CANTERBURY BUDGET.

Otago Witness, Issue 4039, 11 August 1931, Page 16

CANTERBURY BUDGET.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) ADDINGTON MARKET. CHRISTCHURCH, August 8. Though the tendency that has been apparent in recent years for lines of particularly classy stock offered at the double market prior to National Week to fall away in numbers was noticeable this week at Addington, the muster in the fat cattle and fat sheep pens was well worthy of the high standard that has been set at this market. It is more in the nature of a fat stock show’, and as such there is nothing in the Dominion to equal it, as it brings out some of the finest stock available not only in the South Island, but in the lower and middle districts of the North Island, which support it year after year. Many breeders concentrate on this Sale for months ahead, and the pens of well-bred, well-fmished stock are a tribute to the care and attention bestowed upon them. This fixture is noted more for its selection of fat cattle than any other class of stock, and the offering on Wednesday was worth going a long way to see. So far as general quality was concerned, there was a distinct improvement on that at last year’s sale. North Island breeders were more interested in it this time than they were a year ago, na doubt because of the low prices that have been ruling for beef up there, and the consignments from that source aggregated 260 nead, 154 head from the Wanganui, Featherston, and Palmerston North districts, and 106 from the Gisborne and Dannevirke districts. With the exception of a few heifers among the latter drafts the cattle were all steers, of the Polled Angus, Hereford, and crossbred strains. There were a few lines up from the south, but the numbers forward

w-ere not as numerous as they were at the last sale. Prices at the Burnside market lately have not been a great deal behind those at Addington, and the difference when the cost of transport is taken: into consideration would not tempt as many graziers as usual to test the market out here.

The offering totalled- 580 head, or 30 head more than at last year’s National Market, and there was a good lot of prime beef penned, apart altogether from the show jjullocks. The general run of prices showed a substantial drop on those ruling a year ago. The best of the beef then, made anything from 35s to 48s a 1001 b; on Wednesday the choicest beef made no more than 31s, and a good lot of it sold at oyer 255. The sale throughout was a fairly steady one, and it was watched, by a large number of farmers and others with much interest, the show cattle attracting a lot of attention and plenty of admiration.

It is the customary thing for butchers to disregard commercial values to some extent for the show stock, and to pay fancy prices for the purpose of making a display out of the ordinary during National Week. It remained for outside cattle once again to head the market. A big Polled Angus steer sent down by Mr J. Holden (Makatuku, Dannevirke) brought the good price of £5l, which is equal to the top figure secured by Mr P. Anderson (Stirling) two years ago. It was an exceptionally well-finish< d beast, with a string of show successes behind it, and it would weight out well. The same vendor sold another bullock of a similar breed at £37, a third at £23 7s fid, two at £2O, and one at £lB 7s 6d, the line of six averaging out at £2B 6s a head. Another outstanding steer was the four-year-old Hereford penned by Mr G. F. Moore (Bushy Park, Wanganui). This was another well-bred prize-winner, and it was knocked down for £36. Mr Moore also sold another beast at £2O ss, four at from £l6 17s fid to £lB 2s fid, and a “baby” steer at £l5. The top price last year was £44, secured by Mr Anderson, who had no cattle forward this year. The heaviest bullock in the yard was a massive Shorthorn penned by Messrs Hadley Bros. (Timaru). It made £23 15s. Apart from one big mixed line from the North Island, the entry of fat sheep came almost entirely from within the province, and though the fancy lines were not as numerous as they have been, those that were penned indicated that Canterbury breeders have little to learn about the art of finishing off sheep. The offering totalled about 5500 head, a little less than last week's, and excluding the show sheep, quality was even, there being some particularly fine lines of wethers penned. This week’s yarding, coupled with the big yarding of the previous week, was apparently not quite enough to satisfy the trade requirements for the next two weeks, and there was a slight improvement in prices, amounting on the average to about Is a head. Heavy ewes did not appear to be a great deal dearer than at the previous sale, but the medium-weights were worth

more. To Mr G. E. Thompson (Racecourse Hill), whose show sheep are well known at the National sale, went the honour of topping the market with a pen of two Border cross withers that could almost look over the top of their pen. They made £2 18s each. In the next pen he had four Suffolk cross wethers of almost similar dimensions, and these made £2 9s. This is the third year in succession that Dlr Thompson has topped this sale- . L-ist year he secured £4 5s for a Corriedale wether, and the year before £4 6s for three crossbred sheep. A well-known midCanterbury breeder, Mr J. , Brooks (Brookside), secured the next best price, selling a pen of four at £2 14s lOd. Two South” Canterbury breeders penned noticeable lines. Mr D. Grant (Timaru) sold a pen of three at £2 10s. and Mr A. Grant (Fairlie) secured £2 7s fid tor a similar number. WHEAT AND FLOUR DUTIES. The public utterances of the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. G. W. I'orbes) on th- 4 question of the dute.s of flour and wheat and the proposals as now outlined in his Budget speech in the House last week, caused considerable discussion at a meeting of the Mount Hutt Load Board this week. The following resolution was carried unanimously: ■ “ That this meeting thanks the Government for having extended the period before the reduction of the wheat duties by one mouth to March 1, 1932, and also for easing the proposed reduction to 10 s a ton on flour, and 3d a bushel on wheat. “ It considers, however, that as this propose I reduction forces the wheatgrower to accept a larger ‘ cut ’ than other sections of the community to the extent of certainly forcing the price of wheat for next year’s harvest below the 4s 6d a bushel for Tuscan on trucks, country stations, promised by the Prime Minister, the Government should make the ‘ cut ’ less drastic, and suggests that instead of making it 48s on flour it should be content with a reduction in duty of 38s, and should tnen take Steps to ensure that the bakers price is reduced in those cases where a reduction in bread has not already been made.” GLOOMY OUTLOOK. An admittedly gloomy, but, he contended, an absolutely accurate, picture of the position in which the holders of sheep stations, and particularly the larger bill country runs, find themselves, was painted for the writer this week by a. man who is closely in touch with North Canterbury farmers. Unless there was a 50 per cent, increase in the price of wool, or a considerable decrease in the cost of production, he did not, see how some of the runholders would be able to carry on after the coming season. Many high country properties were not producing enough to pay running expenses, and a great deal of Crown land had no real rental value. He gave an instance of one big run on which, last year, the running expenses, including shearers’ and musterers’ wages, rabbiting costs, transport, food, and many other necessary items, had amounted l to over £4OOO more than the return received for the wool clip. “ A runholder may be able to lose like that for one season, or for two, but there must be an end somewhere,” he said. “ Men who have held on in the hope of a general improvement are still holding on,

but I have heard it said that it cannot go on for much longer. I don’t want to be branded as a pessimist, but I don’t see why the thing should not be made plain.”