterbury m -it is often the case that August iw-ft-ther is better than that of September, and settlers who have their ewes lamb, tag early are often - more fortunate than those who keep to the September lambing. ' THE NATIONAL MARKET Two qroars ago it roome.t t'a: t.lie - .days of high beef prices wue. gi-pe forevei Two years often work n Win- ■ drous change in the outlook of, the : . market': Such was the case with wool, . antfrntwbeef has altered very- meteri- • ally in price for the benefit of the ‘grower. In the past few years all parts of the Dominion contributed to the entries of stock on the occasion of thfe ; double market at the Addington saleyards prior to. the Grand National 'races, and the result is that many pastoralists 'keenly interested in good -stock came long distance? to see the • display. This year the sheep were well .Worth seeing, but the cattle suffererl ’ - very- much by comparison -with previous years. Three North Island pastoraliets sent down good cattle. • One was Mr J W. Buchanan, 'of Masterton, a nephew of the late Sir Walter Buohan- ' :an, who whert resident in Canterbury in the years ldng gone by -was a very keen enthusiast where fat Wattle were concerned. The other consignees were .-from the Southern Hawke’s Bay districts. Mr A. Peters, of Dannevirke. ' one of the best known meat buyers of ; the north, and Mr F Armstrong, whose station at Akitio. right down on the "coast, some 50 odd miles distant from. Dannevirke, is a property which produces 'beef out of the ordinary. Mr Armstrong is an admirer of the Aberdeen Angus, and the animals he had • forward were “doddics.” 1 Distant parts of the South Island were not so well represented as usual, and the quality of the cattle,, suffered in consequence. elf the'North island cattle and. pei haps, .half a dozen drafts of the southern animals had have been out of . the yards the would have been decidedly poor for any ordinary day at Addington. It is difficult to imagine a ' greater contrast than the animals WbKfo Fere offered: at. the same sale a year previously, and the cattle disposed, of .on Wednesday. A year ago there was a yarding of fat cattle, the like of which was certainly never gathered together before in the Dominion. They were very even, and it was deoidedly disappointing to notice the slipping hack of the quality, bnt this is explainable by reason of the fact that this market is often glutted, and naturally this is not likely to induce graziers to keep very good cattle back for disposal at the big sale. Christchurch butchers are rather inclined to throw discretion to the winds, and buy the best animals irrespective oi . price. The reedrd for a bullock stands at £205, paid two years ago-, but last 'year'the figure came hack to £7O odd, and this year it was only £4l, which, at the rate ruling for the best beet ■,:was not much above the price of the £rimest beef for ordinary purposes. The igh priced animal was sold on ao. count, of Mr A. Benton (Stirling, '.South Otago), who had the 'distinction >,«s-.selling the best bullock last year. 'This animal was a well-bred Shorthorn, fiye years old, and was very evenly fleshed, there being nothing ■wasty about him. From the same district came „ the. best .priced cow, another Shorthorn,: beautifully-topped, and she was sold on account of Mr A. J. Oalder and £25 was the figure at which the hammer-! fell . The best of "the North Is-~ land'cattle made £3O, this being for a Shorthorn -sold on account of Mr J. W. Buchanan, nnd his line of 11 averaged £25 7s 6d, The heaviest cattle 1 did not sell as well as the' prime 8001 b class, and there iB always some risk noth the North Islanders on account of .bruising. An Aberdeen Angus cow op account of Mr Armstrong sold at £23' 7s fld. When she left the station at Akitio she must have been something . c put of the ordinary, but there is the 60-mile walk to the rail at Dannevirke Ibepides rail and steamer trips to cause aomo wastage. Mr Peters sold steers , at’£26 10s apd £27 10s. A steer on, account of Mr Armstrong sold at £26* -10 a. One other North Island line wassold at figures round £23 12s 6d to a -pound or so less. \v , SOME <J»OOD AVERAGES. : ■lt was a day of gooa averages. The salesmen had the advantage. - Here was ‘4,80 head of cattle, less than the avera’gptfor ' an ordinary week to do the trade loi a -busy fortnight with the consumptive "capacity: of theppity rein- .- forced by a lew thousand visitors, and a few thousand American sailors. Little wonder that prices soared. The prime cattle were 15s a lOGlbs higher in price than on the preceding Wednesday. Quite a number Of striking instances of good profits might be quoted. One buyer bought seven cows at the previous sale for £4l, and aftei paying commission and expenses he received £BS. A cow was forwarded to one firm for sale in the store pen? and she was bought there for £8 odd.' The buyer thought he would try and see what she was worth in the. fat section, and. she was. put up near the close of the market. ' The first hid was £l4. and-she sold at over £l6. Mr J. F. Buchanan (Kinloeh) sold seven Steers which averaged £2B Is 3d, and ? draft of 12 on account of the Monrose Estate (Culverden) made £27. They were not particularly heavy cattle. Of the Canterbury lots the highest individual price was secured by Mr P. H. Thompson (Bennetts) with a steer which sold at £25. One of the hardest men to sell cattle for, according to the opinion of tho salesmen, said after tho sale that he

was quite satisfied with his realisations. • Any good beef Was worth £3 a lOOlbs, and much was sold at £3 ss. One animal stood out from all the others in .pdirtt of interesb..This was a Shorthorn heifer sent forward by Mr W. A. Douglas (Cheviot)i 20 months old and she would have dressed at 660Ibs or so. The fact that Rhe brought £2l 175.6 d, may be quoted as illustrating her quality, • A fine specimen of baby beef.. It was,more pleasing -to..- note the quality of the sheep. They indicated that there is nothing wrong with the sheep of the South- Again prices were nearer common-bensed limits, hut still they were high enough. For a pen of Shropßhire-Bomney wethers sold on account of Mr F. Bull (Waddington), £7 12s 6d. was'paid after a spirited