STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2565, 13 May 1903, Page 8

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

By Deoteb.

Weekly Stock Sales: Fortnightly: 0 -j «n j Invercavgill, Tuesdays Burnside, Wednesdays 6 ' ABhburton, Tuesday.B Monthly: Addington, Wednesdays Clinton, Palmeraton, Wintop, and WaiFcrtnightly: kouaiti Balclutha, Fridays Periodically: Gore, Tuesdays Heriot.Kelso, and KyeOamaru, Tuesdays bura. About 120 head of cattle were yarded at Burnside last week, a few only being prime, the bulk medium quality. Best bullocko brought £10 to £11 ss: medium, £6 10.3 to £8; good cows aud heifers, £7 to £8; medium, £5 to £6. The market was a dull one, and there seemed no brisk demand except for the few prime on offer. Prices for these were maintained at late rates, but lower quality was easier. About 2000 slieep were yarded, and a very poor lot they were, with haz-dly a good pen of sheep in the lot. About two good pens of A-ethera brought 15* to 17s, and a pen of ewos about the same price; the rest sold at from 8a to. 12s 6d. It was about the poorest yarding of sheep seem at Burnside for a long time. Let us hop© it was just a clearing, out of old .6took. The lambs were a poor lot also ; best brought from 10s 6d to 12s 9d, others about 93. For some time past, it appears from latest advices by mail, some of th© large meat dealers have been ather alarmed at the shrinkage in the imports of meat, caused mainly by the cessation of Australian shipments through the drought and the diversion of some of the Argentine shipments to South Africa. Doubtless the good prices maintained so long for the very large shipments of New Zealand meat are iue to this, but latest cables seem to indicate that the heavy shipments this season from New Zealand and from River Plate also, despite their South African shipments, are beginning to tell, and prices are coming down. It appears that Britain during the last two or three years has been dependent cai imported meat for about one-third of her total supply. The tendency is for this proportion to increase, and probably 6Oon the imported supply will reach one-half of the total consumption. Consumption grows, owing to inferior meat being cheaper, and bringing in a new set of consumers. The Homo supply at the same time does lot increase, and it looks as if it could not do co. It seems quite certain that the consumption of New Zealand frozen meat could be largely increased were the question of proper distribution and handling of our meat in Great Britain serious'y and practically taken . in hand, which it never has been. River Plate people, I have for years pointed out, have always done better than New Zealand in this respect. They have >ultivated and opened cut markets systematically, whilst Now Zealand has pursued a happy-go-lucky method all alcng, relying on our better quality. No doubt this has helped us, but it won't do to rely solely on this. By all means let us keep up the quality. It ia certainly our strongest point that in mutton, lamb, and beef we can produce the .very best. We must maintain this position. At the same time we must imitate our River Plate rivals to a great extent in their methods of distribution. Farmers will, as in the past, probably take mo interest in this matter as long as they are getting good prices, such as are ruling at present ; but when they get much less, as they may do some day^ they will wake up and agitate, but then "it will be to* late. Our rivals, the River Plate people, are able and energetic, and will keep on improving .heir system and methods. We have at present no Bystem and no methods, and the longer we delay the worse for us. At Addington last week the 6tock market was brisk, with an improvement in price for all prime freezing sheep. Best freezing aethers brought 17s 6d to 20s : medium weight, 15s to 17s ; best ewes, about 17s. Other qualities of sheep were sold at previous rates — viz., medium freezing ewes, 12d to 14s. 6d ; inferior ewes, 9s to lls. Some of the best wethers were from tho Chatham Islands; the bulk of the yarding were ewes. Prime freezing lambs sold at from 12s to 14s 6d ; tegs, about 15s to 17s ; small lambs, 9s to 12s 6d. About 3500 store sheep and lambs were yarded, and found a ready sale, the demand being good. Six nd eighttooth cwea and full-mouthed brought from 9s to lls 6d ; twe-tooth wethers from Chathams, from 10s to 15s 3d, according to condition; store lambs sold at from 6s to 10s 6d. The butter market seems likely to rule much lower in price this year than in previous years. Large quantities continue to accumulate in the freezing etores. notwithstanding that small shipments have continued to go fortnightly to London — generally about 2500 boxes each steamer. Tho Turakina took 6500 la«t week. The stock in hand w about 80,000 at all the stores. The make in the North Island is still large, and enough for local trade, and frluM-o is no demand for Australia ,ior for South Africa. In Brisbane, f-o rapidly have they' recovered from the drought, butt-er i.5 now at 10^d ic-r lb. We may practically, I think, fay good-bye to Australia as a market for dairy prochie? until thay have another drought. There is no demand for cheese 'rom Aiw- ] tialia, nor doc* there eeenx lik-jlv to be. but , as local ales will absorb the balance of t-he j make remaining over aftrr London ship- j ment, there should bo no difficulty in die- j posing of it gradually. North Tsland, how- j ever, may have a little more then can be easily dealt with. Tho London market | keeps fuirlv <?ood for butter, and still is high for cheese. We may. however, cx|.oot prices to eas? a. little in May and Juno. ! 1 fancy prices will remain at somcwheie ; about 655, which is by no means a bad price. Unlike previous easons continuous shipment* of butter have b^en going to Londmi this year, and. though on a small srale, this will have a tendency to do (rood. It is probable those shipment. will continue j well into the ommonwmwit of next sea?on. Tn past shipment have stopped in 'February, some-times oven in January, and thon buyers of New Zealand butter in j Britain have had to look elsewhere for an j article to suit the-m. The want of a con- ! t.inuous Minnly has indeed prevented some laree 'li^tributers from ptorkinp; New Zralnncl butter at all. They have 6tuck to Danish or other lines, which they can ge>t continuously. Of course our intermittent

supply has told against us. It was eausecl by the demand -from Australia in the autumn and winter months. It looks aa if this outleb is permanently closed, and ifi it leads to continuous shipments to London, and keeping up a regular supply, I am of opinion that we shall be gainers instead of losers by the change. It certainly looks as if prime lines 06 wheat will 'be scarce, and the market bida fair to keep good for this quality. At pre« sent many of the samples of southern wheafc are soft and poor, and probably the bulk o£ our crop will be of this description, and wq cannot expect very high rates to rule for: this quality. Oats are in demand for prompt delivery, and the market seems to be firmer. Some buyers contend that prices must come down, but I hold a different opinion. A very large portion of the southern crop is still unout, and much is still in stook. The total crop when harvested will by no means ba what it was expected. fhe grades of oats have not yet been fixed. It appears that the grades are to be fixed according to the average sample harvested, and it is said that B grade this yeai? will not be more than equal to C grade last year. lam of opinion that much of the J3 grade last year was bad enough, and consider that fixing the grade in this way \s simply ridiculous, and likely to bring grading into contempt. A buyer in South Africa, say, who buys B grade f.o.b. Bluff, l.as a right to expect that the quality will be at least as good as what he got last year, and is naturally disgusted when he finds oh arrival the quality much lower. This system of grading is, I contend, absolutely useless, and will do New Zealand exports much damage. I believe in the Government grading of oil our produce as highly beneficial, but the lines on which it is carried out must not be those at present in vogue an the grain business, but on the lines of Government grading as carried out in butter, cheese>, and flax. This 6tyle of grading has dome immense good, and lias made business satisfactory and safe to all concerned in the trade, and has, iv faot, contributed very largely to the great success of these industries in our midst.