STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3514, 19 July 1921, Page 9

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Weekly Stock Sales. Burnside, Wednesdays Addington, Wednesdays Waiareka Bail way Junction, Tuesdays Wbdlacetown, Tuesdays Fortnightly. Riversdale, Friday Ashburton, Tuesdays Her lot, Thursdays Win ton, Thu rs d ays Wyndh aru, Th ursd ays Clinton, Thursdays Balclutlia, Fridays Gore, Tuesdays Monthly. Palmerston, 4th Thurs* g ay Wiaton, 4th Tuesday

Monthly (contlnueri). Duntroon, 2nd Wednesday Woodlands, 3rd Friday Milton, 2nd Tuesday Balfour, 3rd Thursday Thornbury, Ist Friday Duntroon, 2nd Wednesday Otautau, 2nd Friday It iversdale, 3rd Friday Waikaka, -last Friday Clv-iev>U\ last Tuesday Periodically as Advertised. T.umsden, Mossburn, Orepuki, Mataura, Waikouaiti, Riverton, Ngapara, and Otago Central Sales.

OTAGO. Fine still weather, and not too cold has been general throughout Otago during the week, with tiie result that, all stock aro ‘'doing’’ well, but the ground up north wants rain badly, it being in places difficult to plough. A few early lambs are to bo seen and there has been a marked improvement in values of good breeding ewes. The Hon. Noswcrthy has been touring Otago. Ho seems to be one with the farmer, in the latter’s difficulties. lie will deserve knighthood if he solves the rabbit question and safeguards (lie farmer against paying for rubbishy fertilisers and low grade “carbonates of lime’’ at high grade prices. BURNSIDE MARKET. The yarding of another largo number of fat sheep at Burnside was of generally good quality, although not equal to the previous week’s entry. One buyer was operating for export, and secured over half the entry at rates a trifle dearer for medium ewes than at last. sale. Heavy sheep realised about, the previous week’s prices, if irregular at times, arid on the- whole prices cannot well be quoted differently to those of the previous week, wetlier mutton making 3Jd per lb and ewe 3j,d, the thus moving up about Is a head. The flPfeonlis penned were a. modimri-qunlity under a slackening off of buyers, sold on a parity with tin- previous week’s rates —6£d per lb. There was a large yarding of fat cattle if mixed quality. Despite outside buying and free pas-ines, last week's prices were not realised, and cattle dropped about 35s a. head, bullock beef making round 43s per 10-b'.b. prices being much at variance during the sale. Some 200 head of store cattle were yarded, a fourth of them being good Hereford crosses and station wean era, andthe balance two-year-old to three-year-old steers and medium cows. Forward mature eat tie sold well, hut other sorts showed no change. Three-year old to four-year-old bullocks (forward soils) made £9 6s, fair

