WINTER MARKETS

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21167, 17 July 1940, Page 11

WINTER MARKETS

KEEN VALUES RULE STORE STOCK IN REQUEST QUALITY OF FAT ENTRIES Fat cattle make firm to slightly firmer rates. Store cattle are often a shade dearer. Dairy cattle are reported fully firm. Fat sheep are very firm. Small entries of store sheep sell at unchanged money. Late rates are repeated for meagre entries of fat pigs. Store pigs are still dearer. A winter time buoyancy has continued in the Waikato stock markets end everywhere the shortening supplies have had the effect of hardening values. Any fluctuations have, in the main, been the result of smaller buying benches rather than the result of overloaded markets or lessened demand as a whole. As could only be expected at this time of the year quality of the entries in the fat stock sections has fallen off considerably with the majority of the entries of a light nature and many others of unfinished standard. An exception was provided, however, at Frankton yesterday. With the current drive for increased production of bacon, it is only natural that in the pig section stores and unfinished porkers have been very keenly sought. Store cattle have been likewise in keen request and reports from various centres indicate that the market

for these has taken a turn for the i better as far as vendors are con- « cerned. Special entries at recent j sales have changed hands very ! readily and usually at values repre- ; senting an advance on those of the : previous week. Quality dairy stock j have been selling well, but as in i past weeks there has been only a slack demand for poor quality des- j criptions. Bright Market For Beef The market for beef at the Frank- I ton yards yesterday was in distinct \ contrast with those of recent weeks, j In the first place the market was better supplied and in the second place the quality of the entries re- ; presented a considerable improve- | ment. For the first time for several i weeks some pens of heavy choice j sorts were on offer in the ox section j and these sold very readily from i £l3 12s 6d to £l4 10s. Quality was j also of a high standard in many pens ! in the cow and heifer beef section, heavy choice descriptions readily realising from £9 3s to £ll. Apart J from the improvement in quality, j i there were a few outside buyers pre- i sent and this, of course, helped to sharpen up competition. Really high quality cattle are scarce at the j present time and it was hardly sur- i prisingf that better values were ob- ! tained at the central yards. However, I ii' the factor of quality is considered, there was no substantial rise in values. At other centres values have tended to show a slight improvement on levels of last week, when values showed a drop. Quality Improved As with the beef section at the Frankton sale yesterday, a feature of the fat sheep entry was the improved quality of the entries. Some of the wether pens were among the best seen at the yards this year, this being rather surprising for this time of the year. One pen of wethers was of particularly good quality and the price paid for it of 37s was equal to the best so far realised this year. This price would probably have been exceeded if the wethers in question had not been a little on the heavy side. Entries ftf fat sheep have been coming forward freely at saleyards throughout the i Waikato, the supply keeping up re- • markably well. Although there were any number of poor quality sheep to be seen at Frankton yesterday, the number of good sorts was very creditable to producers as quality sheep are few and far between at the present time. j Store Pigs Sought | So few fat pigs have come forward on the open market this week that market quotations are of little i value. The few coming forward, j however, have been keenly sought mainly by fatteners, who have been ! buying porkers at substantially ad- ! vanced values. Store pigs have been particularly dear, weaners se'- ! ling from 16s to as high as 30s, and slips from 29s 6d to 36s 6d. The 1 margin of profit at these levels would not appear very high, but there has been no lack of buyers and it i= doubtful if even increased entries would weaken the demand to any : extent. Dominion Sheep Success j Advices recently to hand from i Tasmania state that at the Campbell--1 town Show, one of the leading shows ! of the State, sheep imported from New Zealand, or their progeny, were ; preminent in the prize list in the Romney Marsh and Southdown sections. With the progeny of an ewe imported through the livestock department of Messrs Wright, Stephenson and Company, Ltd., from Mr W. H. Gibson, of Kiwitea, one breeder won the young ewe class and this sheep was also awarded the reserve championship. A two-tooth ram purchased by Messrs W. S. Hogarth and Sons, at a three-figure price from the noted New Zealand breeder, Mr H. J. Andrew, of Maheno, was successful in taking the first prize in his class.