AUCTIONEERS' REPORTS.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 547, 11 October 1881, Page 2

AUCTIONEERS' REPORTS.

Mr A. T. McGregor reports that on Thuisday Inst immediately after the horse pnrnde lie held a sale of horses at Mr O'Reilly's ynrda, Akaroa. A considerable number of the usual style of Peninsula hacks were entered, but after offering a few of the lines and being unable to elicit almost a single bid, the balance wore passed in, it being quite evident that horseflesh ia nt.a discount at Peninsula sales, and prices in Chriatchurch rule even cheaper without any prospect of a rise. More attention must be given to the breeding of hordes, especially in the selection of broodmares, otherwise the progeny will be quite unsaleable. The only demand that exists at present is for carriage borses and light draughts for spring carts. On Friday I held the first of a series of monthly sales of cattle at Mr Brooks's yards, Head of the Bny, by the kind permission of that gentleman. The weather was very wet and stormy, which no doubt prevented a larger number of dealers front putting in an appearance Several lines 6£ cattb entered were not yarded, owing no doubt to the same cause. Amongst other lines disposed of , . I sold on account of Mr \V. Innes a fine Ayrshire bull at £7. and on account of "Mr J.-Pettigrew 5 head 3-year-old steers in good order at £5 each. A splendid line of 50 head of 8 and 4 year old steers were submitted, on account of Mr O'Connor, of Okain's Bay, but were withdrawn at £6 6n, this offer not coining up to the owners' idea of the value, who resolved to tre*t them to a little more of the grass now very plentiful on the Peninsula.

Messrs. H. Mataon and Co.! report on the Live Ptock market. &c, for the week ending Thursday, October 6th, as follows:— For yesterday's weekly sale a fair entry of sheep'was penned at the Addington yards. Of these about two-thirds were mutton, several linos being sent to hand out of the wool. There was a largo attendance, and competition generally was marked by more spirit than has been shown for some weeks past, (hough, witli one or two exceptions, wo do not quote any actual advance in the price of.fat sheep. The shorn mutton,, as already brought to hand, has been especially good, but values, we consider, hare scarcely been in accordance with their weight and quality, or with prices as paid for mutton in the fleece. For Mr J. C. Wn&on we yesterday submitted a line of 300 ehom merino wethers of very nice quality, which brought 6s 6d per fiend« or equal to about 1£ I per lb. In •unshorn sheep Messrs Gould and Cameron topped the market, both in cross-brede and. inerinoH, the former realieirt£ up to 19s 8d the latter to 16s. The highest obtained for eliwn sheep was 10s 9,1, at which figure the 4 * Levels " draught was disposed of. The entry of etoree included several lines of useiul hoggets, most of which changed hands at slightly improved rates. Taken as a whole yesterday's sheep sale was the most satisfactory held for several weeks past. The high prices obtained for fat lambs last week, hail, as we anticipated, the ell'eet of glutting the market on Wednesday. Betwe-.n 200 to 300 were penned, half of which were of very good | quality, whilst many of the others would have been batter left with their mothers for another fortnight. Prices ruled from Gd (for SL-rubber.-O to 12s for the best lo.s, showing a decline vii 2d to ite per head all round under last week's fictitious values. The fat cattle imiket was one o£ the most sparsely supplied we have- had for many weeks, and prices were marked by a proportionate riso. The doinand from first to last waa particularly brisk, resulting , in a clearance of nearly every lot at an advance oi! 10d to £1 per heuil over the average of the past month's sale. The growing weather

of liit.- ptist fortnight and the iluwh of gra.ss hns ngnin given the store cattle trade a dwided impetus. Our entry yesterday comprised about 300 ef mixed age cattle, of which lesa than 30 head represented the unsold lots. Prices, without showing any g-reiit advance, were certainly better, and buyers were easily found for'any useful lines. On account of Mr A. P. O'Oallaghan we placed 59 head of steers —33 at £5 ss, 14 at £4 16s, and 12 at £4 10s each, and a number of emaller lots at proportionate rates. On the previous day, at the fai Tapu spring Bale, out of a total entry of about 340 head of store cattle, we succeeded in quitting about 300 head at prices equal to town rates. The total entry for Wednes day's sale comprised 5109 sheep, 549 head of cattle, and 80 pigs.

Messrs R. Wilkin and Co. report:—Wβ had an average attendance of buyers nt our weekly saleof sheepskins, &c, which wo held in our Now Zealand Wool Stores, There was keen competition throughout, and nn improvement in prices for crossbred skins, whilst merinos remain the same as at last week' quotations. But-'hers' crossbred, la-ge, 6s 2d, 6s 7d, 7s ; do do, medium, 3s Id, 4s 2d. 5s 4d, Gs 2d ; do do, small, Is 4(1,2s 3d, 3s Id ;do merino large, 5a 9d, Gs Id, Gd 4d ; do do, medium, 3s 2d. 4s Id. 4s lid, ss9d; do do, small, 257d,259d, 3s 2d; lambskins, Gd and la 6d ; country crossbred, large, 5s 7d, 6s, 6s 7d ; do do, medium, 2s 3d, 3s 4d, 4s sd, 5s 7d : do do, small, Is 2d, Is 9d, 2s 3d ; do merino, large, 4s Bd, 5s 3d, 5s 9d ; do do, second quality, 2s, 2s 7d, 3s sd, 4s Id, 4* Bd. Fat and tallow—Bß packages were catalogued, and all sold. The trade was well represented. The competition was good and prices even. Fat —Best quality, clean nnd well saved, to 2|d per lb ; second qua'ity, to 2£d per lb; inferior, at Id per lb. Tallow, in small lota, at 2£d per lb, and 12s and 23s per cwt. Hides— We note a decline in the price of sound hides of £ of a ponny per lb compared with last week's sale. Hides, sound, at 4d per lb, and 4£d per lb for a line of heavy hides. Hides damaged, weighing 551bs and over at 3d per ib; do do do, under 551bs, at 2£d per lb ; calfskins, sound, at 4d per lb ; do, cut and otherwise damaged, at 2d per lb.