REVIEW OF MARKETS

Taranaki Daily News, 13 October 1934, Page 11

REVIEW OF MARKETS

DEMAND FOR PIGS : SHOWN INCREASED PRICES ALL ROUND. STORE AND DAIRY CATTLE SOUGHT The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company Limited reports that as yet the price of fat sheep has not slipped to any great extent and supplies of all sorts are not plentiful. Butchers are adopting a cautious buying policy, tending to restrict business to a certain extent. Prices for fat cattle are keeping up well, and until the feed is more plentiful the firm does not look for any decline in values. More fat cows are coming forward from the dairy farmers and are realising - good values. Prime beef cattle are short in supply. All classes of store sheep are selling really well, but very few are being quoted, and this prevents a good volume of business going through. Several sales of breeding ewes for forward delivery have been made al prices satisfactory to vendors. Quotations of really good 4 and 5-year ewes are hard to obtain at present, and there is a good demand. All classes of store cattle are in good demand, and it appears that some graziers who usually farm yearling heifers are this season stocking up with store cattle. The expected good demand for yearling heifers has not taken place and prices are still on a par with the firm’s last report. Quality cattle are hard to obtain now as the province has been well picked over. There is still a very good demand for good quality cattle and good prices are being realised. At the Hawera sale on Thursday the demand was very keen, and practically everything yarded was sold. As expected, Thursday’s sale resulted in a capacity yarding of pigs and there were increased prices for all classes. The firm’s new pig pens were filled to overflowing, practically every pig yarded being sold at the hammer. Prices were better all round than for some sales past, the increase in pork and bacon prices no doubt accounting for this. Private sales during the week have included an odd sale of white-face lambs, breeding ewes, and Romney rams for forward delivery. At Hawera on Thursday a bumper yarding in all classes except sheep -came forward and a very good sale resulted. Forward - hoggets made to 21s 4d, shorn hoggets to 19s 3d, weaner pigs 15s to 21s, stores to 255, light porkers 33s to 395, light baconers £2 to £2 ss, dairy bulls, Ayrshire £6 6s to £9 9s, Jerseys £6 6s to £8 Bs, yearling bulls £3 3s to £5 ss, dairy heifers, best quality £6 to £7 15s, medium quality £4 10s to £5 10s, inferior quality £2 10s to £4, fat Jersey cows £3 10s to £4 10s, forward cows £2 to £2 15s, yearling heifers to £2 9s. INCREASE IN DEMAND JERSEY HEIFER VALUES RISE. BETTER STANDARD OF VALUES. Newton. King Limited’s stock market report for the week states that the better growing conditions that have, been the order since the last survey have been reflected in an increased demand in.the Jersey heifer section during the week and a much freer, market, has been in evidence for the large yardings of this class, and with it a better standard of values. Apart from this the market has shown little., alteration. Further • back country sales have been conducted and keen bidding has been. the order for all classes of station-bred cattle, young wellbred sorts being perhaps the most popular. During the past few weeks activity in the store cattle section has Surpassed all expectations and now that the major portion of the spring demand has been satisfied, fluctuations in prices are likely to result. However, little local surplus has been wanting for buyers and any detriment to the market that is likely to be occasioned by the waning of the demand ehould therefore not be seriously felt. ’ ■ Some idea of the current values in this section can be obtained from the results of the Awakino sale last Saturday, when about 500 head of station cattle came forward. The yarding was a representative one and buyers were from all parts of the province. All classes came in for spirited competition and with the exception of one line of store cows, a total clearance can be reported under the hammer at the following range of prices:' Forward to killable 4-year bullocks £6 11s, well-bred 3 and 4-year Hereford bullocks in good store condition £5 9s to £5 Ils 6d, 4-year mixedcoloured bullocks in good store condition £5 14s, 4-year Holstein and crossbred bullocks in light condition £4 15s to £4 17s 6d. Inferior-bred £3 15s to £4 2s, 3-year empty P.A. heifers £3 14s 6d, 2-year empty P.A. heifers £3 5s to £3 9s, down to £2 15s, empty P.A. cows £3 2s to £3 9s, empty Hereford' cows £3 to £3 6s, light-conditioned showing age £2 5s to £2 6s, Hereford cows in calf to P.A. bull £3 9s, P.A. cows in calf to P.A. bull £4, weedy 2-year P.A. steers £2 10s to £3 ss, yearling P.A. steers £3, smaller £2 4s to £2 Ils, yearling P.A. heifers, small, £1 15s to £2 4s. A small line of better-done cattle realised £2 10s and weedy sorts sold at £1 15s. Evidence of the good demand that is the order for young station cattle was further exemplified at the Aria sale on Monday, when good quality yearling P.A. steers made to £3 4s, P.A. heifers from the same breeder realising £2 10s, weedy P.A. steers £1 13s, weedy P.A. heifers £1 7s 6d, 5-year store Holstein and Shorthorn bullocks £4 15s to £4 17s 6d, 2-year Shorthorn steers £2 18s. Private sales in this section include a line of 80 yearling P.A. heifers at £2 12s 6d and a line of 3 and 4-year-old mixed coloured bullocks at from £4 5s to £4 10s. The improvement in the demand for yearling Jersey heifers has uncovered heavier supplies than were earlier available and while no false values have been created at sales conducted by our agency, prices, although in some cases far from remunerative to vendors, have been well up to what could be expected when the present position of the market for dairy exports is considered. Current values for this class were obtained at the Waiwakaiho sale on Thursday, when about 200 yearling Jersey heifers came forward. With one exception a total clearance was effected. The cattle in the main consisted of average to good quality sorts but a percentage of the entry left a little to be desired by way of size;, however, those suitable for hold-over purposes met keen bidding and sold at prices out of proportion to those ruling for the better done sorts. Good quality cattle of size sold at from £2 13s to £2 17s, good quality smaller sorts £2 7s to £2 9s, average to good quality cattle suitable for late mating £2 to £2 5s 6d, lesser-bred and poorer done sorts £1 10s to £1 15s, good quality hold-over heifers £1 10s to £1 14s, average sorts £1 ss, small and inferior 16s to 20s 6d, 2-year empty Jersey heifers, good quality, £2 4s to £2 15s.

