STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2651, 4 January 1905, Page 7

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

'•;; Weea* Stock Sales >:,! Fortrpghtlyr Biirnßide,' Wednesdays f laverdirgi I, ' Tuesday? 4^ U 5j On 'ii TT ' HH | 8da ?" H \ Monthly: Adaington.Wedneaday. ( nton^ Pa 4 eTston> , Fortnightly: • Wintop, and WaiEalclptb», EHdays' kouaiti. . G.jre.'Tuesdayß ~. Periodically Oamarui Tuesdaya Herfot, Kelso, and Kye • ' bura. . The' yarding of cattle last week at Burnside was only 80 head,, but this proved quite sufficient, ,f or all requirements. Prices remained no riicsre than equal to previous week's? rates, notwithstanding the small yarding. At- this. Tims t oi year lamb and poultry are? more - consumed by' the^ public than bee£, and this will be- the case .for some time to come. Prime buHoriks brought £10- to £10!-. 15s ; medium, about £9"; light, about £8; cows and heifers sold at from £5 to £8. ' ! • Aboxit 1000 sheep were yarded. Prime sheep* were- rather- in* small' supply, and previous week's rates- weare maintained" for these^ Prime \wethers -brought- 22s> to- 23s \ prime :ewes,. about- the -sa-nae-; light" to mfr daum -sheep, 18s to 20s. Nearly 800' lambs"weise-- yarde6 r , and" prices, were dixwn ! abotrfc2s- 'per price* „ ranging from. ' 12s-' to *IcBi" \" ' ■-■■"'" - -i _ \ ' c The AfTdington marfcefc. lksfc- w«ek -was a duJL ' onp also. --, Ndtwitfcatan^ng^ small. yariimgSy. prices we^e easier^ " Ife seems- to ; m& a. fal> m. price was 'inevitable,, and "E have always beeit o£ opinion that the rates lately ruling could not. long. be. maintained. Prime beef sold at about 22s per hundred; secondary, about I9s. In fat sheep prices were- lower by about 2s on those of the previous week, and lower by about 2s per

". 'head" than at Burnbside. Lambs were also •j lower by- 2s per head on ' previous - weelc's' . rates, -and "about 'equal to "Burnside-'prices, . ''taking quality and! weight into 'account. _ " t > Messrs Weddel and 1 C 0.,. under,, date Lod- " don, November 12, say :—: — , ' • ■ ;* \ MUTTON. - ' - _ "' i .New Zealand. — ilTOportetions, amonnt to only" 31,306 carcases. -The lightness of stocks of mutton 'has ' not materially benefited ,the max- ; ket under present conditions, the sale beings 'so slow. Canterbury sheep*, partly on account ] of their quality- not being quite up to the usual standard, and a-l'so owing to tlie higher priced article suffering most in times of de- v pression, are difficult to -sell; and in some cases- "as much -money has been made for choice. North Island mutton as for Canterburys. The current quotation for Canterbury mutton of best .weights is ( not more than "4Jd ' to 4|d per lb, the larger -weights sellings at- ' 4|d. Dunedin. and Scuthland brands are in short 'supply, and realise about 4§d to 4Jd per lb. The "WME" and s Longburn brands of mutton also realise 4Jd to 4|d per lb, and quota- - tio-na for other North Island sheep range from '-, 3ia to 4jd per lb. Ewes are offered at 3Jd 1 " per lb. ' ' ; - Australian. — 11,939 carcases have been received- during the past fortnight. The demand is restricted, but, as supplies are in small compass-, last quotations have been maintained. Carcases of small "'weight sell at 3id to 3J<J per lb, and the heavier grades at about 3£d to 31d per lb. s , { , River Plate.-^-Arrivals total 150,435 carcases. No important- change can 3be. reported in this department. Sales in London are still difficult even', at the current level ,of qiiotations, and in the provinces the demand is only -- alightly better ---febanva/t. SmitMeld. - -Tlie, Jsulk^ ; of present stoeks^sell at no mote! fh&u r 3idrperlb, l although* "for " selected carcases ' . of x small and. occasionally 3|d. is obtainablcv ■'. - ■ i v~" -t;ambs:^ . -" *-V J,.' j '.Arrivais axe moderate, -'comprising 6S9s.car-V ■ cases "' fronr New 'Zealand^ '' 6153 "car-;' "■ icaSes from Australia, 'and 297 ; carcases from the ' >-' JBiver Plate. .Stocks of lambs are quite small, ,^andj in. consequence there, has" been some com■'Tpetitioii-. amongist' buyers^" t<y secure- supplielf,' j'-of"w&ich impbftftrs have "promptly taken act- . vantage to put up prices. Consequently a good number of sales and re-sales have been made , for this time 1 of the year, and the result of the ' fortnight's trading is an improvement in prices no less, than Jd, to Id per lb. Canterbury lambs under 361b now realise sfd to s|d per lb ; the 36/421b grade selling^ at s|d per lb. Tegs ; have also participated in ihe improvement, ! and now sell a.t t sid per .-lb. The supply of" I other. New Zealand lambs being very small, i s|d to- sfd per lb is the current quotation for ' those descriptions. Present marketings of Aus- i tralian lambs are. irregular in quality, and | there is a considerable range in quotations in ! consequence. Choice carcases sell at 5Jd up ! to s|d ,per lb. On the other hand, plain carcases have been sold at>ff to 4gd per lb. The small number of River Plate lambs now available are of good- quality, and current rates for these are about 5d to s£d per lb. : . beef.' "There has again, been no arrival of beef from Australasia, the importations of frozen beef during the past two' weeks consisting of 54,948 quarters from the River Plate. The" stock of all classes of beef continues to- be .very plentiful, however, and with no- improvement in the ! consumptive demand, the market is still weak i even at the low level oft prices now /current. "Sales df forequarters have probably been rather less difficult thao of hindquarters, -'although, forest are not selling at' all readily. ' Atisf ralian ox beef, cannot be qixoied at more than > 2d" fores, and '23d* per lb hinds. .River- P late frozen- beef is -offered at 2d to' 2 l-16d fores, ■;and' 2 7-16 d per^lb liinds. New Zealand beet is a' slow sale" at, 2Jd' fores, an"d // 2|d. per'- IV • hinds. "'\^-'- , „PROVIN.CIAL- MARKETS. . \ / '■ Sales 'of • frezeh^nieat in -the provincial markets can only* be" made at 'slightly below the prices current at Smithfield. Even so,-reali-sations are by means numerous-, mutton being' particularly dull- of , 'sale, whire' the demand for beef is restricted. The following from the Australian Pastoralists' Review, thotigh written' for Australians, is decidedly not without interest -to New Zealand country settlers, who really | might be more alive than they are to large questions which will sooner 'or later come home to them in a very practical way. Only Labour Unions in New Zealand seem to be- jwatchf ul and aggressive. Country ! settlers will have to move soon, or labour | unions will continue to be. the dominant 1 power in politics for all time, for they have certainly been so in the" past. The Review says: — t It is interesting to learn from our Argentine letter that whilst Great Britain, and her colonies are debating whether preferential trade would- be to their advantage, France has I sent out a Government representative to Argentina, to- fix up- a- preferential trade- treaty „ Between: these twee countries.. -To- a Frenchman 'ox -at German., the hesitation shown both in ' England and her colonies? a s- ; to the advantages j • -of est*blishin« preferential trade' seeins-abs'urd; j „% fact, foreigners, cannot understand why 3 , '-w&'l Have' no* fixed* up- suchc ait-axrangemeni-loiig ago. Franeejtad.., Germany are both, -protectionist coTimries, which . bav y e not" 1 - passed | thsoa^i- thaa- eicperience of an- a-nti-oorn- law agnation, and- jarefereace in'inatters of : tradeconies 'as natural to- th'em-as'it- is new -a-nd-consequently distasteful to Englishmen. , It is worth noting that there" has been no considerable discussion in either France or Argentina about the proposed treaty of preferential trade. The- French Government have quietly gone to work in a practical way by sending out a member of the Tariff Committee 2

