FAT STOCK MARKETS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1020, 10 July 1930, Page 11

FAT STOCK MARKETS

YESTERDAY’S SALES REVIEWED BEEF FIRM AT WESTFIELD By R.W.C. Fat stock continues to meet with a steady demand at the principal celling centres of the Dominion, but there is little sign of the firming tendency of prices usually noticeable in normal years as the winter advances. In the Auckland Province, young dairy cattle well backed by butter-fat records jneet with the keenest sale. At the Westfield fat sale yesterday short yardings were recorded in several sections," and prices were very erratic. Beef, pork and veal had a decidedly firmer tone, and met with a keen sale. Mutton met with an erratic market and, although best quality sold practically on a par with late rates, indifferently finished mutton, especially ewes, was a little easier. The ox beef offering was up to that of recent weeks and the quality, generally, was quite good, meduim-weight steers predominating. Vendors from all parts of the province contributed, cattle coming from the Far North, the Bay of Plenty and the Waikato. Bidding was spirited throughout, and prices were very firm at last week’s quotations, extra choice lots making premium prices on occasions. Best ox beef made up to 37s a hundred. The cow and heifer offering was a most nondescript one, and was fully one-third down on the offerings of recent weeks. The smaller butchers were keen buyers, and the market was very firm, prices on occasions showing a margin of up to 10s a head over last week in favour of sellers. Best young cow and heifer beef made up to 33s 6cl a hundred. Heavy prime steers, generally, made up to £ls 12s 6d; medium, £l2 to £l3 7s 6d; light and unfinished, from £8; heavy prime young cows and heifers made from £9 5s to £11; medium, £7 15s to £8 17s 13d; light and small, £5 10s to £7 7s 6d; unfinished, from £3 10s. The offering of calves was also below that of recent weeks, and the demand for all well-finished medium-weight sorts was very firm. Extra choice 15 to 18-months-old runners from the Waikato made up to £7; ordinary choice quality runners made from £4 5s to £5 10s; heavy vealers made from £3 10s to £ 4 2s; medium, £2 2s to £3 ss; well-nourished small and fresh-dropped calves, from 12s to 225. Sheep Market Easier The sheep pens were comparatively well filled, but the general quality of the offering was not up to that of recent weeks. There was a lack of finish about the majority of the lines, and the biggest part of the ewe offering was not particularly attractive; a number of store sheep were offered in the fat pens. Prices for prime quality sheep ranged from par to slightly below late rates; indifferently finished sheep were easier all round. Extra prime bigframed wethers, too big for ordinary butchers’ purposes, made up to 31s 6d; ordinary heavy prime wethers made from 25s 9d to 28s 3d; good quality medium-weight wethers made from 23a 3d to 25s 6d; light and small, from 17s; heavy prime young ewes made to 235; medium - weight ewes, 14s to 17s 3d; inferior, from 10s. Hoggets made up to 26s l’or an extra choice pen. A short yarding of pigs came forward to meet with a very keen demand. With the advance of winter most fatteners seem to have worked off their surplus*-- and are now in the market for stores, with a view to getting in early in the new dairyi»g season. At yesterday’s store sale the demand was* sufficiently keen to make nine-weeks-old pigs worth up to 355; even weeciy weaners were selling at from 10s upward. Baconers met with a firm salt* at front 53d to 61d a lb; porkers made around 8d a lb. Hawke’s Bay Market At the weekly stock sale in the Stortford Bodge (Hastings) saleyards yesterday, there was good yardings of fat cattle and a moderate yarding of fat and store sheep and store cattle. Prime fat bullocks made £l4 to £l6 3s; prime fat cows, £9 10s to £l2; fat cows, £6 to £9; m.s. weaners, £2 17s; 2i-year P.A. steers, £6 6s to £7 6s; two-year steers, £4 ss; fat ewes, 15s to 20s; fat wethers, 23s to 265; fat lambs, 15s to 16a 6d; forward wethers 21s; m •>. ewes. 22s 3d; woolly ewe lambs. 14* lOd; four-year ewes, 12s 6d; store ewes, 5s to 8s; woolly m.s. ss xu. Johnsonville Sale At the Johnsonville sale yesterday, there was an average yarding of grown cattle, and a larger yarding than usual of vealers. Sheep came forward in smaller numbers than, has been t - * case for the last few sales. Pri / for all classes of stock showed i.o alteration as compared with last week s rates. A few pens of lambs offered met with a. keen sale. Vealers were also In demand. Ileavv bullocks made £l4 10s to £ls 10s; bullocks, £9 to £l4; extra heavy heifers, £lO to £11; heavy cows, £8 to £10; cows, £4 10s to £7; runners, £5 to £6 ss; vealers, £2 5s to £4 15s; heavy wethers, 27s to 30s; wethers, 24s to 265; heavy ewes, 18s 6d to 20s; ewes, 15s 6d to 17s; lambs, 13s 6d to 23 s. Firm Sale at Addington A feature of the weekly market at Addington yesterday was the inclusion of the fat cattle entry of 130 head of steers from the North Island. This was the third consignment to be brought down this winter, and, like others, were attractive prime heavy cattle. They sold fairly well. There was little alteration in the basis of values compared with last week. Entries of fat lambs are decreasing each week, and today’s entry, 765, was the smallest to date. They sold fairly well at late rates, although t)ie lighter sorts were a little easier. Fat sheep were forward in large numbers, and over an irregular sale the basis of values was on a par with that ruling at last week’s market. Extra prime fat lambs made up to 31s lOd; prime, 25s to 28s. Extra prime wethers made to 33s lOd; prime. 26s to 295; extra prime ewes made to 25s 6d; prime, 19s to 225. Best heavy-weight steer beef, 33s Gd to 36s 6d; medium quality, 31s to 34s 6d; good cow beef, 30s to 335; secondary-, to 28s 6d. Prime heavy steers realised £ls 10s to £lB 12s 6d; prime medium-weight steers, £ll 10s to £ls; medium quality, £8 15s to £11; light, £7 to £8 10s: extra prime heifers, to £ls 2s 6d: prime, £9 15s to £l2 10s; medium. £7 5s to £9 10s; light, £5 5s to £7; extra prime cows, to £l4 17s 6d; prime, £9 iOsto £l2; medium, £7 to £9.

Entries of fat pigs were considerably larger than at the previous sale, and everything sold firmly throughout on a basis of recent ruling values. Choppers made £4 to £6 15s; extra heavy, to £ll Is; porkers, 47s Gd to 56s 6d; heavy porkers, 58s 6d to 73s 6d (average price a lb., B£d to 9Jd); baconers, £3 14s 6d to £4 17s 6d; heavy baconers, to £5 14s 6d (average price a lb., 7£d to B£d),