STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2623, 22 June 1904, Page 8

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Bt D&oveb. Weekly Stock Set les : Forhvghthj : Burnside, Wednesdays Invercirgi 1, Tuesdiya A shburton, Tuesdays Monthly : AddingtomWedneadayg Clinton, Palmer«toi> , Fortnightly: WiaWb, and "WaiBalclutha, Fridays kouaiti. Gore, Tuesdays Periodically • Oamaru, Tuesdays Heriot, Kelso, and Kyebura. About 170 bead of cattle were yarded a; Burnsido last v eek, and the tendency of p"ice» was downward, the market being decidedly dull. Best bullocks, about £10 ; medium, £8 l(te ; light, £7; piimo heifers, about £9 ; light to medium cows, £4- to £5. The following is from "Weddel's report under May 13 re the London beef market: — Beef. — The Australasian import consists of only 2734 quarters from New Zealand. The landing of 15,385 quarters from the Eiver Plate marks a material shrinkage as compared with recent arrivals, but supplies are still in excess of requirements. American chilled beef has latterly been less plentiful, and the higher rates ruling for that description have created rather more demand for frozen beef. New Zealand beef has been more inquired for, particularly hind-quarters, winch have improved m price somewhat. TTorc-quaiters, however, have not sold at nil freely, and relative quotations remain unaltered. \\'c quote New Zealand fores at 2^d to 2Jcl, and hinds at 3£d per lb. Tho quality and condition of present marketings of Australian beef are such that it has only participated very plightl}-, foies being weak at 2Jd and hinds only about steady at 2]d to 2?d per lb. Eiver Plate hinds are in more request at 3^d to 3' s d per lb, but fores are a alow sale at 2gd to 2Jd per lb.

Aboub 24-00 sheep were j'arded at Burnside last week, mostly good wethers and ewe;. All prime to good freezing sheep met with good dsmaxid. Best wethers, 22s to 255 ; best ewes, about same price M-p-dium wethers, 20s : medium ewes about 18s; light, about 15s.

There w»h quite a scramble for the small yarding of Jambs (about 300). Best brought up to 20s; medium, about' lss; light, 10s to 12s 6d. Addiugton prices last week wore no more than on a. par with Burnside rates, and lambs vrere lower by a shilling or so. The store sheep market was hardly so brisk as 'hitherto, and store wethers especially were lower.

The foPowing is from. "Weddel's report under date 'M-ay 13, re London market for mutton and lamb, ami indicates 110 rise to warrant excessive high prices here: —

— Mutton. —

New Zealand. — Arrivals during the fortnight s> mount to 108,478 carcases. No improvement whatsoever has taken place in the demand for mutlon, and as even present moderate receipts are more that the- trade can absoib, ■\ahies have eased down siightlj-. The market is weak even at the reduction in price, buyers apparently having very little confidence in tha Trade just now. Small choice Canterbury sheep, being scarce, are quoted at 4Jd to J.jd, and heavier carcases at about 4{.cl per ib. Marketings of Dunedin and Southland sheep are very moderate, current rales bemg 4|d to 4gd per lb. "W.M.E.," Longburn and Gi-s-borne brans, sell slowly in the neighbotirhood of 4§cl to 43d per lb, the quotations for other brands of North Island mutton being shout 4d to -IJd per lb. Ewes are a slow sa'e at 3gd to 3Jd per lb. Australian.- — Stocks have not been replenished. •

H'vcl- Plate. — Receipts" arc moderate, totalling only 88,607 carcases. The market is veiy quiet, and, although supplies actually available and afloat sre comparatively sm-a.ll, quotations are barely maintained, owing to the slaclmess of demand. The bulk of sales have been made at 3|d to 3^d per ib, though <ld is sometimes touched.

— T-am n os. —

Arri\al3 co:i3i&fc of 1i7,975 carcises from New Zealand, and 10,415 cai cases from the River Plate. This department has been a little disappointing duiing the fortnight, inasmuch as the output is not showing s>o much deve'opment as might reasonably be expected at this perioj ; while supplies are heavy. In comparison with former years the piesent level of quotations is about normal, but, owing to the general depression in trade, the spending powers of the public appear to be less than m some recent years. The expansion in the consumption of lambs having received some cheok, it h^c been iTounJ impossible to- ruahrSuii last q..ota J .ions, and the position of the market at thc> clo=e is not xery strong. We quote Canterbury lambs, laider 421b, at 5Jd io syd ; tegs at present seeing at up to 5 ! t d per lb, owing to clearness of fed in 11 t>t on. Best Duncclms and Southlands have- Eold fairly freely all s£d to sid per lb. Good North Island lambs realise about; 56! to s|d per lb. There i<- noiv a. little more demand for Australian lambs, owing to the fai-

ling off in the, River Plate import. Quotations for Australians are a!sout 4gd to 4Jd per Ib, and for Eiver Plate lambs to 4|d per lb.

Messrs Jam©.: Nelson and 'Sons own and run 1000 meat shops, supplied with frozen mutton from the Argentine mainly, and sold as such only, I presume, although I am by no means clear on this latter point. Last year their net proflb was £398,892, and their trading profit £426,122. For the yearly balance now closed the net profit is only £3890, and' the trading profit £23,900. Last year 50 per cent, dividend was paid ; this year, nil. Shares that were worth £9 are now down rto 14-s 6d. I take it that monopoly no longer rules as it did among the freezing works in Argentina, and that the sheep owners there are getting much better prices than they did, and a big share of the fat dividend' shareholders had last year. A London correspondent says : —

By way of explaining the disastrous results of the year's business, the directors state that in the case of mutton shipments from Argentina tc England the increase in cost for the year amounted to no less than £195,000, and in the case of beef to £81,000. In addition, the cost of shipments to South Africa rose by £52,000. These items, together with the reduced selling price of he&i in England, are put forward as practically accounting for the difference between the two years. The directors also state that the present condition, of the frozen meat trade n far from satisfactory. Some reduction in the cost of sheep and cattle in the River Plaet is now becoming apparent, but the purchasing power of the masses m the United Kingdom is not improving, and there is still a great deal of competition to be faced. Nevertheless, the falling off in profits is so remarkable that the shareholders will doubtless ask for a fuller explanation than this at- the annual meeting.

