THE LONGBEACH SALE.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2684, 14 November 1882, Page 3

THE LONGBEACH SALE.

Owing to the dissolution of the partnership hitherto existing between Mr John Qrigg and Mr Thomas Russell, by far and away the largest and most important sale of live and dead stock that has ever taken place in New Zealand, was commenced at the Longbeach homestead yesterday, under the joint agency of the three principal Christchurch firms of auctioneers —namely, Messrs H. Matson and Co., R. Wilkin and Co., and J. T. Ford and Co. Under the editorial management of Mr Waymouth, Mr John Grigg's Christchurch agent, a ' most comprehensive and useful catalogue ' had been prepared and issued to the public, | and the careful and thoroughly reliable manner in which the mass of pedigree and ' other useful information has been compiled and put into book form, reflects the highest credit on Mr Waymouth, and shows that he must have spent an immense amount of time and energy in its compilation. The typographical characteristics of the catalogue are also highly creditable. On reference to the catalogue it will be. seen that amongst the live stock submitted and to be submitted to public competition are 226 pedigree shorthorn bulls, cows and heifers, and yearlings; 19 pedigree Devon cows, heifers, and bulls over two. years; 2623 head of very choice and well bred station cattle ; 441 brood mares, entires,. hacks, draughts, and other horses and colts ; 3000 Berkshire and Yorkshire pigs; 346 S Lincoln sheep, 236 Leicester sheep, 572 Shropshire Downs, and 7118 station sheejJ, together with a few smaller lots of horses, cattle and pigs, and the largest and choicest collection of agricultural implements and farm requisites to be found on any single estate in the province. What is now known as the Longbeach estate was in 1865 an impenetrable swamp. At that time the land was taken up by Messrs Grigg and Russell, and since the first formation of the estate it has been under the special and personal supervision of the managing partner, Mr John Grigg, whose long experience and energy and ability has been devoted to the selection and breeding of the choicest cattle, sheep, horses, &c, procurable in any part of the world, and to effect this object very large outlays of capital have been made in the purchase of cattle of the most aristocratic lineage. That Mr Grigg's selections have been made with almost unerring judgment, and that his motto " The best pays best " has been crowned with success, can be gathered from the fact that the annual drafts of fat stock from the Longbeach estate have realised the best prices in the markets in which they have been sold ; and also from the fact that at the various agricultural shows held during the past ten years a large share of prizes has been awarded to the Longbeach exhibits of stock generally, and this, too, in competition with the cattle sent by all the best and most celebrated breeders of pedigree stock. The splendid flocks of sheep, herds of cattle, mobs of horses, &c, on what is without doubt one of the most complete and best estates in New Zealand are too well known to call for any further comment; but seen as they were seen by our representative on the round of the homestead on the day previous to the sale, it was a sight worth travelling a long distance to witness. To quote the words of the auctioneers—" It is only by the dissolution of the partnership that a stock and plant of so rare and valuable a character, and which has been most carefully gathered together at an enormous cost of time and money is now being separated and handed over to public competition." It was only natural to suppose that red letter week in the annals of Longbeach would attract a very large gathering of both buyers and the general public, and owing to the distance of the estate from town, it was also only natural to suppose that both extensive feeding and sleeping accommodation would be required. To provide for the latter between twenty and thirty " six by eights " had been erected, and in each of these were placed two stretchers (rather an innovation, by the way), each supplied with ample blanket covering. In addition to this small camp, hereafter known at Longbeach as "canvas town," every available building has been cleared and supplied with stretchers, " shake downs," and all other conceivable sleeping requisites. The large implement shed has been .cleared of its usual contents, tastefully decorated with flags and evergreens, and accommodation provided to comfortably seat and feed at one time close on 500 people. All the tables were laid ready for the feast, and the general appearance of the hastily improvised banquet hall reflects great credit on Mr J. W. Morton, who is at Longbeach superintend- . ing the cuisine.and all other arrangements for refreshing the inner man. An able army of some thirty assistants, specially engaged from Christchurch, are under Mr Morton's charge. In the kitchen, bakehouse, and also in the room adjoining the dining apartment are roast, baked, and boiled meats, and made dishes of all descriptions, sufficient in all to feast on the first day of the sale 1500 visitors, to say nothing of the baskets of broken meat that would be left over. To give the reader some definite idea of the extensive arrangements in this direction, and the wholesale amount of slaughter and cooking that has boon going on during the past week, it is only necessary to state that up to noon on Sunday 600 full weight 41b loaves had been baked, twenty-six hams boiled, and in addition to this had been slaughtered and cooked a small contribution in the shape of six head of fat cattle, two calves, seventy-five sheep, and twenty-six pigs, not to mention all the other little et ceteras usually to be found on a public dinner table. To provide for the conveyance to Longbeach of the large number of visitors expected, every available horse and vehicle on the estate had been prepared and fitted up with a view to provide as much seat room as possible. Prominent amongst the vehicles was a huge six-horse jaunting car, one of the ordinary goods waggons having been brought into requisi- I tion for the purpose. To supplement this, Mr Cookson, of Ashburton, was to meet the express train on its arrival at Winslow with vehicles to accommodate something like eighty passengers. A visit was paid to the comfortable shed where the choicest pedigree stock are housed, and hero were seen some splendid animals. Further inspection bore testimony to the fact that the most complete arrangements exist about the homestead, both for the breeding of the choicest kinds of stock, and carrying on general arming operations on the most approved principle and to the very best advantage possible.

