STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2152, 23 May 1895, Page 7

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

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Weekly Stock Sales : Portnightlyt Burnside, Wednesdays Balclutha, Fridays Invercrrgill, Tuesdays Gore, Tuesdays. Aahburton, Tuesdays Oamaru, Junction Addington, Wednead'ya Yards, Tuesdays. Monthly; Periodically: Clinton, Palmerston, Horiot, Kelso, and Eyeand Winton. bura.

{Communications or interest to ilookbrceicrj and deaiori u« oortlalljr Invited. All communications to reach Witness office toot later than Monday night,] The yarding of fat cattle at Burnside consisted of 186 head, about 100 of which might he classed as good quality beef. Most of this lot were, however, small oattle, only a few pens of large bullocks being on offer. The yarding was nearly half too large for requirements, and price 3 suffered, as is usual under febese circumstances. Best bullocks sold at £8 lo £9 ss, medium £6 to £8. The light and inferior cattle met with little attention, and prices ruled considerably lower than of late. Surnside is not the best market for stores and inferior cattle such as these were. Country Bales show, I think, better results for such. I am of opinion that about 100 head of fair to prime quality cattle is enough for the town batchers' supply, and that anything over that number brings about a reduction in prices. Business generally is not exciting at present, but there is a fair inquiry for all kinds of good store cattle, and the market for cattle generally looks hopeful. It is, I think, a matter for congratulation that our Stcck department has acted so promptly and firmly with regard to the PerfchBhirc cattle incident. Mr J. D. Ritchie, the Becrctary of the department, lost no time in taking all needful measures. Indeed he was not unprepared for what happened, and had previously given instructions to the various inspectors to keep "a weather eye lifting" in this matter. Mr Gilruth was therefore on the scene, and decided the question, as that gentleman usually does, without any delay. Without a properly organised Stock department there might have been great delay and consequent danger over this matter, ub under the old regime the question might Jiave had the consideration of the Minister and then hftd to go through several red-tape operalions in the Government circumlocution office. 3?he great point which I hope will be made plain to outsiders is that the shipment was not our cattle, and that New Zealand has no pleuro among her cattle herds. No expense . should be spared in duly advertising that these cattle belong to the men over the way and not to us. No doubt this has been done, but it) needs to be rubbed in, as British geography is very loose on colonial questions, and their echool board system has so far apparently not improved matters. Take, for instance, the question of Carbine. This horse is nearly always ftlludeS to in Britain as being, of Australian breeding, whereas we bred him and brained bin, and, of course, taught him to lick all the 'Australian nags, though we don't get the credit tor rtowic£ to British defective geography.

valuable, these prices don't show an improvement, and as for the rest of the yarding— in fact, the bulk of it— prices were, I should think, sufficiently low to tempt purchasers for boiling down, 3s 6d to 5a being about the ruling ratein fact, not much over ekin values. Tha Ealo for all lower grades was exceedingly dull. There was a splendid market for the few prime lamba to hand, prices ruliDg 9a 6d to 10s 6d, but for anything much below prime store prices were the rule. Surely it cannot be good policy lo throw away lamba that will grow into good mutton at 2s 3d to 3s 6d, and this Js what they go at. Reports from London indicate an improvement—slow, but sure, I hope— in the wool market. Russia and other continental nations are now actively buyiDg, and this is a good sign. The price of silver is advancing steadily owing to the Chinese loan now being floated, and our bimetallic friends assure us that this means a rise in prices on all our products. If so, I shall certainly subscribe 53 to the league, even though the hard times make it against the grain to part with even tha smallest Bilver coin. Some of the manufacturing associations hav^ lately been pointing out to our Chambers of Commerce the great damage sustained by wool as a result of tar branding. In doing so they ask the chambers to let it be widely known that tar is a very great nuisance to manufacturers, and that consequently tar-branded wool is avoided, and is thus lowered in price. They also allude to wool damaged by double cuts. I don't tbiuk tar is much used tot Branding here, but if so it would be better to substitute at once paint and oil brands. "We are not greatly interested in the London grain market just at present, as it looks as if our local market will be the test of prices for this season, and stocks are lighter in stores than has been the case for years, so that there is good reason to expect improvement, especially if growers are not forced to sell at once through financial pressure, which is somewhat prevalent all over the colony at present. It is to be hoped, however, that the improved tone, slight perhaps bnt still evident, of the markets generally will restore confidence and lessen all financial pressure. 1 Tbjre is w imptoyecKut ia foe froseu m&t

