THE PRICE OF SHEEP.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1358, 8 February 1912, Page 4

THE PRICE OF SHEEP.

DROP EXPECTED IN CANTERBURY.

(Br Telegraph.—Soocial CorrcsjondonU Christchurch, February 7. A rumonr that there is likely to be a sharp slump in sheep prices has been going tho rounds lately, and a representative of the "Press made somo inquiries regarding the matter from several of tho leading auctioneers in Christchurch. rrom tho statistics supplied by tho Department of Agriculture it appears that the sheep farmers of the CantorburyKaikoura district started the season with 273,025 less sheep than in the year ending April 30, 1910, and this figure also approximately represents the total shortage over tho whole Dominion. Tho lambing season of 11)11 was decidedly lielow tho average Taking the whole Dominion, though in a few districts it was as good as, and in somo isolated cases better than, last season. Obviously this points towards the possibility of the sh'ortago continuing if the exports are kept up to anything like Iho usual standard, and they probably will 1» as there is abundance of food. The season looks as though it would bo aa excellent one for fattening, aJid so far there secme little reason to imagine that the Home demand will slacken off to any marked degree. It must also be remembered tlitit a good many stations in Canterbury have had very severe losses of sheep this winter—a loss that has only lately been properly realised. It has been argued that exceptionally large consignments of store sheep will be sent into Canterbury from the North Islnud, the South, and tho Chnthams, which will more than make up tho deficit and lend to weaken tho market. Up to the present time the drafts sent in have been, if anything, rather under than over tho usual quantity. On the whole, it may be said twit the prospects are very good, and Iho worst that now seems likely to happen, is that there will be a weakening, not. however, amounting to a slump, in the store market when larger quantities of this class of sheep come on the market in the course of. the next two months of