three-year-olds £7 15s, two-and-a-half-ye-ar-olds (mixed colours) £5 5s to £6 12s 6d, backward, rougliish three-year-old Hereford steers £7 12s, and such of the calves which were sold made up to £2 7s 6d. A small entry cf fat pigs sold well, and smali sorts (few being forward) realised rates similar to those of a week ago. ADDINGTON YARDS. There was a big- yarding of fat sheep at Addington, a large proportion being prime. Opening under rather a weak demand, the demand got slacker, anil sales were effected for the most part at about 2s a head under the previous week’s rates. Some prize Down wethers sent in by S. Murray, uf Temuka, made 51s to 645, his ewes 40s, and a few hoggets 245. There was a full entry of store sheep, mostly of inferior quality. The demand was not too keen for any but best grades of sheep, inferior sorts dragging considerably. A large entry of 470 head of fat cattle of moderate to prime quality met with a poor demand, prices easing as time went on, and a number of cattle were passed in. Ihe decline on last sale’s rates was estimated at £1 10s to £2 per head. A poor entry of store cattle met with a rather bettor demand for good sorts, but inferior cows were cheaper. Dairy cattle, if any good, had attention, but inferior animals were neglected. A fair entry of fat pigs sold well at late best rates, while store pigs made 5s a head better rates than were obtainable a few weeks ago. BALCLUTHA-CLINTON STOCK SALES. On Friday, at Balclutha, there was a large yarding of stock, close upon 6000 sheep, a third of them being fats. Fat lambs met good prices compared with close at hand markets, but fat wethers were not much sought after. Store sheep comprised chiefly ew'es of medium quality and medium hoggets with a few lots of wethers. Breeding ewes sold well at about 2s a head above rates ruling a fortnight ago, but wethers were easier fully Is a head, and hoggets unchanged. A line of excellent crossbred four tooth ewes in lamb made 255; sound mouth, big ewes (not guaranteed), 19s 9d; mixed ages, 17s t.o 18s 6d; failing, 11s lOd to 14s; wethers made from 13s 6d to 15s. Tiro was not much demand for cattle. Si-year-olds making £7 12a 6d; 2£-year-olds, £5. At Clinton only a few sheep came forward and these were not sold at auction. NORTH ISLAND STOCK VALUES. Although it is reported that a bettor tone exists in respect to stock values in the North Island, no apparent change in prices is evident. In the Waikato ewes in lamb -have firmed up, and dairy cattle always have attention, while steers have somewhat better inquiry. Two-tooth and fourtooth wethers made 14s to 16s 6d, hoggets 8s to 12s 6d, 6horn from 7s, dairy cows £l2 10s to £24. In the Wairarapa cattle arc dull of sale. Two-tootli and fourtooth wethers made- to 15s 6d, mixed young | in-lamb ewes 15s to 17s 6d, old do 6s 9d, ye-ar-and-a-half-old steers £1 5s to £2, two-and-a-ihailf-year-olds. £3, three-and-alhalf-year-olds £5 10s, and dairy heifers £7 to £ll. In the Wanga.nui-Feilding areas feed is abundant, and the tone of stock markets is maintained, and in places has moved up a little. Lambing has commenced, and sheep generally are in good trim. In Taranaki matters are quiet, except for dairy stock. Yearling Jersey heifers realised £7, springers £l3 to £ls. and a herd of 35 good grade Jersey cows changed hands at £25 per head In Hawke’s Bay small yardings rule. Two-tooth and four-tooth forward wethers made to 15s 6d, hoggets 8s to 10s 6d, in-lamb ewes if young 17s to 18s, and dairy heifers £8 to £l3 a piece. STOCK NOTES. I 'Values of stock in Otago cannot be quoted much at variance with the previous week’s report. Fat sheep with difficulty maintain recent values, and store wethers and hoggets are much the same as a week ago. Forward bullocks are rather firmer. Young stock lias not much inquiry, but breeding ewes and dairy cattle cf merit have attention, and the former show considerable firming in values. Bidding was far from brisk at. the Sydney stud sheen sales held early in the month, owners obtaining about half the price which their selected flock rams usually bring. Yet there were some bright spots despite the depression. John Collins and Sons, of Collinsville, South Australia, disposed of some of their show sheep privately. Their show ram Iron Duke, two and a-luilf years old, which failed to secure a ticket in his ebis-x was sold for 2000 gs 'o Brookes Bros., of South Australia, together with an 18-months-old stud ram, which was second in his class, for 200 gs, and three stud ewe? out of the pen of live which won • at the show, one year and a-half old. at . IflOgs each. ’File same owners sold the i other two ewes out of the same pen at ’ lOOgs each to W. E. Hall, of .South Australia. and one stud ram. which was first in ' his class, year and a-half old, at 200gsv

