ADDINGTON STOCK MARKET.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXV, Issue 49, 8 April 1898, Page 13

ADDINGTON STOCK MARKET.

Christchurch, March 23. The entries for nearly all classes were smaller than at the previous sale at Addington. and business throughout, except in fat sheep, was of nn unsatisfactory nature to vendors. The entries comprised 16,184 sheep and lambs, 38N head of cattle, and 795 pigs. Out of 190 head of iat cattle — .">(.) in dealers' hands — the bulk were good useful sot ts. with a pen or two of prime steers. There was little or no competition, and a considerable fall on late rates was experienced, cow beef suffering most. Prime steers brought L 6 to LS 2s ; inferior and secondary, 1,3 12s 6d to L 5 ; good heifers, L 4 10s to 6L ; smaller, L 2 17s 6d to L 4 ; good cows, L 4 to L 5 12s 6d ; and others. L 2 7s 6d. At per 1001 b beef ruled from 15s to 16s (id for prime, \2s to 14s for good, and i'rom 7s Od to 11s for inferior and cow sorts. The yarding of fat sheep included some very good lines of wethers and ewes. The sale for anything approaching freezing quality was very good. Exporters and butchers were in competition for all the better lots Freezing wethers quite held their own, and the better classes of trade ewes showed an advance of Is to 2s per head, and even secondary quality ewes met with a better demand. Prices realised were : Best crossbred wethers, 12s (id to 14s Id ; secondary do, 10s to 12s ; best maiden ewes, 1 Is to 13s 4d ; secondary do, 7s 9d to lOh 6d ; beat mixed sexes, 11s to 13s 6d ; secondary do, 8s 6d to 18s 6d ; best ewes, 9s to 11s 5d : good do, 7s to 8s 6d ; inferior and secondary sorts, 3s 7d to 6s 6J ; merino wethers, 2s 3d to 3s. Fat lambs ngain came forward in large numbers, but there was little life in the sale, the buyers for export not appearing very anxious to secure supplies. A nice line of nearly 55 from Sir John Hall's estate was taken at 10s 4]d, and this was about the top price (with the exception of 1 0s 9d obtained for a little lot), freezing sorts selling down to 9s, good butchers' lambs at 6s to 8s 6d, and backward lots, of which there was a large number, down to 3s 6d. The pig yards were again taxed to their utmost capacity. Baconei-8 were slightly easier, prices ranging from 4d to 4? d per lb, and for porkers from 4d to 4 Jd. Good stores quite held their own, but the supply of smaller sorts was in excess of the demand, and several lots were passed. Per head, baconers ran from 32s 6d to 56a porkers 20s to 225, stores 16s to 255, and small pigs, 4s to 12s.