On the arrival of the trains, north and south, on Monday morning, ample vehicle accommodation was in waiting for visitors and buyers to Longbeach, and about halfpast twelve the various vehicles began to arrive at the homestead, and a little after one o'clock a goodly company sat down to lunch. A glimpse at the inside of the shed wa3 sufficient to prove that Mr Morton and his assistants had been busy all ,the morning, and the manner in which the lunch was placed on the table fully sustained Mr Morten's reputation as a caterer, and the praise bestowed on the saddles of " wether" during the luncheon must have been highly gratifying to the managing partner of Longbeach. The weather interfered somewhat with the attendance of visitors, but the number of visitors and buyers present was by no means meagre. After lunch Mr Grigg proposed " The health of the Queen," which was drunk with an unusual amount of enthusiasm. The Hon. "W. Rolleston proposed "The health of Mr John Grigg," and spoke highly of the energy and judgment displayed by Mr Grigg in the selection and breeding of the stock about to be submitted to public competition. The toast was drunk amidst loud cheers.

Mr Grigg briefly replied, and thanked the company for the manner in which jis hsalth had been drunk, and also thanked the visitors for being present, and assured the intended purchasers that the sale would be a perfectly bona fide one. Any purchases he might make would be purely on his own account, and he did not suppose he should in any ease buy more than two-thirds of tha stock. Ho also spoke of the impenetrable swamp that once existed where the Longbeach estate now flourished, and pointed out that there was yet plenty of xoom in the country both for the capitalist

and the working man. He also pointed out the good that might be done to the colony at large by the capitalist using his money instead of keeping it locked up. Mr Grigg resumed his seat amidst loud cheering. Mr John Matson made a brief but humorous speech, and concluded by advising those present to enjoy themselves by looking round the estate till a quarter to three o'clock, at which time the sale of crossbred hoggets would commence. The following are the results of yesterday's sale:— Lot I—soo1 —500 crossbred hoggets at 12s each, 500 ditto at 12s each, 312 ditto at lis Gd each, 500 at 12s 6d each, 529 at 12s each—Mr Manson. Lot 24—300 fat crossbred wethers at 16s 9d each, 300 ditto at 16s 6d each, 363 ditto' at 16s 3d each—Mr Manson. A line of 1798 crossbred ewes with lambs were sold in one lot to Mr Charles Newton at 17s. 3d each. Store Steers —500 at .£4 15s each, Mr E. Anderson; 100 at £4 16s, Mr R. Anderson. 50 culled stores at .£3los each —Mr Boyle. A line of yearling heifers and steers was sold in one lot to Mr Andrew Grant at 41s a head; 200 station store heifers were sold to Andrew Grant at £3 5s each, and a lot of 244 at the same price to the same buyer. Out of 210 station bred cows in calf, or with calves at side, twenty were sold to Mr Stent, of New Plymouth, at £2O a head. Ten more of the same lot were sold to Mr Reynolds, of the Piako Swamp, for£lslos, and the balance of 180 to the same buyer at .£l2 a head. 500 fat merino wethers were sold to Mr J. Wallace, of Dunedin, at 9s each, and 211 of the same lot to Mr T. M. Jones, of Ashburton, at 9s each. Five station bred heifers were sold to Mr Stent, of New Plymouth, at 7Jgs a head, and five to Mr Reynolds at 6gs a head. The balance of 57 were sold to Mr Reynolds at sigs a head. Fourteen Hereford heifers in calf were sold to Mr J. "Wallace, of Dunedin, at £6 15s a head. The balance of twenty-six were sold to the same purchaser at £5 15s a head. Five, two-year-old station bred heifers were sold to Mr Stent, of New Plymouth, at £7 5s each. The balance of sixteen was sold to Mr F. Stanage at £5 a head. The prices realised were very satisfactory, and each lot found ready purchasers. Mr Reynolds mentioned as a buyer is manager at Piako for the New Zealand Land Association.