ACROSS COOK STRAIT

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12229, 29 August 1925, Page 19

ACROSS COOK STRAIT

WEATHER STILL FITFUL WINTER AND SPRING ALTERNATE (Written for the “N.Z. Time*.”) Just when the weather appeared to settle down and promise some real spring warmth back swings the pendulum to winter, and gives Canterbury a really wintry 3C hours. It was really rough, and the mortality among the lambs born during the rough period was heavy. One North Canterbury settler who has his ewes lambing unexpectedly early owing to a defect in the ram paddock fence mentioned the other day that of 300 lambs dropped lately he had lost 100 owing to the storms. His experience is not an isolated one. On the plains, where the lamting is earlier, the losses have also heen more than the ordinary death rate. It has been a long and trying winter, with feed not particularly plentiful. The first storm bringing snow to the foot hills was in April, and there have been many since then with bitter sou’-west winds. Two or three fine days and then a storm seems to bo our portion. The weather conditions lower down than Canterbury have been better than the province has suffered. In Southland farmers had a wonderfully mild spell of weather in the early part of the winter. and the stock are generally looking well with a promise of a good season. The dairying season is promising to open well and the factories have, in many cases, received quite tempting offers for their produce. Some sales have been made which will ensure good prices for butter-fat for the first few months of the season at' any rate, and the woolgrower would like to know what be is likely to receive for his produce in the near future when the sales commence in November. There is no pessimism noticeable amdng the farmers at the present time in regard to wool, though the market reports are read very carefully. A RIFT IN THE LUTE Usually the provinces of the south live together in peace. Lately there lias been a rift m the lute owing to trouble in connection with the exhibition of meat at the Dunedin Exhibition. The Meat Producers Board was not enamoured of a proposal to have an exhibit of the Dominion’s meat at the Exhibition, the reason being that it was felt that the exhibition of frozen meat at an exhibition in the Dominion where a great many of the patrons would he people of the Dominion was not likely to boost the sale of our meat overseas. The Exhibition committees were disappointed, but they made an arrangement to club together and provide 'their own refrigerating space. Canterbury, Otags, and Southland joined in the scheme, but now Otago has withdrawn, and the Exhibitin'. l committees have been saying hard things to each other. The Canterbury people are determined to go on with the display though the bill is going to be a heavy one. STOCK PRICES FALL SLIGHTLY The. very strong demand which has been .-experienced in ' the past few Weeks for store sheep at Addington Was, not so apparent this week, but it must be said that tlie weather had n ore to do with the market variations than any other conditions, and this factor probably accounts for the. fluctuating. Prices have been so high that most of the dealers who operate in Canterbury have fought shy of the markets lately. They have only been disposed to buy when they had - commissions to execute for clients, This is rather an astonishing phase of farming in Canterbury to many people. The number of farmers who give a commission to a dealer- or perhaps a stock agent to buy whatever sheep they require at tlie time is extraordinary. These men one rarely sees at a sale of stock and they are content to take what their buyer secures for them. Purchases of this kind have been made of late, but the majority of the dealers have been disposed to draw in their horns and let the market remain in the hands of the firmer in these times of very high prices. At Addington this week the sale' was held in one of the bitter squally 6ou’west 6torms which have descended upon us with suddenness and frequency in recent weeks. The bad' weather set m in the early morning and the result was that many who would have otherwise been present stayed away, and the effect upon the competition was very marked. Prices fell away and some sheep were sold which looked really cheap compared with rates for similar lines in recent weeks. EWES SOLD FAIRLY CHEAPLY A number of pens of really service able ewes were sold this week, and the farmers who bought were on a good wicket for the ewes forward were much better than usually find their way to the saleyards. A Darfield farmer had a good many in. They were three-quarter-bred and half-breds and were drafted up or wool. A couple of trucks of four years old three-quar-ter-breds made 395, and at this they were reasonably priced. The half-breds of the same draft, which were rather better mouthed than the threc-quar-ter-breds, sold at 41s fid. On the previous day at Rangiora there were many pens of ewes sold at rates which were not nearly so favourable from the point of view of the buyer as these sheep. It was not only the ewes sold winch were lower ; n price, the hogget lines' were also bought at rates which were a shilling or two under the figures of a week earlier. In spite of this fall there were no hoggets which could bo obtained under 33s for ewes and the wether hoggets with quality were round 3!)s—prices high enough for most farmers. The store wethers kept nearer to r he market value set a week previously than any of the other classes, anil there a.re plenty of buyers about for shearing wethers. BEEF AND MUTTON CHEAPER Two heavy yarding* of beef and mutton in succession had the effect of sending tho prices of both classes back n little at Addington this week and the fall was 2s a head for the sheep and closo to £'l per head for the fat cattle. Tho North Island had sent down a good many drafts recently, and

one consigned by ;v Masterton dealer this week was about the best lot of cattle to come from the North this winter, with the exception.of the few special lots sent down for the August double market. This shipment were well-bred Polled Angus cattle, and they were well fattened. Consignmente have been brought down by Christchurch butchers of late. which have not come into the market, and this has had the effect of limiting tho demand for beef. The Polled Angus line mentioned sold at £l4 l”s 6d to £2l 15s for 21', but -the lower priced cattle were few in -number.. -Sixteen cows of the same' draft made from £9 7s 6d to £l3 12s 6d. At these prices the return, to the vendor would hardly be likely to send his income tax up' very much. A very even line of steers sent down from the North sold at £l9 2s 6d4i> £l9 17s 6d. Other very plain North Island cattle sold at £l3 to £ls. Mutton keeps, at 8d to 9d a lb, and though there Was. a" slight fall this week, it was not a very serious one. A shilling or ttoo would liavo covered it and the prices are still very high for the customers who, butchers state, are curtailing tlieir orders,