MARKET REPORTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6064, 30 December 1897, Page 4

MARKET REPORTS.

+ ADDINGTON. With the exception of fat lambs entries in all classes of stock were small at the Addington market yesterday. The quality of the entries in most cases was very poor, and the result was that a very dragging sale ensued, and a good deal of time was unnecessarily wasted, the salesmen becoming disgusted at tho want of animation. The attendance was not large, and the bulk cf the people appeared to be there more outof curiosity than with the intention of doing business. Entries for the day comprised 9794 sheep and lambs, 191 head of cattle, and 177 pigs. Fat Cattle.— Of the 103 head of fat cattle which formed the beef supply, nearly half were in dealers' hands. Of those which came to auction, there were only about half-a-dozen steers showing quality, and these brought from .£7 10s to £8. The rest of the entry was composed of lightweight and inferior animals, fov which tliere was little or no demand. Per head, steers ran from £5 to .£B, heifers £2 7s Gd to .£4 ss, and cows £'1 12s 6d to £4. At per 1001 b, prime beef was from 16s Gd to 17s 6d, good do 13s Gd to 15s, and cow and inferior 10s to 12s 6d. Dairy and Store Cattle. — There were very small yardings in both dairy and store cattle, and no business wortli recording was done. Fat Sheep. — The entry of fat sheep was one of the smallest seen at this market for a long time. With the exception of one or two small lines of good cross-bred wethers the yarding was made up of ewes, the bulk of which were either aged or backward in condition. The small quantity fit for freezing prevented export buyers from operating, and the market was left entirely in the hands of the local trade. Wethers met a fair demand, and sold at from 9s to lis 3d. Young ewes, too, were fairly well competed for, and brought from 7s to 8s Gd ; medium sorts were hard to dispose of, however, at from 4s 6d to Gs Gd, and aged duggy sorts were difficult to quit even at 2s Gd. "Fat Lambs. — There was another very large yarding in the fat lamb pens, 4185 being on offer. Although there were a few really good lambs in, there was a much larger proportion of inferior and unfinished sorts than was the case last week, and there were a great many in this class which should have been in the store pens. This was partly caused by no fewer than eight trucks from the south not arriving at the market until nearly midday, which was too lato to allow of their being drafted. Freezing buyers and the local trade competed keenly for all the best lines, and prices for these quite held their own, but ordinary butchers' lines were a trifle easier, and there was little demand for the poorer classes. Freezing lines brought from 9s 6d to lis 9d, one pen of extra quality reaching 12s, butchers' ordinary sorts 7s to 9s, and graziers' lots from 3s to 6s. Store Sheep. — The large entry in the store pens consisted mostly of lambs, which holders were compelled to sell owing to the scarcity of feed, and some very fair wethers. There was a rather better demand for forward sheep fit for topping off, but others were neglected. Forward wethers brought from 7s to Bs, and a line of 461 very good 8s ld, medium do 5s to 6s Gd, and backward do 2s 3d to 4s Gd, maiden ewes 58 sd, good forward lambs Gs 6d to 8s 6d, medium do 4s to 6s, and backward and weedy sorts from ls 3d to 3s Gd, boilers 8d tv ls 3d. Pigs. — A small yarding of pigs met a very keen ' sale, and baconers and porkers can be quoted at quite 4d per lb^ Per head baeoners were 36s to SOs, porkers 21s to 33s 6d, good stores 12s 9d to 20s, and weaners 9s to 12s 3d.