Mr John Shand, of Centre Bush, Southland (says the Winton Record), has placed the following account, sales of 16 trucks of lambs, forwarded to Burnside Freezing Works 30 years ugo, at our disposal for public information and encouragement, and as an example of the benefits conferred upon the farmer by the freezing qirocess. . ! Cr. By 1018 lambs, 41,9791 b, at 311 .. £655 18 11 ~ 101 S skins at 3s 3d 165 8 6 ~ Fat, 29cwt lqr 6lb, at 18s 3d 26 14 10 £B4B 2 3 Dr. To Railage £59 0 0 ~ Commission, 2| p.c. 21 4 1 £767 18 2 Which gives an average of a fraction over 15s Id per head, net cash, clear of ail expenses. [Similar lambs to-day would probably make at Burnside, if offered in aline, round 22s a head. —Ac. Ed.] In noticing the sale of the Friesian hull Hedges Second Series for £IO,OOO, Live Stock Journal states that 45 females were also disposed of to tne sapi© buyer, Mr F. Dykes, by the Kingswood breeder, Mr 11. Hale. The sire of this bull was Hedges Fokke 2nd (imp.), and the dam was Hedges Froukje 3rd (imp.). Froukje has yielded 55,9401 b milk in a lactation period. The four-year-old Berkshire sow Bright Daphne realised 210 gs at auction, and 49 heads averaged £27 14s 6d. A Large Black sow, of the same age, Drayton Primsic, made 140 gs, and three young sows went for over £IOO each, at Air T. F. Hooley’s sale, England, where 80 head averaged £47 ss. An average of £62 13s 4d was obtained for 100 Large Black pigs at Docking, Norfolk. At the Reading Berkshire Show and sale the champion sow Manor Maruja, bred by Mr A. Ilisoock, of Blandford, was purchased by Mr J. Ismay, of Iwerne Minster, for 400 gs. The champion Middle White boar at the Royal Show last year sold for 200 gs. NEW ZEALAND AND TIIE WORLD’S MEAT. Tho United States Bureau of Crop Estimates has been diverging from the study of crops to say something about the world’s supply of meat. This is particularly interesting to New Zealand, as the figures show the large share provided by this country. As far as mutton and lambs were concerned, New Zealand was pre-eminent in 1915 as the world’s supplier. The following is an extract from the article referred to; “Argentina’s share cf the worlds export meat, trade, which for many years has been next below that of the United States, declined from 28 per cent., in 1913 to 25.2 "per cent, in 1915, but rose to 28.5 per cent, in 1917. and rapidly to 34.3 per cent, in 1918. Beginning with 1911, that country has 'Supplied more than one-half of the world’s beef export, except in 1916 and 1917, when it was not convenient to do so. Argentina’s beef fraction for 1913 was 55.3, for 1916 it was 46.8, and for 1918 it was 51.6. , , “Australia has long supplied about, onetenth to one-fiftli of the world's beef exports, but the war caused the fraction to fall below one-tenth, and by 1918 to 8.4 per cent. “New Zealand supplied 44 per cent, of the world's expert mutton and lamb in 1913. and increased the fraction to 70 per cent’ in 1915, but there was a recession to the former 44 per cent, in 1918. Argentina has usually exceeded Australia as a s-u-re of mutton and lamb supply, and did so during the war, in tho last year of which ; it was providing 35 per cent, of the world's total, while Australia provided 19 per cent. “In the international pork supply the United States has left but little room r or any other country. Indeed, Canada is tne only country that has a share large enough to be seen. It, was 3 per cent, of tho world’s total in 1913, ar.d the fraction gained year by year to 13 per cent, m 1918. " " “The rise of Brazil, Chinn, and British South Africa into some prominence as meatexporting countries during the war is notaVi'o. especially Brazil. From a nominal exnort of 1.700,00@1b of meat from Brazil in lflio and 1914, the quantity jumped to 84 000 OOOib in 1916, to 230.000,000!b in 1917. and to 251,000.0001 b in 1919. of which 146 000.OOOib was beef, 46.000,0001 b pork, ami 59.000,0001 b unidentified meat. “China was exporting from 50,000, OOOib to 63.000,0001 b of beef and pork from 1912 to 3P15 The quantity became 101,000,0001 b in 1917. and rose to' 148.009,0001 b in 1919. From British South Africa meat exports (luostlv beef) increased from about 500,00011) at the time the war began to 18.000,000ib by 1916 and to 46.500.0001 b by 1919. “Not until 1909 did beef exceed pork m the world’s exports. From tho year before the war began to 1918 (the last year of the war), beef, as a fraction of total meat exports for the world, grew from 42.7 to 46 per cent., pork grew from 42.7 to 46.1 per