Other entries at the fortnightly sales have consisted of the usual oddments, but it cannot be said that the better class of reject cow is selling as well as was the order a week ago. Works’ buyers are

accounting for a fair percentage of these entries and though their operations are restricted to low limits it is pleasing to observe the re-entry of their competition. * Little can be said of the business being transacted in the store sheep section. Up to this period in previous years considerable changing of ewes with lambs at foot has been effected, but quotations of this class to date have been absent, and outside the few odd lots that have come •under the hammer little changing can be reported. There is, however, a keen inquiry for all classes and when some guide is available from which a standard of values can be set business of some magnitude is likely to result. Sales during the week include a line of full-mouth ewes with good Southdown-cross lambs at foot at 345. Beef and mutton values have not changed since the last report. Both classes are not offering in sufficient supply to suggest any early easing by way of supply exceeding demand, more especially with regard to beef. The opening freezing schedule will govern the market for mutton and the speculation that is afoot in authoritative quarters upon these figures points to a receding on to-day’s rates. Present quotations range: Fat wethers £1 7s to £1 10s, fat ewes £1 3s to £1 ss, all in the wool. Sales of prime P.A. and Hereford cows and heifers for local consumption have been recorded at from £7 to £B, and the oddments of Jersey and Jersey-cross sorts that are offering at auction continue to meet spirited competition, the best selling at from £5 10s to £6 10s, average £4 to £4 15s, light and unfinisned £3 to £3 10s. In reviewing the position of the dairy cattle section it must be said that despite the low levels ruling for dairy produce, good money is still available for wellgrown cattle showing quality. Sales include the dispersal of Mr. J. Schinckel’s herd of 60-odd Jersey and Holstein-cross dairy cows, and when due consideration is given to the lateness of the season the results obtained compare more than favourably with any clearing sale held this year. From the outset keen bidding was the order, and an average of a little in advance of £5 was obtained for 56 of the co#s. The best of the herd sold at from £8 to £lO, medium sorts £5 5s to £6 10s, aged and inferior £2 to £3 15s. The yearlings from the herd made from £2 2s 6d to £2 6s 6d and hold-over £l to £1 Ils. ' Further bull fairs have been conducted during the week, and although the general range of prices has shown little improvement on the opening sales at s>Ame fixtures a better demand has been the order and a higher standard of values has been obtained. This fact was most noticeable at the Stratford bull fair.

