DUNEDIN HORSE SALEYARDS. Weekly Report.

Otago Witness, Issue 2199, 23 April 1896, Page 12

DUNEDIN HORSE SALEYARDS. Weekly Report.

Messrs Wright, Stephenson, and Co. report as followß :— There was a gootl attendance of buyers present at Saturday's sale, and the entries were more numerous and' the quality of tbo horses much 'batter than last week. Draught horses wore fairly, well leproionted and good young active ones wero well sought after ;" most of those offered changed hands at satisfactory prices. For light and in« ferior horses of this class there was no demand. The ipringcarterß offered were mostly of inferior qu&lUy, but thd demand fou them was fairly good ; a few really first-class ones that were offered changed hands very readily at' moat satitfact»ry prices. There were » few very good upstanding harness horses offered, and for these the^demwid was a good deal better than it has been for a few weeks past. We sold a very stylish five-year-old gelding, 17 bauds, for £18, on account of Mr John Spratt, Mataura Island. For light- and inferior hacks and harness horsea there was very little demand. We quote : — Heavy draughts, four to six years, £22 to £2,7 ; do eight to ton years, £15 to £20 ; light and small do, £8 to £12 } aged and inferior do, £4 to £7 j upstanding flprina. cart horses, young and sound, £12 to £16 ; wellbred'upstanding huckaand harness horses, £16. to £20 ; upstanding hacks and harness horses, £10 to £14 ; aged and inferior, £2 to £5. CENTRAL OTAGO STOCK SALES. Messrs Wright, Stephenson, and Co. report having held their third series of Central Otago stock sales 1 as follows :—: — At' Blacks, on the 14th -inst., we yarded 1700 sheep, and sold full-mouthed merino ewea at up to is, and halfbred lambs at market rates. Leicester rains commanded full rates, as did cattle, but owners of bullocks showed an indis> position to accept market values At Wedderburn, on the 15th, we yarded 2500 sheep, and sold 2000 of them. Buyers were shy, and com* paratively low rates had to be accepted. The featme of the sale was the line of English and Border Leicester rams from Mr Alexander Murdoch, of Eyeburn and Ngapara, all of which we readily quitted at l£gs for Eng]i3h and Hgs for Border Leicesters. We also cold 31 head of pattlo at market rates. At Kyeburu, on the 16tfa inst., matters- were brisker, "and a good trade was dona with a full yaniii>g of sheep. We cold most of the lines under brisker competition than we have experienced this season in Central Otago, due te the knowledge that sellers were prepared ta accept market rates. Mr Murdoch's rams wera

