STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2157, 27 June 1895, Page 6

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

By Drovbb. Weekly Stock Sales: \ Fortnightly: Burnsidc, Wednesdays Balclutha, Fridays Invercr rgill, Tuesdays Gore, Tuesdays. Ashburton, Tuesdays Oamaru, Junction Addington, WcdneacTys Yards, Tuesdays. Monthly: Periodically: Clinton, Palmerston, Heriot, Kelso, and Kya> and Winton. burn. [Communications of Interest to stockbreeders and dealers tr« oorJUlljr lnrlted. All jommunloatloas to reub WUnena offloo not later than llondmj night,] The supply of cattle at Burnside last week , was small, 94 head being the total yarding, and these onaisted of about 40 head of f»ic quality beef, the balance bting very poor quality. O (ring to the iacleraaat weather tho number of buyers was small, bat those who did put ia an ' appearance were ou foe business, consequently the raUier poor lot fof sale was sold at prices fully cquil to the previous week's rates. Moib of the Urgar butchers obtain their sup- • plies outside of Buroside, ani are ready to buy pri'nsbeefat prices, I think, ia advance of: ' thoe ruling a1;a 1 ; Buraside, whereof Ute really primo baaf has been ssarco. Some good bullock', small, bub of fiir quality, brought from £3 10j to £9 10s, and a few fat cowa from £8 10s up t3 £1.0; medium quilifcy, £4- 10i to £6 ; and the balance, abjufc 30 held, broughb ' from £2 10 J to £3 10 1, but they ware hardly fb for bitchers, I should think, 'although they might servo to supply the demand for cheap meat. The poor quality of the cattle yarded both at Burnside and at Adiingtm seems to mo to show tha j these salea are not by any means a guide as to the value of prime beef, which undoubtedly is scarce, and will advance ia prica during the next few months. % JThe great deterioration of our catfcls is more noticeable day by day, and it is to bs hoped that the clnnges that are taking place ia the poiition of our export trade, particularly ia chilled beef, and also ia tho live-cattle trade, will give farmers encouragement to mead their ways in this respect. An advance in prices is always a pleasant subjec b for me, and lam pleased to see that mutton is about to share in the general rise. I have before this pointed oub that the large number oE | sheep sent to the boiling-down establishments ! was bound to have a goad effect, and this is ■ bjiug proved now. One thousand six hundred and fifty-four sheep were yarded last week, all good to prime mutton. A few small sheep brought only 6* Qi, but 8s 6d was about the lowest price ruling for anything liks fair-quality mutbon, and prim 3 freezers, which a few week* ago would have broughb only 9i to 9* 6d, were jelling at 12s to 133. There wai no cheap meat about, F am glad to say, and I hops wa shan't sea any for some tima to come. I hope farmers will recogaise fchab the fafc sheep market is not the placa for selling calla t which should go to the boiling-dowa establishments. Those poor cheap have in tho past swelled the yardinga and kept pricss down, and ihey have aever f I think, brought *i good &

