STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2524, 30 July 1902, Page 8

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Br Dhote*.

Weekly SUck Sales : Fortniyhthj : „r . , Invercargill, Tuesday* Ri'Tunde, Wednesdays ■'iburton, Tuesdaya Monthly: d ington, Wednesdays Clinton, Palmer=+on Wintor, and WaiFcrtniahtly: kouaiti B ilclutha, Fridays I'trh.dicaUy : Gjre, Tuesdays Hei iot.Kelso, and Kj cOamsuu, Tuesdays bur*. The yarding of cattle at Burnside consisted of 180 head, mostly half finished cattle, and this had a tendency to depress the maikoo for prime. Still, best bullocks, moderate weights, brought £10 to £11, medium £3 10a to £9, some good cows and heifers to nearly £8. The half-finished cattle met with a rather dull market, and sold at from £5 10s to £7. At 20th June New Zealand beef was selling in London at 4|d for hindquarters and 3Jd for fores, River Plate being about id lowed. Theso are lower rate 3 than were prevailing, this being due to a slight over-supply of frozen just at tho time of warmer weather setting in. The report says that coincident with this lowering of values of frozen beef chilled beef has advanced to pi ices higher thai: hat-© obtained for years, and as ©very week of late has seen enhanced rates with over average supplies, i alues- may not as yet havo reached the lop. In chilled lvef, American hindquarters were soiling at fully 7d, and fores at 4Jd, being fully l|d per lb over best Now Zealand hard. It seems a pity that, seeing we have a good supply of primest beef in New Zealand, we cannot market it to best advantage by sending it chilled instead of frozen, or, at anyrale, some of it. Are the difficulties of doing co unsurmountable, or is it only the general apathy that always soomo to affect our farmers regarding our export meat trade that prevents our doing so? I a-m of opinion that if there was a will on their part, a way would be found. As usual, I suppose they all leave it to someone else to do. Gradually only farmers eee-m tcj be learning that self help and self-reliance on their part aro increasingly needed, and a little of this feeling displayed over our frozen beef trade in tho direct ion indicated wouM. I think, result in benefit to all concerned.

About l£oo sheep were yarded, and the demand for prime, cheep was good.

Cables fiom London indicate an improvement in tho market thero. The glut and over supply soem to have been got over. No doubt those who control our trade have effected their purpose, and having secured supplier at low rates, now allow the market to advance. I don't think our Burnside n.arket was affected by this, but rather by the demand for sheep for Sydney. Kvery weekly steamer, in addition to the Wliangape, has full bookings of 1000 to 1600 live sheep, and, in addition, all the Union Steam Ship Company's frozen space in each steamer is booked for frozen mutton. This space is very limited, about a few hundred in each l>o;U. From Wellington, and al->o, 1 think, fiom Lyttelton, quarters Of beef ar"e ejoing fn considerable quantities, via Cook S-tiait, hung on deck Sheep will probably go in this way also, for the voyage over 13 only four and a-half days, and in this weather meat should arrive in primo order there. From Bluff, quarters of beef, and some mutton also, will be going to Hohart and Melbourne All these thing 3 make for good, and I look hopefully upon the fat shr-op market, and anticipate good prices for all primo wethers and ewes. Some say that only moderate-weight sheep are required for this trade. I am. however, of opinion that heavy shoep, if prime, are in quits a-> good demand. Best wethprs at Burn&ide ran from l 4 t5 6d to 17«. 6d, and good ewes about 13s to 14 p. Wether-*, lio'vever, nre much preferred for tha Au^tiahan trade.

There "till s^rms a wonderfully big supply of old owes. I had hoped we had ixhaut-ted the supply, but st.II they come, and always tend to keep the maiket down. Many ewes have beon killed lately that might have bnen profitably kept, as our supply of good hi ceiling ewes* is much le c f than one would like it to be.

Bacon nigs and porker* aro selling well, and the supi/y is in small proportion to the demand. Prices for baton rug* 1201b and over mil from 54s to b^a :it Eurn-.ide-; porkers, small, 30? to 33->.