also in demand here, going in one line to a Green Valley buyer, and thus leaving many would-be purchasers in the cold. The Pakmers' Agency Company (Limited) held theiv third sale of this season at Cald well's yards, Wedderburn on Wednesday last r and penned 5H7 Blteep of all classes, 29 longwoolled rams, and 47 cattle. There were plenty of buyers present prepared to do business, and as vendors in most cases were agreeable to accept present ruling values a good clearance was made, almost everything going .off at auction at satisfactory .prices, of which we give full particulars herewith-:— Twelve Border Leicester rams, two-tooth, 275; 17 English Leicester rams, two-tooth, ljga (both lot* bred by Mr Alex. Murdo« h ; 81 two tooth crossbred wethers, 8a b'd; 400 full -mouth merino ewes, ss: 146 two- tooth cros^breds, 8i 9d; 144 do. '8s 4d; 170 do, 8s 8d ; 75 do, 8s Cd ;52 do, 8a 91 ; 18 do; 8s 8d ; 196 do, 6s lid ;407 crossbred lamhs, 5s lOd ; 614 two-tooth-crosabrei'B (small), 6s4}d; 1 00 full-mouth merino ewes, ss ; 217, two-tooth crotsbreds, 7s 6d ; CO crossbred lambs, ss ; 249 old merino ewes (boilers), 1 Is lOd; 294 tv.o-tooth crcsbreds (small), 6s 3d; 393 do, 6? 3d; 152 boilers, Is 2d; 372 two-troth crossbreds (small), 6s 6d ; IP4 boilers, 2a 2d ; 634 i full-mr.'uth n»erino wethers, 2s 8d ; 43 catb'e — "bullocks £3 17s 6d to £6 7s 6d, cows £2 5s to £4 17s, heifers £2 2s 6d to £4 12 a. PALMERSTON MONTHLY SALE. Messrs Wright, Stephenson, and Co. report as foil iwp :— There was a very large entry of sheep for our monthly Bale held at ' Palmerston yesterday (Fr.day), 2T47 brine penned, and excepting some 20 rams they all found purchasers at; in the case of young ' sheep, very good values. Aged ewes, on the other haii' 1 , were only saleable at boiling-down rates. The following we,re the prices current :— Four and six-loot h crosi- bred wethers (very forward), 8s to 88 9d ; two-tooth crossbred and merino ewes 63 to 7s 6d ; crossbred lambs, 5s to 6s sd ; aged cr< ssbred ewes, Is 6d to 2s lOd ; Leicester rams, 10s to 21s. Not many cattle vrere forward, and those yarded were mostly aged dry cows and ill bred yearling*. For the»e two classes there was no demand. Young dairy cows (close to calving) : "Competition was biisk, and those entered sold readily at from £i 10s to j£6. GRAIN AND PRODUCE MARKETS. Messrs Donald Reid and Co. report that prices ruled as under at their auction sale yesterday : — Oats —All offered met with ready .sale at an advance of fully Id per bushel on last week's prices. Prime milling and seed sorts, Is 8d to Is BJd ; good to best feed, Is 7d to Is 7Jd ; medium, Is 6 1 to If OJd per bushel (sacks extra) Wheat.— For the little, offered bidding was fanly biisk, and late quotations were well maintainc 1 . Barley .—No prime malting offered. Medium to good, 2s 8d to 3s Id ; feed and milling, 2s 3d to ' 2s 7d per bushel (backs extra). 'Potatoes mot a slightly stronger demand. Best Derwenta, £2 Via 6d to £2 17« 6d ; medium, £2 63 to £2 10s ; be*t kidnejs. £2 15s to £2 17s 6d. ■Ch^ff.— Confidering the supplies forward of late ' values were "well maintained. We 'offered none extra prime, but sold good oaten eheaf at£2)oi to £-2. J2- 6d ; medium, £2 7s 6d' to £2 10s per ton ' (bats extia). The Mutual Agency Company of New Zealand (Limited) repoit that piice3 ruled as under at their weekly auction, sale yesterday :— Oats — Market animated, and under keen competition we clered our catalogue at an advai oe of Id to lid on laßt. -week's piices. Sutherlands (far). Is 8d (ex truck) to Isßid (prime' are worth more ; bparrowbills (good), 1r fjd to Is 7Jd (ex t .cks) ; medium feed, Is 6Jd to lsfiid. Wheat.— There was better bidding today, and, COBsMeriog the quality of the wheat offered, we must leport market distinctly firmer. Vtlvet (fail), 3s 7d to 3s 7Jd ; Tuscan (prime), 3s 5Jd to 3s 6d ; medium and fowl wheat, 3s to 3s IJd. Barley.— Medium, 2s 7d ; inferior, 2s to 2s 4id. Potatoes.— £2 175 6 d ; market bare. Chaff. — Marktt well supplied, but prices remain firm^ Bee^, £2 12s 6d (>ne »ruall lot, £2 15;); medium to t-ood, £2 2a 6d to £2 7s 6i. The Farmers' Agency Company (Limited) report that prices luled as follows at their grain sale yesterday mori ing :— ■ Oa^s. — A very ke<'n demand, and prices showea, an a ! vance of Id per bushel on all eorts Best ! Suiherl-nds brought Is Bd, best sp*rrowbill* Is 7d to le 7Jd, medium l« 6i to Is Bid per bushel. Wheat.— Prime ve'vet sold at 3s 7d to 3s B<i, prime rt-d straw and Tuscan from 3s 3d to 3* 5d per bu'hel.- : Putat'. es brought from £2 12s 6d to £2 17s 6d per ton. " - Chaff:— Prime oaten sold at £2 12s 6d, meiitim j £2 103, inferior from d.2 per ton. , | THE LABOUR MARKET. Mr Skene reports umier date April 21 : —It is a hard problem to guess Uv: outlook for the coming winter; but it is to be hoped that the weary troubles of la--t year will not be repeated. It is hardly time yet for the ri c in grain and wool to tell on labour. We a.' unjust keep our pecker up and put our shoulde s to the wheel, for whether times are good or bad we shall always have the unemployed.. €k>ld diV-ing ia looking up, and in DuLedin there is talk of % gr.qd deal of work to go on. The rabbiting se&son i\ near. A few plough- I men are moViDg ; and U c demand is always good for boys and lads for cuiutry work ;\but the puzzle Is how to absorb the hosts of town boys, ever increasing. There is no change in wages. %