COMMERCIAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2329, 23 October 1908, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

MATAWHERO STOCK SALES

Farmers who drove their stock to the MatawherO' yards for sale yesterday met a slack market. The yarding was the largest since the winter, but iirices were in direct contrast- to the appearance of the pens. Though the spring is well advanced there were comparatively few shorn, sheep on offer, those for sale all being last year’s hoggets. The sheep all looked well showing there is plenty of feed in the district, and the young lambs yarded were well grown and strong. Cattle pens were very crowded, but the quality of the store stock was not up to a high standard and consequent-, ly low prices ruled. There was only a small number of buyers present, -and pen after pen ef both sheep and cattle were passed without a bid, though a few of the rejected were disposed of privately. Messrs. Common Shelton and Co.’s'horse sale attracted a large crowd of buyers, and all lines sold well. SHEEP. The sheep pens were more heavily stocked than on any sale-day this season, and prices could not have been too satisfactory to farmers as there was a marked drop in the quotations and most of the lines were unshorn. Messrs. Williams and Kettle yarded 4000, the New Zealand Loan ’ and Mercantile Co. 6000, while Messrs. Dalgety and Common Shelton added another 4000 to the number. The butcher’s pens did not. sell at high rates, many being reserved for private treaty. The following were the principal pens of fat stock: 39 wethers (wooled) 14s; 3 ewes and 3 wethers 13s 6d. Ewes sold: 23 at 11s Gd; 24 at 12s 2d; and small pens at 10s and 12s 6d. Woolly hoggets sold at 10s and 10s 6d, and big heavy shorn hoggets at 10s Id. The store pens saw a bigger drop on late rates. Ewes in lamb that were saleable a few weeks ago, were passed in at 10s ■and empty ewes sold as low as 3s 3d; the bare value of the wool and hides. Shorn hoggets brought 8s 5d for a nice pen of 930; 304 woolly hoggets sold at 11s 2d and 126 small wether hoggets (shorn) at 7s; 632 4-tooth wethers (shorn) brought 10s Bd, and 27 woolly wethers 13s; 81 aged ewes brought 3s 3d; 45 ewes 7s 6d; 23 brought 8s 6d, and a pen of 70 2-tooths 9s Id. A nice pen of 10 ewes and 12 lambs were passed in at 10s.

CATTLE. There was a heavy yarding of cattle, the supply being for in excess of the demand. .The New Zealand Loan Company had 1000 head; Messrs Williams and'Kettle 600 head; Messrs Common Shelton 1000 head, and Messrs Dalgety and Murray-Roberts and Co.’s yarding made up' close upon another 1000 head. A few fat steers were offered, the pens containing mostly cows. Messrs Dalgety sold fat steers up to £6 10s; one forward steer brought £5 and six steers in the opposite yards were passed in. Beef cows found buyers at low prices, the following being the principal pens: 5 at £5 2s 6d; 5 at £5 10s;;' 3 at £5; and poorer sorts from £3 15s to £4 15s. Springers brought £2 17s6d, £3 2s 6d, and £3 10s; eight mixed yearlings 18s; a yearling jersey bull £3 10s, and an aged -bull £3. The store steers advertised by Messrs Dalgety and Co. sold well .up to £5; 2-year olds brought £3 4s, and yearlings £1 15. The pens containing the store cattle were well: stocked-, but few lines were .disposed of. Forward steers brought from £3 10s to £4 10s; poor sorts sold from £2 10s to £3 10s 54 mixed yearlings brought £1 6s and 47 heifers £1 10s. ’HORSES.

Messrs Common, Shelton and Co., Ltd., offered about 70 horses -at auction. The- yarding included light draughts, spring cart and harness horses, hacks, and brood mares. Bidding was keen for all the better sorts, and as there was no reserve ,all lots were cleared. Brood mares. sold from £2-to £5, light well bred colts

from £l2 to -£l7 15s. light draughts from £l4 to £l6, liglit harness fillies from £lO to £l2 10s, and hacks from £lO to £l4. AMERICAN WHEAT SUPPLY. United Press Association. Copyright . LONDON, Oct. 22. Tho American visible supply of wheat is 66,603,000 bushels. i