It, I suppose, really means that stock owners in Argentina have got fair prices for their stdckl now that the reign of monopoly is over.

New Zealand farmers have had nothing to complain, of as to prices for some years back. I must say that I don't expect 'Lo see such prioea maintained, more especially when Australia get going, for they have beon practically out of the field for two or three years. Next year they will export, and the following year will export very largely.

At the quarterly meeting of the Christchurch Chamber of Commerce last week the statement was made that grain graded by the Government graders for export had reached its destination in such a bad .condition that it had to be jettisoned. This surprises no one who knows what an utter faroe oul' Government grading of oats and grain has b&ei. It has often occurred before. Farmers are now suffering for our &ins in this respect in the state of the- oat market. Buyers outside the colony fight shy of New Zealand oats, and speculators here, also, will not do anything. Last year many of them shipped' well-graded good oats in .good shipping condition, being tempted by tho 15-3 freight to London, and ha.cS the oats landed l in good order, as they should have done, money would have been made and confidence established for other ventur&s. It was not to be, hiwever, because in the same holds of the vessels there were shipped large quantities of damp, mu3ty oats, vitterly unfit for shipment. No one was in authority to, stop this. The shipping companies were paid their freight, and 1 that was all they had to- do with the matter. The losses, of course, even on the best oats, were heavy. No one cares to repeat 'the experiment, and dulncss reigns, and will reign. London buyers will not be tempted to buy "c.i.f." on any condition after the experience they have had, nor will South Africa, no matter how low the quotation. Even the Japs are- cute enough io shun New Zealand oats, and buy what they want in Canada and America. No doubt some of their officers present during the South African war saw New Zealand oats there, and made a note of them — '"Leave them alone" : and there were some awful samples shipped from New Zealand, as we all know, at that time. Now we have gob to reform and begin again. This year I see .little hope of making a good start. Only Canterbury oats are. in the main, in really good shipping order. Southland oata are not good enough thia season to make a start on new lines. I have looked over the grade stanoard samples sent by the Southland Grainbrokers' Association, and would not care to offer any friend with whom I was trying to cultivate business anything else than the A grade, and as a top quality it is none too good. The B grade is poor, though it might be shipped, bub as for the others, no one would be wise to send them any distance. The f.a.q. (fair average quality) standard sample is sinvcly beneath contempt. Grain-grading fehould be made- compulsory, and on the fame lines as dairy produce and flax. A sompetent staff should be appointed, and properly paid as experts. Their duty and; (authority should! extend to seeing *hat shipping is properly done, and that grain in bad' condition, likely to damage other shipments, is not shipped except in vessels by itself. The grades should be fixed for the colony, not one gra-de for Canterbury and another for Otago or Southland, but' one standard' New Zealand grade. If Canterbury and the Waitaki districts, as is probable, had most of the higher grades, let it be so. It would never do to have A grade Southland only equal to B gra-de Canterbury. We must look at it as a matter to establish confidence among buyers in London or South Africa and in any new markets wo may find', and the less confusing we make the grading law and standard's the better. I say a standaid sample, and I mean a high standard — a good-harvest standard. In the past', with a bad-harvest standard, grades have been lowered to suit tho bad conditions— a most unfair practice, and one that has been disastrous to U6 and rumod trada in the meantime. Government .graders have actually been instructed to let down thoir standards, and l allow things to go practically to suit surroundings. As a consequence, it has been possible for people to draw on credits established for goods supposed to be of a certain quality, but which they by no means were. I would ". -r'ro a <O!i- : d "o! !< number of grades, and would ha\o milling, seed, feed, etc., in grades. Some people may tell farmers that such grading would b& against their interests, but I emphatically assert it is in the interest of every farmer. He then knows from the grade certificate what his grain is really worth, and) what its true qualityis, and' is not independent on any man or merchant to tell him this. At nres&nt grad-

ing is done by Government men, but grad* ing is not compulsory, and merchants at a distancgj would not dream of buying on any present Government grade certificate. They would solely iepend' on the merchant here.

The following is from Weddcl's report of date May 6: —

—Butter.—

There is a good cons\imptive demand for Australian and New Zealand butter at the steadily declining prices which have ioi weeks been in operation, and at present there are no very positive signs that the decline is about to receive a check. Supplies continue abnormally, large for the time of tho-year, and speculators who are desirous of purchasing to cold store until the autumn are waiting to be certain the bottom of the maiket has teen reached before operating on a large scale. Although the markets for Danish in the north of England are weaker than last week, the Danish Committee in Copenhagen have decided tojeave the official quotation unchanged. The reduction from present values would not increase the consumption unless the fall was very large. The total imports of butter from all sources for the last five weeks have been 93,600cwt more than in the same period last year. Of this excess 76,000cvt are colonial, a very trifling amount 9! it being Canadian.

— Cheese. —

The downward movement in prices of Canadian and Kew Zealand cheese still continues, andj prices are about 2s per cwt below what they were a week ago.

Private advices by mail teU us of heavy su2>plic; anticipated from Ireland, where, owing to the settlement and peace prevailing over the new Land Bill, 'Ihere is a very gieat development of the dairy industry. During ilihe past year or so 72 large butter factories have been erected, and are turning out very fine butter, and increasing the quantity rapidly.