HIDE SALES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2812, 5 February 1908, Page 25

HIDE SALES.

MELBOURNE, January 30. At the hide sales -there was a very firm tnarket all round, -with keen competition. The r7<ew Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Convpany (I<td.) report holding * Bale of hides at their stores, Lower Rattray street, on Thursday. Owing to the fact that no sales have been held by the brokers since the 9th in3t., their catalogue was a fairly large one, consisting principally of lightweight country consignments, which met with good competition at prices slightly in ad•wance of rates lately ruling. For stout, Bound, heavy hides, scaling up to 60lb, there •was keen demand. Quotations: Stout heavy ox, 6£d -to 7id; good heavy do, 5Jd to 6d; medium-weights, 4d to 4Jd; light, to H&; ■best heavy cow, 4a to 4gd; medium-weights, 3Jd to 4d; light, 3d to 3Jd. Messrs Watera, Ritchie, and Co. report having held -their usual fortnightly sale of hides at their Btores, Crawford street, on Thursday morning. There was a good attendart-? of buyers, and competition was very keen for all lines of well-flayed hides. Prices, as compared with the previous sale, were distinctly firmer, and since our last report we have disposed of 971 hides and calfskins, the following being some of our beet prices:— One ox, 7£d; 1 do, 7j|d; 1 do, 6Jd; 2 do, 6§d; 6 do, 6£d; 11 do, 63d; 5 do, 6id; 6 do, 6d per lb. Quotations: Heavy stout ox. 6d -to 7id", heavy do, 5Jd to sgd; medium. 4Jd to 5Jd; light, Zi& to *id; heavy comr, 4Jd to 4|d; medium and light, 3*d to 4d_; inferior and damaged ox and .cow, from I<L to 3Jd ; yearlings, 3d to 3Jd ; calfskins, 5d to s£d for best, and from Id to 4Jd per lb for medium and' inferior. Messrs Dona'J Reid and Co. (Ltd.) report as follows: — Our usual fortnightly s*le of hides was held at our stores on Thursday, 30th January, when we submitted a fair-sized catalogue, made up mainly of country consignments of medium and light-weight hides. The bulk of the offering was in good condition and well flayed, and for this class of hides the demand. -was keen, with prices showing a rise of fully Jd per lb. Sloppy and badly-flayed lines do not meet with the seme attention, and for these sorts prices showed no improvement on rates lately ruling. Quotations: Heavy stout ox. 6d to 7£d per 'b ; Iheavy do. 5Jd to s|d; medium, 4|d to sd; light, 3Jd to 4Jd; heavy cow, 4Jd to 4}d ; light, 3Jd to 4Jd; inferior, 2d to 2Jd; yearlings, 3d to 3jd; calfskins, best, to sid ; medium, 3sd to 3|d. OTAGO FARMERS' HORSjE BAZAAR. The Otago Farmers' Co-operative Association of New Zealand (Ltd.) report: We held our annual harvest horse f*ir oombined with our usual Saturday sale. The attendance was one of the best that has been seen in a, horse bazaar since our great fixture of July last. Notwithstanding this' fact buyers weir© very limited, and in consequence bidding was slow, and an almost unsatisfactory sale was the result of the day's labours, competition being very languid and buyers indifferent. However, at the cloae of the day we were agreeably surprised to find that a fair proportion of the 121 heavy cart mares and geldings, vanners, spring-carters, light harness, and hackney horse* entered had changed hands and gone to fresh quarters, and principally 4o country buyers. Consignments Came from South Canterbury, Bulls, Wairutpa, and from aH the* districts of the southern province. Light horses of small value were most in demand, and «. large number of this class had a Bpeedy change of ownership, while heavy and medium cart mtaree and geldings ware difficult to place. This latter and sudden change in the market ■was rather s surprise to vendors and ourselves, as recent sales hay« been of a very encouraging natur* to all concerned. We Biay say that we have great confidence in V» market for maxee and geldings suitable

for farm work, based principally on the large area of country to be thrown open for close settlement within the next few months, when ploughing operations must necessarily enhance the demand for useful mares and geldings. We quote: Good useful draught maws and geldings (young and sound), from £35 to £45; lighter sorts and older. £23 to £33; heavy lorry pair, from £60 to £100; useful plough, mares and ge'.dings £30 to £40: pedigree Clydesdale mares, to £150 , good sorts of Clydesdalo mares, suitable for stud puiposes and general farm work, £40 to £47; carriage pairs, £80 to £100; spring-carters (good sets), from £20 to £32; upstanding bugoy mares and geldings, from £15 to £'22, hackneys, from £12 to £18; lighter sorts, from £7 to £12. DUNEDIN HORSE SALEYARDS. Messrs Wright, Stephenson, and Co. (Ltd ) report as follows. -As was to be expected after our special sale the previous week, the horses forward for last Saturday 's sale were not numerous, and only » few of them could be designated as first-class. There was the usual attendance of town carriers and contractors, but farmers were rather poorly represented. We had several buyers m the yard for really good heavy young draughts, also for spring-carters, and m « ' ""JS!* 11 ,^! a fair amount of business resulted. The light horses were only a medium lot. still several chuged hands it full values. Heavy young cart geldings continue to be sought after and any first-class horses coming forward meet a good market and realise full rates. We quote: Supeiior young draught geldings at from £15 to £50; extra good do (prizewinners), at from £50 to £55; superior young draught mares, at from £o0 to £60, medium draught mares and geldings, at from £30 to £40; aged do, at from £15 to £20; well-matched' carriage pairs, at from £70 to £100; strong spring-van horses, at from £25 to £30; milk-cart and butchers order-cart horses, at from £18 to £35; b. ? ht hacks, at from £8 to £13; extra good hacks and harness horses at from £13 to £2o; weedy and aged do, at from £5 to £7. PROPERTY SALES. TIMARTJ, February 3. At the auction sale of Mr J. "Wilson's Allandale Estate, at Fairlie, 8000 aoies were cut into 34 lots. Seven lots, totalling 1177 acres, were sold at from £7 10s to £10 12s 6d per acre, an average of £9 5s 6d. The rest were passed at from £5 2s 6d to £10 per acre.