i

price as might have been obtained at the boilingdown establishments, without paying all the expenses of the Buroside jaleyards. The boom in the wheat market dce3 not progress much, and prices are stationary, millers not being inclined to buy prime samples of wheat at over 33 9J, although considerably over 4s has been obtained for good line 3of seed "wheat. Not so the oat market, wnich continues to advance and as the prospects for this Btaple are, unlike wheat, based upon a prospective demand for export, I am inclined to advise farmers to hold on for a bettet price still. Prime fead and milling a:e quoted at Is 8d to it 10d, but 1 think that fully 2s will be obtained withia the ntxi week or two, and I have beard that over 2s has been paid for a good gampla f.o.b. at Bluff. There is something curious about the way New Zealand and Australian products are treated at Home. Sjme agitation has been going on as to the need of our products, such as butter, being disinfected, and a question ai to this has been asked and replied to in the House of Commons. I also note that our lire stock has to be killed at D opt ford or such places as are near the place of disembarkation, whereas Ameckan sheep can travel all over the British tlhminions. The fact is that thoze interested in the American, Danish, and other trades are more powerful and more active than thote who at present control and m&ntge the Australasian ' ' trade, and are uoiDg every means they know of to binder the advance of our produots ; and we 6b.aU have to stir ourselves in this matter and not leave things to drift on in the present unsatisfactory way. I don't think the British [ agriculturalist is agaiusfc U3, but I am sure that the Urge and powerful American and continental houses are now using every means ia their power to cramp and hinder our growing import tra-ie, which threatens to displace their goods and has already lowered their profits consider' ably. All this points to tho urgjnt need of co-operation here, combined itith an organisation at Home to watch and foster our interests. la the*e d*ys of change and rapid developxnent one does not' like to express a strong opinion, but at present it appears to me that the success of the Gothic's chilled meat experiment is of far greater impsit&nce that the live cattle or sheep trade, and likely to b3 of m xra far reaching benefit to us. It is, however, eati factory to note that so far our , exptrijnenta in tho expoit of live sheep hive be in satisfactory, and also that the livo cattle trade has been fairly encouraging from Auitralia, 455 cattle having been already senb, the death average on which has been about 8 pec 7 cent. Sd far it has baen proved that sheep accustomed to dry fead, as the Now Zealand one 3 generally are; have travelled well, and ' everything points to tha fact that both cattle ' and sheep for such a trade must be accustomed to etaU feeding before shipment. In this New Zealand ought to be able to hold her own •against all comew. The question, however, of vrh"»t is the proper freight on either sheep or cattle has not been settled. Socae people think' that when large steamers adapted for the trade are employed freight would b3 lower than at present. I am inclined to doubt this, and I think that unless fodder space cm be very much reduced freights cannot be lower, and it is well known that the experiments of the pa^>t on joint account o? shipowners and sheepowners have not been baeed upon tbe actual value of the freight space, takiug current rate 3 per cubic ton measurement even oa a low scale. Mr Cox, of Canterbury, has iv conjunction with the New Zotl&nd Shipping Company made the first experiment from Cwitsibury in the s s. Tekoa, aud I have not the slightest dojibt that these gheep will do the siiter province c edit. Captain Stuart, of the Tekoa, ■will no doubt look aftsr them well, and he is not by any means a novice in the management of sheep or cattle, havir-g, I believe, been re-ued among stock in his earlier dnys. The Dairy School is now in full swing a* Ec dale, and a supply of 700 gal of milk has baeu secured. Something like mild Canadian winter leather prevailed at the oprniDg, and no doubt Mr MaiEwan would be quite at home undtr such conditions. At the time of writing over 60 pupils are is attendance, and this number is h'-.itg daily increased. The notice of its opening was short. Great enthusiasm has been displayed, not only by the assistants and youDgei" cheese and butter makers, but aho by many ef our leading men of established repute, who are showing "gVeat eagerness to improve and it possible perfect themselves in their profession. The Minisler for Lands and the Agriculture department are to be coßgratulated on paving made a start in this direction. Tb.9 Htm. John M'Kcnzie has 8S Minister for Lands b^en a good friend to the dairy industry, and I am sura that all crmcerned in it hope that his health may be thoroughly restored, and that he may ba able to carry out further measures for the benefi!) of tho trade in dairy produce, upDn which depends in a very greab measure the success of the main work of hia life— viz., the settlement of the lands of this colony by a prosperous and contented body of farmers working on the best up-to-date methods. Up to date all the Government measures have very properly been on the line 3of placing matters right at what I may term the home end of the business— that is, here in New Zealand—by educating people as to the best methods of putting our products, manufactured in a proper manner and of good quality, on board ship. This must be carefully persevered in, as no doubt there is still great room for improvement. But haviDg taken steps to put tilings right in this respect, it seems to me that the time has now come for consideration by the Government ' of other mat'.ers in connection with the transit by rail and sea, and also the proper disposal and distribution of our products in the markets ' of the world. How far Government can fairly ' or reasonably be asked to interfere in this q ues- ■ tion is a matter that will cause con c iderable debate on all hands. The world moves fast nowadays, and the timo is past for saying that