in the Senate to ascertain, what the.'Argentines are prepared \to give and.wKa.t they want " to-receive, and apparently the^whole thing will be arranged in a 'few months? whilst we/are ] still debating and agitating. This Reviewjhas gone to considerable troiible 'to' draw attention. to_ the increasingly serious competition our-pastpialists have to meet with from Argentina. 'Not only have ;s}» letaour' pasknow what they ; have "to -fight,- but gradually it will penetrate }o the,.njind - pi t}ie politicians and the general- press 'and K tlie~ public that this competition makes it- suicidal to harass the local pastoralist with disabilities ; in the way of legislation and administration to which he "is not subjected elsewhere. The < constant cheap platitudes about "our" immense resources," if designed to influence the Britishinvestor and emigrant, have conspicuously, failed in that object, whilst in our own country they blind the public to' the necessity for reforming the conditions under which those, resources -are made available.,- It is plain- as a pikestaff that these resources require capital and population from the old world to develop them, and equally plain ihat capital and population are turning their backs upon Australia and' New - Zealand, ' and taking up Argentina and; Canada, and other rival countries. "What with reports" of socialistic legislation, and such scandals as tbe' six hatters and "Petriaua." in- ' cidents and the mail contract, Australia, is so unpopular-^ just now in the Mother Country that neither assisted passages nor advertising our advantages, nor all the other aidsi© ! emigration that can be invented, . will tempt people to come to a country which presents I such obvious causes of anxiety, vrhilst so-ma^Rr other new countries hold- out the "hand of welcome. ■ ' , - In last week's Witness, page 20, there ap--peared -;a. , vjery, , important; to cßairy vfactdry and dairymenT"" I The prizes, for 'grading at the.,pprt> of -sMpmerit frottC ■ January .-1 to March '-3 .'are Ifixed at £25i*£10 t and .£5 for both butter and cheese., \ This'"' ls ■ certainly, '• in my opinion,' s the, best ;-com'^etitign;^nrei'h"aYe ever -Had.- ;*« Is ."well \ known, much cheese and butter '"shown at our usual competitions is, distinctly -madfi k ,€ct''show.- /■V.Spmetimes. prizes^are i 'won ''which surp'risa-'tiose who "sknov? what v; the average quality of the winneu's make has , been during the season.- This competition now initiated is a proper test, and I sincerely 'hope every factory s in Southland and Otago will compete. Lest some /may think that it is no use their competing against our famous prize winners,' I would- just say' this i — anij I say it from what I know to be the case: Judging from the 'grading this season every factory t has- a , show, and I can as3ure % my readers that there will be no walk-over at all, for even in the case of ouis most famous, arid experienced makers the grading this season shows that yery # many", of- the smaller factories are quite, in t the running, and have a , very excellent' chance of winning the prizes. The entry is only ss, and the expenses _nilj so, I urge every factory in Otago and Southland to enter. It will be the best comparison we ■have ever had, and a most 'beneficial -one. I urge upon factory directors to encourage, and even insist on, their makers entering for this competition. "Circular's .have been posted to all factories by the Otago A. and P." Society, from whom any particulars may be> obtained. - I wish all niy readers a very happy .. New Year. - , [ : "..■-'•