STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2513, 14 May 1902, Page 8

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Br Droteb.

Weekly Stoeh Sales : Fortn ightly • JJurnside. Wednesdays Invercar XI".K I ". Tuesdays Asbburton, Tuesdays Monthly: Addiaxton.Wedneadays Clinton, Palmer«ton „ .T , Winton, and "WaiFcrtniahtly: kouaiti Balclutha, Fridays Periodically : Gore, Tuesdays Heriot.Kelso, and KyeOamaru, Tuesday burn. The cattle yarded at Burn-,ic!e last week consisted of a few pens of prime bullocks and a largo proportion of medium and inferior. Best bullocks made £10 5s to £11 5s medium £8 10s to £9 10-,, some good cows and heifers" £7 to nearly £8. There was good competition for all but inferior sorts. About 2400 sheep were yarded, mostly ewes of fair to prime quality. Butchers, having supplies in hand, were not active bidders, and export buyers had rather a good time. Best wethers sold at 15s to 16s, medium 13s to 14s 6d, best ewes 12s to 13s, .medium 9s to 11s. A large number of light and inferior went at 6.-. to Bs, there being no keen demand for such. Prices show a decline on previous week of Is on prime wethers and about 2s on ewes, mainly owing to butchers having a full supply on hand and not competing as usual for good ewes to any extent. A largp proportion of the yarding were light and inferior sheep, which told at 6s to 7?. About 650 lamb 3 wore yarded, and all fit for export sold leadily at 10i to lib 6d, none of them being \ery prime Inferior, of which there were a good many, were hard to quit at 6s to 7s. In fattening lambs ue are still, it seems to me, very backwaid, and farmers a3 a rule do not eeem to fa\our rape-growing for the purpose of finishing the lambs. It is said that our climate is not suitable for rape-growinjr. and that those who have tried the experimc* ' do not intend to repeat it. I know, howevor, of so\eral good drafts of lambs finished in tins way profitably, and am of opinion that some of the experiments made are not a fair test. A lot of poor, half-starved, weak lambs put on rape would certainly not gh c good results, as their feed would be apt to fcour them : but good, strong, well-nourKhpd store lambs would fatten off quickly and well Nearly 6000 fat sheep were yaide.l at Addington last week, mostly ewes. Export buyers competed briskly for lines of suitable wethers and maiden ewe. There was ;Jto good competition for second-quality ewes for the South African army meat contract ; so that all round the market na= a good one. and prices of wether? phow an advance of 9d to Is per head. Five hundred prin:e North Island wethers were transformed into " prjme Canterbury " at ]5« 7d to 16s 8d per head. Prime Canterbury wethers sold at 16s to 18s 6d. North Island ewes fetched 14s to 14s 9d, prime Canterbury cues 14s to 16s; about lls to 12s 6d was given for cwe= for South a f ritv*. _v _j£ laoauti— ic t.u\a new