trade instead of monopoly and unduly high rates of freight. I have alluded to what the Government has already done to help the dai-y industry in the matter of production. It looks as if all this would be useless unless something cm be done to get our produce plac3d on the London market at lower rates than at present, for I am assured by csmpetent authorities that unless freights are much reduced the dairy industry extent ion is impossible, and it may collapse alt .-gather, and anyfchiog approaching this would be a calamity to the colony and a fatal blow to all schemes for land settlement. The shipping ring is a reality, and is actually boisted of by those witbjn its magic circle. Subsidies to mail steamers and c»b'o routes Rre of very minor importance to the bulk of set.lsrs. But the questions of Tillage and freight are of very vital importance, and-I hope farmers will duly impre33 (heir members with the fact, and insist on Government being made aware of theEe matters. Tha Victorian Government have besn very active iv pushing their trade in all agricultural produce, and h&ve at present paid agents in "Western Australia, Japan, and other places pushing the sale of their goods. I don't know much about Japan or other Eastern places as a market for cur produce, nor do I thiuk trade can be large there, a3 coolies and Chinese are too ecocomical in their habit 3to ever become conßumerß of colonial products. I rather prefer to look out for a market where Europeans are to ba found in large numbers, and for this reason I hope to see something done in the extension of the New Zealand trade with Wettsrn Australia. Coolgardie, the Murchison, and Western Australia generally promiaes to become the greatest goldfleld in the world, South Africa not excepted. This is the very place for New Zealand produce, and South Africa might preeeDt an extended opening also. Already New Zealand produce largely supplies both placesWestern Australia via Melbourne and South Africa via London. If Government can do anything to Ond a. market and develop trade with these places they will benefit New Zealand producers greatly, and, as landlords, will make their tenaut3 prosperous and further help settlement. Little tinkering tariffs with South Australia are not worth consideration beside the question of gaining Western Australian trade for New Zealand. Ofcher countries are alive to this, but New Zealand, if on the market anything like first, must gain the trade, as no colony could produce the goods compris-

Government should not interfere in matters i connected with trade, which should be hit to private enterprise. Atanyrate,asamalterof fact« our Government and all other colonial Govern- [ ments are now giving great attention to such matters, and have done so for years, and 0113 has only to name protection, cable and mail 6ubsidiee, lighthouses, railways, telegraphs, telephones, and other -things to show that every Government has all along been engaged in dealing with matters calculated to improve and foster the trade of the colonies they govern. Now that the railways are in the hands of the Government the matter of railway freight should be easily dealt with, and if it can ba shown, as I think it can, that the lowering of the railage and the giving of greater facilities for the transit of all farm produce will enable those already on the land to farm prosperously [ and encDurage very greatly f urlhsr settlement, ; it will ba the duty of Government to lower i freights and, if possible, make the railways what they were intended to be— viz , the main channels for the promotion of settlement by a large population such as undoubtedly New Zealand should carry. Uuless tha railways can be : made to do this the Government railway policy will have been to a great extent in -vain, ! sndthe question of immediate revenue to the | rail ways should giva way to the much larger one of the promotion of settlement, and when th&t is accomplished tho revenue will, I have little doubt, be flowing in properly, owing to the largely increased population making use of the lines. , The other question is the one of freight by steamer to England, to which I have' often 1 alluded. If we had fair competition among { the steamship companies trading to England there would be no need to ask Government to interfere, but such is not the caie, aud the shipping ling controlling the New Zjalsnd-London trade, and also to a great extent the whole trade between Australasia and London, is such a powerful combination that Government might {airly be RBked to help at least in organising the producers of the colony to carabine in a struggle to obtain something like free and fair 1

ing their requirements so well. But here will come in the question of freight too, and Government ehould inquire into the matter, and perhaps subsidise a starting steamer for direct trade. Tho San Francisco mail contract is nolj worth a dump to any producer in the colony, and that subsidy might be saved and applied to the development of trade with Western Australia,- which would be of real aud permanent benefit to New Zea'and farmers and settlers. There has been quite a little boom in the butter marked Prices rose rapidly from 9J to 101 for best factory bulk butter, and 6tocks locally are now quite cleared out. All this went to Western Australia, being purchased by Melbourne firm 3. The butter market is improving in London, and butter, as I predicted, is dearer there now th»n it was in January. There is a slight Auetra'ian demand for cheese, which is causing an improvement which will, I hope, continue. Owjng, however, tathe large amount still on hand ia New Zealand prices must be moderate— 4d to fy& f.o.b perhaps.