ce.nt., and mutton lost in their favour, with a decline from 13.6 to 5.6 per cent.” LAWRENCE FARMERS’ UNION. The monthly meeting of the Lawrenea branch of the union was held on Saturday, 9th July, when there were present Messrs A. C. Leary (presiding), G. Young, R. C. Hall. R. Cowio, A. Fraser, S. Robins, .’). Cummings, D. M Neillv. A. Robertson, T. Fahey, J. Kane, J. Cameron, T. Short, J. MTntyre, 11. R. Mathias, and J. B. M'Kinlay. It was decided to support the suggestion. 1 of the Tapanui Sub-provincial Executive to : ask the Otago Executive to use its endeavours to induce the Burnside Sale-yards Company to introduce a livestock weighbridge at Burnside. It was decided to wait upon the Minister of Agriculture (lion. Mr Nos worthy) in. connection with the reprehensible clause 2 of the Rabbit Act and the spread of gorse on Crown Lands. Mr Leary said he thought it was time farmers of this a.nd other districts took some stops to show their good faith in r,ndeavouring to cope With the rabbit pest. They had been deluged with correspondence in the press dealing with the iniquities of the Act, and the tyranny of the inspectors, etc., but this led to nowhere. He suggested that the Provincial Executive of trie Farmers’ Union should arrange for a conference of delegates from all the branches to discuss the question from all points of view and endeavour to formulate a scheme whereby the nest could be better controlled than under the present, system of Government inspection. Many farmers had been dealing with the rabbits all their lives, and he thought that in the matter of systematic destruction they could give the Government a lead. He moved —“I hat the Otago Executive discuss the advisability of arranging a conference of delegates from, each branch in Otago to discuss the rabbit question, with a view to formulating a scheme for the more satisfactory control of the pest and submitting same to the Minister of Agriculture.” Mr Fraser seconded the motion, which was carried after several members had ex. pressed their views on the subject.. INCOME TAX. DAIRY FACTORIES’ COMPLAINT. INDIGNATION MEETING IN INVERCARGILL. INVERCARGILL, July 15. An indignation meeting of directors and secretaries of co-operative dairy factories was held to-day in regard to the amended Income Tax Act, which it was argued does not allow a sufficient allowance for depreciation. It was pointed out that those factories which made provision for ample depreciation would be called on to pay the largest tax A resolution was carried protesting that the 5 per cent, on plant and 2i per cent, on buildings was not sufficient to meet depreciation on dairy factories. A further motion suggesting 10 per cent, on plant, 5 per cent, on wooden buildings, and _2i per cent, on brick buildings, was carried. It was also suggested that companies should standardise their balance sheets so that the same items for taxation would 100 shown in all cases. N.Z. FARMERS’ UNION. I REVISION OF OBJECTS AND PLAT- | FORM. ‘ A complete revision of the objects, platform, and rules of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union (incorporated) will be submitted to the Dominion Conference at V Wellington this month for approval. Touching objects, the conference will be asked to affirm:— . , . , (a) To foster tne interests of all farmers, including sheep-farmers. _ dairy-farmers, graziers, gram growers, fruit-growers, beekeepers, orchardists, poultry-farmers, etc. etc. . . (l>) To enconage co-operation amongst -ts members. (e) To promote the opening up and settlement of Grown and Native lands (dl To encourage the formation and improvement of iho means of communication. (e) To assist in placing t lie sale of produce. and the charges for material required by farmers on a sat is’rartory basis. ’(f) To obtain reasonable freights on all 1 produce by rail and sea. (g) To purchase and hold land, and to sell 1 the same from time to time if thought 1 necessary, for the purpose of providing ’ meeting places, clubs, and rixst rooms for the use of members and others, i (h) To encourage tho establishment., of > seed-growing associations, boys’, and girls’ - farm clube, experimental and research e»I,J lislnnenls, or other similar organisations > calculated to benefit the members of the " union and fanneis generally.

(i) To promote the interests of forestry, arboriculture, and the industries dependent thereon or connected therewith. (j) To collect and to publish statistics or other economic information likely to bo of Interest to the farming community. tk) To borrow, raise, or secure the payment of money by the issue of debentures, or by a mortgage of its lands and buildings. (1) To keep and maintain a. vigilant watch on all legislative measures brought before Parliament, and to protest against such measures as are deemed injurious to farmers’ interests. (mj To secure the proper representation of the farming community in Parliament by supporting those candidates who agree to the platform of the union, and who undertake to place the interests of the union above those of party. (n) To promote social intercourse and the study of economic and social questions bearing on the interests of the farming community. (o) 'Jo jw.Nuote harmony between farmers ami tin sS<l' doyens. (p) To improve the conditions of rural life generally. MILKING PLANT CASE. RESERVED DECISION. The following is the reserved decision of Mr G. Cruickshank, S. M., in a milking plant dispute, which came before the Wyiidnam Magistrate’s (’ourt on June 27. In this ease John Chambers and Son (Mr Stout) proceeded against James Burne (Mr Davey), claiming 138 6s 6<l alleged to he due on an ‘‘Auto” milking plant sold by the plaintiffs