CURRENT TOPICS.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20092, 22 November 1930, Page 10

CURRENT TOPICS.

ADDINGTOIf MAKKET. The weekly metropolitan market at Addington this week was a disappointing one, as in practically every section of major importance of the sale there was a decline in values. The exception was the store sheep auction, ill which there was a free tone in evidence. The entry

was a heavy one too, and comprised about -1000 head of adult sheep, although not as big an on try :is there was ;if the ''double" market. The attendance of farmers was not as large as it has beep during the last few weeks, but of those who were present the big majority were bidders at one stage of the sale or another, and competition, although irregular, was free. There was a slight improvement in the values for dry sheep. There wer© a number of pens of Chatham Island Romney wethers forward, and they were penned in fairly good condition. Competition for them was spirited, and the prices they realised must be considered satisfactory.

With the approach of the export season and the larger entries of fat lambs it is only to be expected that values for them will ease, and this was the case on Wednesday. The supply — there were 680 head penned—was far too great for the demand, and in consequence the market never gained the buoyancy that was in evidence at the ]." c t few auctions. The bulk of the (i'erings was sold at rates about equivalent to BJd per pound.

Ex. prime Prime Ordinary Light

to 33 to 3a 27J to SO 25 to 28 25 to 27 221 to 241 22 to 24J 16 to 21

The entry of fat sheep was sufficient, practically, to supply a "double" market, and it was the largest yarding seen at a weekly sale this year. The entry totalled "6200 head. This resulted in a sharp decline in values c.ver a very dragging sale, and at the end of it there was very little life left in the market at all, and passings were numerous. Vendors who had sent big consignments forward must liavo been disappointed with the values received at the sale, but it seems to have become the general rule that in the market following an interval .or a holiday the demand is less than the supply. One of the features of the auction was the fact that the price being paid for wether mutton did not record such a decrease as that for ewe mutton. At the outset ewes showed a drop of 2s 6d a head, but bv the end of tho sale Ibis was increased to 5s a head in many cases. Wethers throughout the sale were back by Is 6d a head.

The period of hot weather, and the sisKs of the entry resulted in a general decline in value for all classes in the fat p section of the market. The cattle penned were drawn from the South Island with the exception of one line of North Island steers that had been held over since the last consignment came down some time ago. The general quality was quite up to the usual standard of the beef market at Addington, but there was a preponderance of heavy sorts which do not appeal to butchers at this season of the year. The sale was a dragging one, and steers and heavy cows suffered a shaTp. relapse. At one stage of the sale the former were down by up to &2 10s a head, and heavy cows up to £2 a head. The average decline for all classes was from £1 10s to £1 15s a head.

"Wethers— e. B. Good xbd hog?ets (woolly) — to 2-1 _ ... Ord. hoggets (shorn ) . . 12 to 24 8 to 30i Good 4 to 3-rh ibd (shorn) 201 to 22i — Good 4 and 6-th Rom. cross (shorn) .. 212 to 24* 171 to IS Ewes — Good Jbd hog215 pots (•woolly) —. 20 to Ord. jjbd hoggets (woo'lv) to 24 — to 19 Ord. £bd hoggets (woolly) to 222 — Ord. Jbd hoggets (shorn) — to 22 164 to 174 Aged J!»d with lambs < shorn) 30i to 14 — — Aged Jbd with iambs (woolly) in a to 15 7 to 10 Ord. Jbd with lambs (woolly) v . . — — to Hi Ord. 2 and 4-th £bd (shorn) — to 21 — .—

Wflthrrs, shorn—Ex. prime — to 33 — to BO Prime 29 J to 311 23 to 262 Medium 231 to 291 19 to 221 Light 20 to 24 13 to 18 Best -woolly . » — to 37 _ to 31J Ewes, shorn— Ex. prime . . . — to 281 —" to 201 Prime 211 to 25 19 to Ordinary 191 to 21 34 to 18 . Light . 17 to 19 »i to ID* Best woolly .. — to r, 4> to 26 Ord. woolly . . 25 to 30 19 to 24 Light woolly . . 22 to 241 3 51 to 181 Aged woolly . . 161 to 21 10 to 14 A

£ £ £ £ Steers— Ex. prime heavy to 22a <0 21 J Prime heavy . . 17 to 20 161 to 19i Medium weight prime 36 to 17* 3 3 to 16 Ordinary . . 12 to 15 n to 123 Light 9 to 113 7S to 9 h Heifers- — Show — to w'b — Ex. prime — to 165 — to 16 Prime 13* to 1 5 11 to 14 Ordinary m to 33 8i to 10} Light 61 to 11 5& to 8 Cows— E.t. prime — (o 17 — to 17} Prime . 13 to 14:7 10i 8 to 13* Medium . . 10* to 12;{ to 10 Light and a^ctf 53 to 10 42 to 7 i