AUCTIONEERS' REPORTS.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 549, 18 October 1881, Page 2

AUCTIONEERS' REPORTS.

Messrs. 11. Matson and Co. report on the Live Stock market. &c, for the week ending Thursday, October 13th, as follows : — For yesterday's sale at Addington a large entry of sheep were again brought forward, fully one-third of which were shorn. The supply of mutton wa. less in proportion to the. number of sheep penned than is generally noted, but there was more than sufficient for trade requirements, and anything but the best quality bad to submit to reduced values. In crcs.breds, Messrs Gould nnd Cameron, Chas. Hurst, J. C. Wnson. 11. Mnddison, H. Chamberlain, Jas. Hoinies, and the Levels Station, were some of die best contributors, whilst a draft from Mr Houldsworth's estate. Ainberley, also especially good. Iv crossbreds, we topped the market with Mr Maddison's sheep at 18s, Messrs Gould and Cameron's wethers realising 17s; merino wethers, account the same owners. lis 3d to 14s; second-iate lot?, 9s to 10s Od. Mr C'h-8. Hurst's shorn brought 10s 3d to 10s Od ; the Level* wethers, lis 6d ; shorn mi-rii os, account Mr J.C. Wason, 6s 6d to 6s 9d ; and other lots proportionate rates. Merino wethers nt the present lime contiibute largely to the market Mipplies, but unless they are really prime are but little iv request. The store sheep on offer yesterday were mostly mnde up of crossbred and merino couples, and where the condition and ages were right, they mostly cbangt d bands at satisfactory prices'; merinos up to 10s, eioss•breds to 15s per couple. As the general result of the day's sheep sale, wj considered that mutton was more in favor of buyers, whilst store sheep (if any change may be quetod) were more in request. Of beef, there was but a limited supply, whilst the quality, with one or two exceptions, was very indifferent. Messrs Hay Bros., of-Pigeon Bay, sent to hand a draft of really magnificent cattle, better than which, both for weight and quality, could not be placed in the market. Tho steers brought from £14 to £16 per head, heifers £12. South Canterbury also contributed a nice line of heifers, but beyond these the bulk were of a very second rate class. Prices all round represented a slight drop in price from last week's rates, this being more noticeable in the inferior lines. For medium weight steers £8 10s to £10 were the ruling rates ; heifers, £6 10s to £8. In store cattlo there was a, full mark. t. but trade svas very dnll, and the bulk of the entry failed to find purchasers. Feed however, is now growing very fast, and with a continuation of the present fine weather will soon become plentiful. This of course means a steady demand for all classes of store stock, instead of the fluctuating markets we have had for the past month. The totals yarded for the day comprised 5875 sh en, 562 head of cattle, and 32 pigs.

Messrs R. Wilkin and Co. repot. On Thursday we had a very- good attendance at our weekly sales of sheepskins, etc., which we held iv our New Zealand Wool Stores. 1890 skins were catalogued, and ■all disposed of. Tiie biddings were

slightly depressed at the commencement, but as the sale progressed tho competition became keener, resulting is satisfactory prices being obtained. The rates for all classes of woolly skins were equal to late quotations. Lambskins advanced Id each on previous sales, and. we sold a lot of 60 lately shorn pelts at lid each. Butchers' crossbred, large, Gs Id, 6s 4d, to 6s 9d ; Ho do, second quality, is. 4s Od. 5s 7d, Gs Id ; doinerino, large 5s lOd, G_ Id, 6s 3d ; do do, second quality, 3s 2d, 4s, ss, 5s lOd ; do lambskins, Is sd, ls 6d, ls 7d ; do pelts, lid each ; country crossbred, one large lot of very heavily woolled skins realised 7s 9d each ; country crossbred, large, 5s 7d, 6s Id, 6s Gd ; do do, medium, 2s Id, 3s, 4s Id, 4s lOd, 5s 7d ; do do small, ls 2d, ls 7d, 2s Id ; do merino, arge, 5s 2d, 5s 8d 6s 3d ; do do, small, Is, Id, ls 9d, 2s 6d. Fat and Tallow—There was an average attendance of buyers and spirited competition. Fat—Best quality, clean aud well saved, to 2-jjd per lb: sei-ond quality from 2d to 2£d per lb ; inferioi none to quote. Tallow in small at 2£d per lb. Hides—The demand for sound hides and calfskins was most iininated this week, an advance of oneeighth of a penny per lb being the result ; hides, sound, at 4£d' per ll>, arid 4£d for sonic very heavy hides ; hides, damaged, weighing* 551 bs and over, at 3d per lb ; do do d->, under 551b_, at 2A<l per lb; calfskins, sound, at 4£d per lb ; do cut and damaged, at 2d per lb.