BEEF SLIGHTLY EASIER

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 748, 22 August 1929, Page 10

BEEF SLIGHTLY EASIER

N.Z. STOCK MARKETS WESTFIELD REVIEWED BY R.W.C. A s.ightly easier tone was noted in the market for beef in the Dominion’s principal stock selling centres yesterday. To a certain extent this was due to the fact that the higher prices of the last week or so attracted bigger entries. At Westfield yesterday there was a very mixed quality entry drawn from all parts of the province. Approximately 550 head were yarded. The ox beef offering was made up of an increased percentage of well finished big-framed cattle; on the other hand, however, there was a scarcity of handy weight young steers, but a very noticeable quota of indifferently finished cattle, some, owing to buffeting in travel, being well below fat standard rating. The cow and heifer offering was also mixed and made up largely of medium framed dairy sorts. Bidding throughout was steady on levels slightly below those ruling at last week's sale. While best ox sold up to 43s and best cow and heifer in some instances may have made up to 40s or even a little higher, the greater part of the offering sold at from 3Ss to 40s a hundred. There was a steady demand on these levels. Heavy Entry of Calves Another heavy entry of mostly small and fresh dropped calves came for- | ward to meet with a market which ; opened at late rates, but eased toward , the close. Well grown choice quality j vealers were again very hard to | locate. Xo extra heavy prime ruoI ners were yarded. ' The offering of fat sheep was slightly under tne average, and made jup of rather mixed quality. The best of the wethers were not quite up to the l standard of the best of last week’s, but ! the tops in the ewes were equal in quality to any seen in the yards this season. Incidentally, they brought the best price in the section for the season. There was a steady demand throughout, and prices held firm on last week’s levels. While the buyers for the bigger butchering firms were consistent bidders, they did not take quite the same percentage of the offering as last week. A few spring lambs brought premium prices, making up to 425. Hoggets sold at late rates. The market for all classes of pig, was very firm, showing a slight advance on last week's rates. Hawke's Bay Market | In the Stortford Lodge yards yesteri day slightly under an average yarding j came before a fair attendance of buy- ; ers. Prices for fat stock showed a | slight improvement; other classes of . stock sold at late rates. Fat bullocks made £l4 5s to £ls; light, £ll 10s to £l3; fat cows, heavy, £l2 to £l4; light, £S 10s to £9 10s: fat heifers, £ll 13s to £l3 15s; dairy cows, £7 to £l2: yearling Jersey heifers. £4 to £5: fat ewes. 28s 6d to 31s 6d; fat wethers, 30s to 31s 3d: wether hoggets, to 25s sd; forward ewes, 18s to 20s 3d. Heavy Entries at Johnsonville Heavy entries of sheep and cattle were recorded in the Johnsonville (Wellington) yards yesterday. The yarding comprised heavy and medium wethers, bullocks, prime cows and heifers, with a few pens of extra heavyweight bullocks. Competition for all classes of cattle was good, with prices showing no material alteration on last week's rates. The quality of the sheep yarded was good and a fair sale resulted. Prices were on a par with last week’s rates. A few pens of lambs offered sold freely. Extra heavy bullocks made £l7 5s to £IS; heavy ’bullocks. £ls 17s 6d to £l6 10s; medium bullocks. £ls 10s to £ls 2s 6d: light bullocks. £l3 10s to £l4 12s 6d: heavy heifers, £l2 2s 6d to £l3 2s 6d: medium heifers. £lO 15s to £lO 17s Sd; heavy cows, £l2 2s 6d; cows, £S 5s to £lO 7s 6d: heavy wethers. 3§s 4d to 39s 9d: wethers, 36s to 37s Id; heavy ewes, 32s to 345; medium ewes, 27s to 2Ss; lambs, 26s to 28s 3d. Addington Market Slightly above average entries were received in most sections at Addington yesterday. The quality of the fat sheep entry was not quite up to that of recent sales; prices, generally, were Is a head lower than the market at the last sale. Extra heavy prime wethers sold to 53s 3d; heavy prime wethers, 42s to 465; medium wethers, 35s to C9s; light wethers, 29s to 345; extra prime ewes to 42s Id; prime ewes, 33s to Cos; medium ewes, 25s to 325; light ewes, 20s to 275; prime hoggets, to 39s lOd; light hoggets. 22s to 275. The entry of fat cattle totalled 465, slightly less than a normal yarding. It included two or three lines from the Xorth Island. The sale opened slightly easier, firmed a little and slipped back again, the drop in values averaging about 10s a head. The quality was hardly as good as at recent sales. The prices a 1001 b. were:—Best beef, to 535; good, 47s to 51s; medium. 43s to 475; heavy, 42s 6d to 455; good cow beef. 40s to 435; inferior, down to 32s 6d. Extra heavy prime steers, to £24 17s 6d; heavy prime steers, £2O 10s to £22 10s; medium weight prime steers, £IS to £2l; medium quality steers. £ll to £l7 10s; light steers, £l2 to £l3 15sextra prime heifers, to £IS 17s 6d: prime heifers. £l4 to £ls 15s: ordinary heifers, £ll 35s to £l3 15s; light heifers. £y to £ll 10s; extra prime cows, to £2O 2s 6d; prime cows, £l3 15s to £ls ss: ordinarv cows, £ll to £l3 10s: light and aged cows, £7 10s to £lO 10s. A medium entry of vealers met with a keen demand. The best price of the dav was £9 3s for extra good 18-months sorts. Others brought from £5 to £3 10s and calves from 30s to £4 2s 6d. There was a keen demand for baconer* and porkers. Baconers made up to £5 19s 6d: porkers, to £3 4s 0d: choppers, to £7. Store pigs sold keenly, weaners making from ISs to 225; stores, from 16s to 345. Westfield Prices Prices at Westfield yesterday ranged as follow: Cattle.—Extra heavy prime steers, to £2O 10s; heavy prime, £ls 17s 6d to £18; medium, £l4 15s to £ls 15s; lie-ht and unfinished, from £10: extra choice quality young cow and heifer, to £l4 15s; heavy prime, £ll 10s to £l3 20s; medium, £9 10s to £11; light and unfinished, from £5 10s. Sheep.—Extra heavy prime wethers, to 455; heavy prime, 3Ss 9d to 42s 6d; medium, 36s 6d to SSs 6d; light and unfinished, from 30s; extra choice ewes, to 41s 9d; heavy prime, 33s to 36 = ; medium, 29s to 6d; light and unfinished, from 21s: prime hoggets made to 235. Pigs.—Choppers sold at £2 6s to £5; heavy and medium baconers, £4 19s to £5 2s; light baconers and heavy porkers, £4 to £4 16s: medium porkers and light porkers. £3 to £3 16s: small and unfinished porkers, £2 6s to £2 16s: large stores made £2 to £2 7s; slips, £1 Ss to £1 3 ss; weaners, Ss to 19sCalves. —Runners made £3 10s to £5 17s 6d; heavy vealers, £5 10s to £7 4s: medium. £4 10s to £5 ss; light. £3 ISs to £4 Ss; smaller, £3 3s to £3 16s; small; and fresh-dropped. 5s to £2 16s; rough calves, £2 to £3 ss.