The entry at the Hawera sale on Thursday was average, a good entry of fat cows, ex dairy, meeting strong competition. Yearling Jersey heifers were also keenly competed for, while the entry of about 400 pigs was subject to a spirited sale. The yarding of yearling Jersey heifers included some good quality cattle a little small. These were subject to keen bidding and changed hands at £3 3s, medium hold-over Jersey heifers making to 27s 6d, good quality cattle suitable for late mating £2 2s 6d, good conditioned wether hoggets £1 Is 6d to £1 2s, medium ewe hoggets £1 4s, fat cows, Jersey-cross sorts heavy £5 10s to £6 10s, lighter £4 12s 6d to £5, killable £3 10s, fresh cows £2 10s, good-framed young Jersey store cows £1 5s to £1 15s, boners 10s to £l, pedigree 2-year Jersey bulls, best lOgns to 12gns, others 7gns to 9gns, grade 2-year Jersey bulls 6gns to 7gns, good pedigree yearling Jersey bulls 6gns to 7Jgns, other Signs to sgns, good quality young dairy cows £5 to £7 ss, good quality dairy heifers close to profit £5,10s to £6 10s, others £3 15s to £4.

At Douglas sale on Monday a. large yarding of store and paddock cows came forward, values showing a slight advance on recent rates. Good, young, sound empty cows sold to £1 16s, good framed young Jersey cows £1 5s to £ll2s, heavy fat Jersey cows £5 15s, lighter £4 ss, 3 and 4-year grade Jersey bulls £3 3s to £3 17s 6d, weaner heifers a little small of average quality £2 13s, hold overs £1 10s, good quality springing Jersey heifers £4 10s to £5 10s, medium £3 to £3 17s 6d, calved heifers £3 to £4 10s. Stony River sale on Tuesday drew a good yarding of yearling Jersey heifers which was supplemented by an average yarding in the store cattle pens, the latter selling on a par with late rates. Yearlings of average quality made from £2 5s to £2 Bs, smaller cattle £1 13s 6d to £1 15s, hold-over heifers £1 8s to £1 8s 6d. The entry of dairy cows was keenly competed for, good quality calved heifers making to £6 ss, springers, best, £4 10s to £5, average £3 to £3 12s 6d, inferior and small £2 -12 s 6d to £3. Heavy fat cows Jersey sorts made from £5 19s to £6 15s and lighter £4 11s to £5 14s. The advance of id a pound in the export schedule for pork has had a favourable reflection on prices at all centres where pigs are handled. All classes are keenly compefed for and little difficulty is experienced in effecting disposals. The New Plymouth haymarket sale on Friday drew one. of the largest yardings that has been submitted for some months, about 350 pigs changing hands. The offering included a line of 46 unfinished baconers and porkers, which changed hands at £1 15s. Other realisations were: Light porkers £1 .10s to £1 11s, good conditioned stores £1 4s to £1 ss, extra good slips £1 2s to £1 3s 6d, others 19s to £1 Is, choice weaners 18s 6d to 21s 6d, good 15s 6d to 17s, average 13s to 14s, small 9s to 11s.

VERY SUCCESSFUL WEEK

BUOYANT MARKET FOR STOCK. MOST CLASSES IN KEEN DEMAND. The Farmers’ Co-operative Organisation Society of New Zealand Limited in the weekly review of the stock markets states that a very successful week of trading has ensued. Conditions have been ideal; warm rains following bright sunny days ensuring a plentiful supply of feed for some time to come. This has had the effect of creating a buoyant market for most classes of stock, which was particularly noticeable at Inglewood sale on Wednesday, where a yarding of 600 Jersey yearling heifers met a ready sale, practically every pen being sold under the hammer after keen competition. A feature of the week has been the general improvement manifested at the recent Australian wool sales, the Melbourne sale eliciting the keenest competition of the season to date, 95 per cent, of the offering being cleared, Brisbane also showing an advance on recent offerings. Latest cables to hand show the lamb trade to be slow with a good undertone and the outlook firm. Butter has. once again lost the 2s gain of the previous, week, having fallen to 67s per cwt. with the market slow. Cheese remains steady at 48s to 48s 6d per cwt. Production generally has been well maintained, due to a big extent to concentrated farming, most farms to-' day showing the benefit of top-dressing and improved methods. Business has practically confined itself to the saleyards, where sales held every day of this week have attracted large entries. All classes of fat shep remain steady at last week’s quotations. Fat ewes from 21s 6d to 22s 6d, with wethers from 29s to 31s. Quotations of shorn sheep are commencing to come on to the market and an qasing is to be expected.

