COMMERCIAL

Taranaki Daily News, 22 November 1929, Page 16

COMMERCIAL

GOOD TONE IN WOOL MARKET. London, Nov. 20. At the wool sales 9718 bales, of which 4104 were from New Zealand, were sold. There was an excellent selection of greasy Merinos and a fair selection of greasy crossbreds. A good tone was maintained, and there were very few withdrawals. The opening rates were fully maintained. New Zealand greasy halfbreds (Kenly Downs) brought 17d top price, 15d average.

DOMINION’S MEAT TRADE. STOCK SLAUGHTERED LAST YEAR. The report of the Director of the Livestock Division to the quarterly meeting of the Board of Agriculture indicated that the number of cattle slaughtered at meat export works for the 12 months ended September 30, 1929, was 124,550, a decrease of 97,097 head, as compared with the preceding twelve months. For the same period the number of calves slaughtered was 371,885, an increase of 68,344. In the case of sheep the figures for the North Island showed a decrease of 333,470, but in the South Island there was an increase of 76,482. The total numbers killed were: North Island, 1,435,248; South Island. 620,320. Lambs killed totalled 6,069,875. Here again there was a decrease of 155,130 in the North Island and an increase of 180,333 in the South Island. The killings of swine showed, an increase in each island, 259,063 head being

dealt with in the North island and 32,305 in the South Island. The number of condemnations showed a substantial decrease in all classes of stock except swine, the actual figures for the period under review being: — Cattle, 4519; calves, 7909; sheep, 11,598; lambs, 2804; swine, 5842. Special attention was paid by the board to that section of the report dealing with lymphadenitis, the director indicating that notwithstanding the satisfactory results of inspections of New Zealand mutton carried out in Great Britain as compared with other countries, steps had been taken to strengthen the meat inspection staff so as to reduce to a minimum the possibility of carcases affected with this disease being exported from the Dominion. The director further indicated that experiments carried out at Wallaceville went to show that the germ of lymphadenitis is introduced through wounds, principally shearing and docking wounds, and in the light of this fact it behoved every farmer to do all. possible to prevent the germ gaining entrance into the system of the sheep. With a view to affording farmers the best possible advice on the subject, the department had issued a bulletin outlining the preventive measures that should be taken. Reference was also made by the director to the investigations being carried out by the specialist officers of the department in connection with dairy cow diseases, fat lamb mortality, and mortality amongst hoggets. The director indicated that the officer in charge of the veterinary laboratory was spending some weeks in Central Otago for the purpose of studying the fat lamb mortality problem on the spot, and that he was being assisted in this investigation by veterinary surgeons and by the Dunedin Medical School at the University of. Otago. He also indicated that the activities of the department in connection with the investigations of sterility, included the establishment of field laboratories at New Plymouth and Hamilton so that field observations could be continued in the laboratory without deterioration of the material collected for examination.