ANNUAL STOCK TREK

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 258, 15 January 1941, Page 6

ANNUAL STOCK TREK

SHEEP FROM WAIKATO

MORE. THAN LAST YEAR

The season for big movements of sheep from the Gisborne and East Coast districts to the Waikato and other northern districts have seen large mobs of sheep passing through the Ohope route during the past ten weeks, some of the inobs being of considerable ?.:ize. An occasional mob of cattle has been met with but most of the cattle have already been sent forward. There is still an abundance of feed on the roadsides right through to the "\Vaikato and it will lie some time before the roadside fodder is cleaned

up. More breeding ewes than last year are expected to go to the Waikato. With the abundance of feed available in the Waikato and Rotorua districts there should be a very strong demand for East Coast sheep This time movements of many of the slicep have commenced earlier than usual. In the past few sheep have been put on the road for the Waikato before the New Year holiday traffic is oif the roads, but during the past few weeks, in response to a desire from purchasers, an earlier start was made with several mobs. Probably one reason that influenced the earlier stock movement was the likelihood of there being a good deal less motor traffic on the roads during the holiday period in consequence of the petrol restrictions. Most of the sheep concerned in the present movements have been sold forward to owners who wish too take delivery on their farms. It is stated that present intentions are that few will be going forward from the Gisborne district on consignment for offer at public auction, although every year numbers are sent from the upper end of the Coast in this manner. Although no definite indication can be secured as to numbers likely to travel to the Waikato, those closely associated with the business believe that the total will be certainly 110 lower than last year and perhaps substantially greater. Last season only about 160,000 sheep went to all destinations outside the Poverty Bay and East Coast districts, a figure that was; less than half of that two years previously. The greatest proportion of the sheep will be dispatched by road (on foot or lorry) and rail, although it is expected that 50,000 to (50,000 Avill be sent by boat to Tauranga and thence by rail to the inland destinations, while possibly some may be sent to Auckland.