All classes of fat cattle remain firm in Value with an easier demand apparent, the policy of buying from hand to

mouth being noticeable. Best prime fat heifers £7 15s to £B. Two trucks of extra prime fat P.A. heifers have been disposed of at £B, prime fat cows £7 to £7 15s, fat cows and heifers £6 10s to £7. Fat Jersey, and Jersey-cross cows wherever yarded meet keen competition, bringing from £4 10s to £7 for extra prime fat cattle. ' . All classes of store sheep remain in keen demand, the difficulty being to obtain quotations. Ewes with lambs at foot, very few quotes of which come to hand, remain keenly sought after. Few quotes of hoggets come to hand, most clients preferring to wait and quote off shears. An exceptionally keen demand is felt for all classes of store cattle, weather conditions assisting. Several hundreds of all classes of station cattle have changed hands during the week. Sales in this section include 45 P.A. cows at £3 18s, 90 P.A. cows at £3 15s, 50 P.A. cows at £3 14s, 30 P.A. cows at £3.12s 6d, and 55 cows and heifers at £3 7s 6d. Yoimg cattle are in keen demand, sales including 30 P.A. steers at £3 10s, 30 P.A. heifers at £2 17s and 45 at £2 10s. The demand for dairy heifers to-day has confined itself to the yards, all cattle selling on their merits, top cattle realising up to £B, more medium sorts £5 to £6. . . Jersey yearlings are in keen demand, as can be seen from the report of the Inglewood sale. Prices were: Top cattle £3 to £3 10s, others £2 10s to £2- 15s, hold-overs. 37s 6d to £2 2s 6d. At Mr. S. C. Mcßae’s bull fair last Saturday a very successful sale was held before a keen bench of buyers. Fifty bulls changed hands. Twenty pedigrees in good condition averaged 12$ guineas, the top price being 20 guineas. The grade 2 and 3-year-old bulls sold well and averaged 8 guineas. The yearling bulls met a very ready sale and averaged 4iJ guineas. At the Kakaramea sale on Monday a good yarding of store cattle sold at late rates. Some of the realisations were: Paddock cows £3 5s to £3 10s, more forward sorts £4 5s to £4 10s, 2-year bulls £5 15s, £6 ss, dairy heifers £6 10s, £6 15s, £7 10s, £B, dairy cows £5 15s, £6. At the Stratford sale on Tuesday there was an average yarding of store cattle, yearling heifers and dairy cattle. In the store cattle section particularly good fat Jersey and Jersey cross cows were offered. They met keen competition, resulting in some good prices being obtained. A pen of seven good-conditioned 4-year-old maiden P.A. heifers realised £5 17s. The yarding also included two trucks of yearling and 20-month P.A. steers and heifers which met a good market and sold at satisfactory prices. Dairy heifers of good quality met keen competition, but there was little demand for small and inferior sorts. Realisations were: Fat Jersey cross cows £5 Is to £5 15s, good conditioned Jersey cows £4 6s, lighter conditioned sorts £3 15s, wellgrown yearling, heifers (mixed colours) 30s, yearling P.A. steers £3 ss, yearling P.A. heifers £2 14s, 20-month P.A. heifers £3 Bs, 20-month P.A. steers £3 11s, good dairy heifers £4 10s to £5 ss, calved heifers £3 2s 6d to £4, young dairy cows close to profit £4 15s to £5 10s, poorer sorts £3 2s 6d to £3 10s, store cattle at late rates.

