THE FREEZING SEASON

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17100, 5 November 1929, Page 7

THE FREEZING SEASON

OOOD PROSPECTS IN P.B. ' OPENING- KATES TOR LAMB £, 7 Freezing works managements in Poverty Bay are looking forward to a ' 1 fairly satisfactory season so fax- as total killings are concerned, but, prices are expected to be jt* great deal lower than ; they were last year. Both works in I Poverty Bay suffered last season by tire large ■number of sheep sent out ot the district, prices for stores being most attractive. This season, however, the opinion appears to be provalent that fewer sheep will go to otner parts from Poverty Bay, and if this expectation 7 is borne out the freezing works here {must benefit to some extent. The uncertain nature of the wool and meat markets this year, together with the fact that other districts appear to have less feed than was the case 1 2 months ago, is said to be responsible for buyers in other districts withliold/ing their orders for forward delivery of Poverty Bay sheep. The result has been r that up till about a fortnight ago only r about 1.8,000 or 20,000 sheep had been sold from this district for delivery outside during the early part of next year. Since then the market for store sheep has brightened considerably, and a - large amount of buying has been done, the extent of the deals for the Waikato duriug show week being estimated at from 7000 to 8000. Even with this, however, the 'sides for outside' parts fall a great deal short of what they were •‘up •to this period last year, In, view of this position, therefore, it would appear justifiable on the part of the freezing works managements to anticipate that more sheep will be fattened and find their, way to the works during the season, while in addition the [i lambing generally was better ihis year than last. No dates have been announced yet for the opening of the works in Poverty Bay, but it is anticipated that before the end of the month the first oii the killings will Ire made. The Kaiti works already have killed the • show lambs, totalling 205, and these will be shipped by the s.s. Corinthic, which is to arrive here on Thursday, but killing generally will not be commenced for a few weeks yet, according to pre#ont anticipations. Works in Hawke’s Bay have opened already, and tho first consignment of lamb will leave Napier on Thursday in time to meet the'Christmas demand in England. ' : f In view of the uncertainty of the inarkets this year, producers appear to than ever to ascertain the opening prices, but to date no official ' schedule of rates has been published. It was learned in GisboYne to-day, although not from a direct sources, that the opening price for lamb in Hawke’s Bay was BdP er lb. for first-grade lambs 361 b. and under. This is 2d per lb. below the opening rates for last year, representing on'A 301 b. beast a decrease of ss. It i« jjointed out that the figure quoted as the opening rate for this season may be > fictitious one, which may not hist beyond the first shipment; it may have be«h offered in order to induce heavier offerings for lambs for tho first consignment for the Christmas market. In any case, under ordinai-y circumstances the values often drop after December.