At Adding ton I'io ii'"Wi from London of an n.v r<-\PiT at m tho multuii ruarket had it-* off' ft, aivl. adilft' to the demand _ for Siilucy, CitUaud i iixiu Louc.m th; marictit.

Prime heavy wethers cold at 225; prime freezers, moderate' weights, 16s to 19s: prime heavy ewes, *16s to 18s. All classes of sheep were benefited. The demand for stores was brisker, too, as signs of an early spring are encouraging. A line of 1000 fetore ewes and wethers from the. south sold to an Ashburton grazier at 12s lOd. Factory rejects sold at 13s to 133 9d, wethers and ewes 10s 3d ; sound-mouthed ewes in lamb sold at from 12s 9d to 14s ; 340 fat lambs (tegs), from Acton estate, sold at 13s lOd ; other lots, prime, about 80, sold at lls 9d to 14-s, export buyers taking them freely.

The wheat market is steady, and millers take all good milling offered at 4s 3d to 4s 4d The oat market remains quiet, but firm. Seeing that it is fully eight months to next harvest, the supply in hand is but moderate. I anticipate further orders from South Africa, as supplies must be wanted there for some time, despite the ending of the war. Canada and America especially have a tremendous advantage over us. as they have regular and cheap freights. We, alas, have none at all, and, as far as I can see, don't seem likely to have for some time. One cannot blame the Government over this matter wholly. Farmers have nofc been particularly urgent on it, and our local Chambers of Comerre have all along displayed apathy, or shall I say masterly inacthity?

?The National Dairy Association in the South Island unanimously decided upon tho principle of on© factory and one brand for our dairy produce export trade. The Premier and the Department of Agriculture took the same view, our good Premier being very emphatic on the subject, as witness his telegram to tha National Daiiy Association, published in the annual report. A section of exporters, in Wellington more particularly, take a different view of the matter, and have been scheming in various ways to shake the dairy commissioner in his views on. this point. They have met at the Chamber of Commerce in Wellington to arrange for a campaign against this. They met, however, secretly, and the press w ere not allowed to bo present to hear their arguments and words of wisdom. This does not look well. The attack is to be made on the National Dairy Association in the North Island at their meeting at Stratford on August 5. They have, it is understood, done all possible to sway th© Acting-Piemibr and several members of Parliament in their favour. What they want is to have the right to brand produce they buy as they pleas© with a brand of their own, expunging the name of the factory, but allowing the registered number, say 52 or 56, of the factory to go on the boxes with their own brands, such as "Stanley," "Three Stars," "Three Balls," "Golden Churn," etc., instead of the factory brand 9. It is to be hoped that the National Dairy Association at the Stratford meeting will resist this unanimously, as the southern factories have done. Only a week or so ago the agents of a Melbourne firm offered the Taieri and Peninsula Company a good price for a large quantity, to be branded with the Melbourne firm's brand. This the Taieri and Peninsula directors promptly declined, as they intend to ship under their own name always. I sincerely hope all factories will be firm on this point. They have mostly all secured a good name. Their butter and cheese are well known now by their several names all over Britain, and to give way to these exporten* means wrecking the dairy produce trade, and levelling down, prices. A number of these exporters are Australian agents, and tbe move is in the interests of Australian houses, who want to use New Zealand as a mere reserve store to carry on their export trade with when required. I say when required advisedly, for when they have no drought and a plentiful supply they will use their own. I hope no factory will bo misled on this point. When Australian merchants have none of their own. then only will tbey buy New Zealand, and if factories give way on the point not one pound more butter or cheese will be sold under these buyers* brands than under their own names. When they have none they must buy ours under its own nam-e, aa has been done all along. In the interests of hoaesty and of the good name of New Zealand, I urge factories to be firm for selling and exporting under their own names only. I could write pages on the subject, but surely it is not needed. What theso exporters want really savours of bringing our system of export down to one of misrepresentation. Why put "Three Balls" on Taieri or Cheltenham butter? Why not its own name? Surely common honesty dictates no other course-.