At the Inglewood sale on Wednesday the heaviest yarding of all classes of cattle for some time came forward, every pen being filled to capacity. About 600 Jersey yearling heifers were included, the majority being in first-class order, and with the presence of many outside buyers bidding was exceptionally brisk, not a single heifer being passed. A nice line of sixteen yearling heifers on account of M. H. Bamitt sold at the satisfactory price of £3 9s, while another pen on account of A. Corley realised £2 19s. Other realisations were: M. H. Barnitt £2 18s to £2 19s, G. H. Loveridge £2 13s 6d, A. Hobson £3, others (best quality) £2 5s to £3, medium sorts £2, hold-overs 33s to 395, small inferior sorts 25s to 30s. Fat cows were in keen.demand, other store cattle selling at late rates. Fat Holstein cows, ex dairy realised £4 16s to £5 9s, light Jersey cows £3 10s to £4 • ss, paddock cows £2 10s. A large yarding of dairy cattle was submitted, a very satisfactory sale resulting in best heifers changing hands at from £5 to £6, medium sorts £4 to £5, backward and inferior sorts £3, dairy cows £5 10s to £6 10s. This must be considered one of the best sales and largest yardings held in Inglewood for many years. The Okaiawa sale drew a capacity yarding and was attended with brisk bidding throughout, practically the whole yarding being disposed of. Store cattle and bulls were yarded in good numbers, and the sale for this class of cattle was good, only to be exceeded by the excellent sale resulting in the dairy section. Some of the realisations were: Springing dairy heifers (close to profit) £6 10s, £7 to £B, more backward £5 to £5 10s. A few springing cows (close to profit) changed hands at £6 to £6 10s, with calved cows (according to showing) selling at about the same figure. In the fat cattle section, fat cows (prime) brought £6 to £7 3s, with less forward cattle at £4- 10s to £5 10s. Young paddock cows made from £2 10s to £3, with medium store cattle selling at late rates. Bulls were keenly sought after, prices being good from 7 guineas to 9i guineas for good two-year-old Jerseys, yearlings making from 4 to 5 guineas.

LIVESTOCK MARKETS

PRICES AT JOHNSONVILLE. A full yarding of cattle and an average yarding of sheep, with ewes in shorter supply than usual, came forward at the Johnsonville stock sale on Wednesday by Wright, Stephenson and Co., Ltd., and Abraham and Williams, Ltd. Cattle, both bullocks and cows, sold on a par with last week’s rates. Runners and vealers met with keen competition. The bulk- of the wethers yarded were shorn, while ewes were mostly woolly. Prices for wethers and ewes showed no alteration on last week’s rates. Spring lambs, which were yarded in larger numbers than previously, met with a good demand at prices up to 2s decline on last week’s rates. Cattle: Prime extra heavy bullocks, £l2 2s 6d, £l2, £ll 14s, £ll 10s, £ll 6s, £11; prime heavy bullocks, £lO 15s. £lO 11s, £lO 8s 6d, £lO 4s, £9 6s; extra prime heavy cows and heifers, £8 4s, £B, £7 14s, £7 10s, £7 9s, £7 2s; prime heavy cows and heifers, £6 16s, £6 12s, £6 7s, £6 ss, £5 16s; runners, £4 16s, £4 13s, £4 12s, £4 10s, £3 Is, £2 18s; vealers, £2 ss, £2 Is, £1 10s, £1 7s, £1 ss, £1 3s 6d. Sheep: Prime extra heavy , wethers, shorn, 25s sd, 255; woolly, 30s 7d, 30s 3d, 29s 7d; prime heavy wethers, shorn, 24s 6d; woolly, 28s Bd, 28s; medium wethers, shorn, 22s 6d; woolly, 25s Bd, 255; prime extra heavy ewes, shorn, 22s 4d; woolly, 25s sd, 255, 25s 4d; prime heavy ewes, shorn, 21s 3d, 21s Id, 20s 3d; medium ewes, shorn, 19s Id; heavy hoggets, woolly, 28s (single pens), 26s 9d, 24s 2d; light hoggets, woolly, 23s 6d, 21s sd, 21s 3d, 20s lid. Heavy spring lambs, 25s 4d, 25s Id, 24s 6d, 245, 23s 9d, 22s 6d, 225; light spring lambs, 21s 6d, 20s 6d, 19s lOd, 19s 6d, 17s. .