demand ffto t - second-class meat for Soutli Africa is not a bad thing; but I again point out that this should he widely proclaimed as New Zealand second-cla*s mutton, otherwise the name of New Zealand meat must suffer. No matter v, hether one puts "Eclipse" or a full moon on the wrappers, it will sell as New Zealand meat ; and certainly, after all the blow and talk we have made about our meat over thia army contract, the army people* in South Africa will have a right to presume that this is the best we can do; whereas it is nothing of the kind, being only of the cheap order, and by no means representative of New Zealand mutton, as it should bo. The small temporary gain by getting rid of these more or les-s old ewes no doubt is attractive to farmers generally. " Como night, come ninepence " is apparently the motto ; and it is only in keeping with the aimless drifting policy that has all along characterised our frozen mutton and lamb trade. I do not see any hop© of alteration, as farmers seem quite satisfied with the position, aud until they change their minds there will be no alteiation. Contentment i? a great virtue, but peace of this kind may be purchased too dearly. Commercial war is coming, and all points of this kind are of immense importance to all producers. The maintaining of our prestige as producers of a first-class article is of more importance now than ever it wa-s. For New Zealand to sink into mere mediocrity in any of her exports means more than to mo=t other nations. Our distance from markets and expensive freight demand that our goods should be better than theirs, and in many lines — meat among others — our climate and natural advantages make it quite possible for us to maintain a leading positio.n. This, however, cannot come about unless our farmers, the main producers of all our exports, take a lively interest in the matter, which they have never yet done, I must sorrowfully say. If they arc to leave what is leally their business entirely to timeserving, rapid-fortune hunters to manipulate and deal with, the outlook for the future, I am inclined to think), i° far from cheerful. In this connection I cannot help alluding to the Government appointments in trade commissioners. They have never risen to the occasion and appointed the most suitable men for the purpose. They have used the occasion to reward faithful political support or electioneering services rendered. Mr (row has told us nothing new, and his position now in London is that of the fifth wheel of ;>. coach, for Mr H. C. Cameron, of the Agent-general' 3 office, has always been able to, and can still, tell us more than ever Mr Gow can. The late appointment of Mr John Holmes I cannot understand. It seems as if the Government '"consider that in him they have found a regular all-round " PoohBah." First he was their flax expert, and perhaps he has led them to believe that the improved price of flax was duo to his lectures in England, whereas it_ is entirely due to the scarcity of Manila hemp, owing to the long-eontinu ' war in the Philippine Islands. Ne_t Mr Holmes was employed by Government to marshal processions for the Royal visit entertainment, and no on" has yet been able *o show what good he did in either position. Now he- has gone off on his travels again, and he has hcen duly advertising himself in Australia on his way. I think it a great pity that such appointments have been made. Previous to these appointments not one body connected in any way with our export trade or the production of our exports has ever been consulted as to their suitability ; and yet the Government will no doubt point with self-aatisfac-tion to themselves as having done some creat thing for the export trade and the farming community. For many things they have done I can heartily commend them, but I bplicve that with regard to these appointments both farmers and exporters will join me in saving to them " V. r e hav> nothing to thank you for." That good mi. ''it bo done, however, in this way, wero really suitable men appointed, is undoubted. The Australian Meat Tiadcs Journal, com- i montitig on Mr Holme= ( who had ber-n giving hints in r^erehnnts there as to tho woy t-j conduct busine", fakes Mie occasion to <-mi down what they a>'o pleased to call i C'ac- nnirnl interference- in trade matters, C;p -i cl"Jly f.= regard" our export of m^at and produce. Unfortunately for the writer, he j mentioned Canada as one of the countries making great progress without Government heir or intcrfcrcr.es>. This is not the case, for in Canada the Government Agiicultural Dopirtment has gone further to aid and develop the export trade and educate its , farmers than any other country. Npv. Zealand, toi. L?* gone far ahead in daily produce, thanks in a very errat measure to the w oik ami _x_*_i__ oi v & f|i~?-eru_i_tit.

Only the other day the Sydney Produce Commissioner commended our Government for its legislation, etc., relating to dairying, and advocated the same thing. I am strongly in favour of Government assisting and controlling in all such matters, but it must be done on proper lines. Such has been the case undoubtedly with regard to our Government's action in dairying legislation and work ; and I should like to see the ?ame thing done in regard to our meat trade. In Australia the dairyman is a poor man compared with the New Zealand dairyman, and i& is well known that both the Federal and States Governments have been all along anxious to improve the dairyman's position by legislation similar to that of the New Zealand Government, but they have been blocked always by the powerful ring of merchants who in Melbourne and Sydney absolutely control the dairy produce trade. These gontiemen do not want any Government interference. No doubt it would spoil their game. The New Zealand dairy produce trade is free from any such thing as 11 ring of exporter 5 ", and any attempt to organise such a thing will be stoutly resisted, and, indeed, could not exist, as, owing to our grading system, we have an always-increasing number of buyers in Great Britain, who do so by cable, and buy with confidence on the Government grade. This is what the S3'dney and Melbourne ring of merchants do not intend to allow there.

The grain market i? quiet. I still believe that holders of wheat will do. well. I do not believe in all we hear about Manitoban wheat coming in. The London wheat marloet is improving rapidly, and wheat will go there. Oats are at a, good price now, and I see no reason to think they will be lower. A very considerable portion of thi3 season's crop has already been shipped. There were no stocks of old ; everything point? to a firm, strong market.