of has been from River Plate, in South America, the quality of which is very inferior, and has been sold in the poorer districts. Genuine prime New Zealand mutton and lamb—Canterbury as it i 3 generally termed — is acknowledged by experts to be equal, if not aupetior, to the finest Welsh or black-faced Scotoh mutton produced at Home. In faot, from evidence taken last year before a select committee of the House of Lords, on the marking of frozen meat, it was proved that the habit largely prevailed in London and suburbs, amongst the butchers there, of supplying their customers with best New Zealand mutton for best Homo grown." What Mr Cameron says to the people of Manchester would no doubt apply to London and other places. Mr Cameron's remarks appear in the London correspondence of the Witness this week, and are well worthy of perusal, particularly the extracts from evidence given before Lord Onslow'fl Meat-marking Committee. Another good yam bearing on this subject may be new to some, though I am aware it has already gone the rounds of the presß. Two butchers in a country town have shops opposite one another, and there is great rivalry apparently between them. One sells only the best Welsh and Scotch mutton, whilab the other boldly advertises Australian and New Zealand meat. On Saturday nights and at other times when there ib a crowd about, the rival butchers have an angry altercation in the middle of the street, blows being only just avoided. However, it finally comes out that one man owns both establishments, and that New Zealand and Australian meat ia sold ia both, the only difference being that in one English prices are obtained, while in the others lower rates prevail. This game paid well, as many enthusiastic Britishers supported and patronised the [shop selling only British meat. The advertisement and the row brought crowds about to patronise the man who was fighting the Australian intruder. But how sad to think that their loyalty was only rewarded by getting Australian meat palmed off on them at English prices. I think the much-complained-of barbed staples musb have been the means of bowling out many who palmed off New Zealand meat as British, and hence the wrath of the salesmen is to some, octenli accounted lot* { don't, how;

It is evident that the Perthshire's cattle were not, at tho Australian port of considered what they should be, as I notice the Sydney Stock and Station Journal is very rough on them. "The wretched animals," B3ys that paper, "with broken hori;s and drooping headß, were a biting satire on the civilisation of Townsville, and if they all lived to reach the old country they would do our Queensland neighbours no credit. But the most of thorn will feed the hungry maw of the restless sea " (/ should rather say the restless maw of the hungry shark) "long before the Perthshire sees the white cliffs of Albion." The same paper is very candid in its criticism of tho defective shipping accommodation, which has had, it thinks. a most disastrous effect on the earlier shipments, as cattle going on board received very rough handling.* I am inclined to bo a little "cocky" over our success in live cheep shipments, and the main point to ba attended to in all these experiments is to make sure to do the thing well at first; economies can be practised later on as experience is gained. Quiet cattle only should be shipped. In faot they should be well handled before going on board. I hope some day Mr Brydone will make an experiment in a shipment of live cattle, as he has all the accessories at command that go to make sncces9 fairly certain, and he will no doubt do it on proper lines, as he has in the matter of live sheep. Many promising export ventures are killed or hindered at the very outset by things not being done quite "up to the handle " — an assertion which can be proved by the history of our fruit export trade for instance. If it won't pay to do a thing well it won't pay to do it at all is a maxim that applies to all euch projects with great force. The yarding ?n the fat sheep pens was nearly double that of the previous week, over 3000 being penned, and this over-supply, as usual, had the effect of lowering the prices of even the moderate quantity of prime mutton included. A large proportion of the yarding was ewes, poor quality, or stores. Some extra primo crossbred wethers brought 10a to 11s 6d, good 7s to 9s 6d, primo crossbred ewes 7s to 9a ; a few good merino wethers up to 5s 6d. Taking into account that skins are becoming more

trade. Stocks are rapidly increasing in England, but the masses are etill nnsupplied with cheap meat. Many things go to show that our meat is not handled in London to the best advantage, and the question of how to improve matters is forcing itself more and more on those interested. Mr D. J. Nathan has met with considerable Bucce3S in the North Island, and at his various meetings resolutions have been paused asking Government to call a conference of producers to consider his scheme, or any other that may be brought forward, with a view to putting matters on a better footing. Ifc is to be hoped that Government will call this conference, so that whatever scheme may be adopted, some united action may be taken to save this important industry from impending curtailment, if not extinction. There is an increasing amount of evidence that our meat is not sold on its merits at Home, and that producers do not get their fair share of the value. Among other things I notice that the Secretary of Stats for the War department, replying to a question in the Houge of Commons, said that frozen meat generally «•«« not inferior to Home killed, and that its use in the army would c&use a cor siderable saving. This is very valuable testimony, for if our meat were ! inferior the Secretary of State would, in view of the general elections, and desiring naturally to placate the British agriculturalist, have bean glad to say so. Even a secretary of State is not averse to doing anything to help his party in power if ifc can honestly bs done. Mr H. C. Cameron, formerly a farmer and also a stock agent in this district, and who undeniably knows mutton when hc^sees it, has started a store in Manchester for the sale of New Zealaud produce, and in his circular boldly states his object in big black letters. "Hitherto, as is well known," says Mr Cameron, " no New Zealand produce has been placed (in retail) before customers here. This is the first occasion upon whioh the people of Manchester have ever had the opportunity of obtaining the primes b New Zealand mutton and lamb. This statement we emphasise most strongly, and we challenge the frozen meat trade of the distriot to contradict it. So-called New Zealand mutton has been offered and sold, but, in nearly every instance, the mutton so disposed

ever, believe in these staples, and we must find better means of meat marking than that. I have no doubt the lengthy report of the National Dairy Association, published in last week's Witness, will be read with interest. It seems very exhaustive, and will no doubt be discussed at the meeting on June 5. The London cheese market gave indications of improving at the beginning of April, Canadians being about cleared out. Tho news of tho death of Mr J. B. Greenwood, manager of the Cranley Cheese Factory, Henley, will be received with universal regret. His lo£s will be keenly felt by the Henley Estate Company, aB ho was a most competent, chec3emaker, and had Bteadily improved the Cranley cheese till it ranked among the very best New Zealand productions. Mr Greenwood's death has cast quite a gloom over the whole of the district in which he lived, and great sympathy is manifested for his widow and young family.