LIVE STOCK VALUES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 1, 16 January 1937, Page 15

LIVE STOCK VALUES

Advanced Freezing Schedule Stimulates Lamb Rates STRIKE AFFECTS PIGS The advaiiced freezing schedule accounted for improved selling of fat lambs and skeep in most of the livestock markets in New Zealand this week. Greater activity by freezing operators created a strong demand for lambs at Addington, where fat cattle were firm, tke best beef making to 36/per 1001b. Beef values at Westfield rose 1/- per 1001b. wethers being unchanged-, but ewes wefe down 2/- a kead. Lambs and wethers advanced 1/6 a kead at Johnsonville. Both skeep and cattle values improved at Burnside. Stortford Lodge and Waiptikufau provided the principal store skeep markets in the Dominion, store wetker lambs again selling well in tke vendofs' favour, The strike by tke freezing works employees at Westfield aecounted for values for pigs being down by 3/- a head. The vafious selling centres report on market conditions tkis week as under: — westfield. Tke pig market was tke only section tkat was affected by the freezing workers' Strike. Beef showed a kardening tendeney, rising 1/- to 33/- per 1001b. for the best quaiity. In an average entry of skeep, wethers maintained late rates, selling readily to 30/-. Tke demand for ewes was less spirited and values showed a furthei* sligkt decline. Witk tke Market price always well above tke export schedule, btttchers kave monopolised the lamb market right througk tke current season so tkat the strike did not reflect on this sale. It was a particularly encouraging sale, the fat lambs being eagerjy snapped up at prices ranging to 28/6. Graziers carried on the competition for weedy and unfinished lambs, and bidding was surprisingly keen, especiallyj wkere pens Of good wkite-face lambs were offered. iLack of competition from exporters allowed pork prices to slide back as mttck as 3/- a kead, whiej, was equal to tke improvement reeorded last week. The average price • per pound was also qtioted back |d to 6|d, but baconers remained unaltered at 6d. The latter togetker witk stores, met a ready sale, ADDINGTON. Altkougk entries were muck larger at Addington market, prices were well maintained. The fat lamb schedule hRs been increased up to 9d, for 361b. lambs and under, and to 8*d for seconds, and tkese prices enabled exporters to compete keenly at improved rates. Fat skeep met witk a keen sale values being slightly under tke kigk rates of the previous week. Exporters .bought to a sligkt extent. Fat cattle met a strong demand at tke previous week's Tates witk a tendekey to improve. Porkers averaged 6d to 6*d, baconers 5*d to 6d. JOHNSONVILLE. The J ohnsonville offering of cattle was, for tke most part, of the prime heavyweight class. only a very few pens of ligkter weignts coming forward. Prices showed no alteration. A few pens of prime heavy wethers were offered, the yarding being mainly of ligkt to medium softs. Prices kowever, were 1/- to 1/6 per kead up on the previous week. Tke yarding of ewes was of good quaiity, and comprised chiefly medium to heavyweight skeep. Ewes sold on a par with tke previous week's ! rates. Bidding was very keen for lambs, whieh did not come forward in tke usual numbers. Tke qality of tke yarding, howevef, was fairly good, and prices realised were 1/6 to 2/- per kead above tkose quoted for export. STOETFOED LODGE. Last week's skarp rise in values attracted a large yarding of 15 000 store lambs at Stortford Lodge. Tke market was steady for quaiity top lines, prices showing little variation from tke previous week, but second quaiity and cull lots were definitely easier by 1/- a kead. Competition was brigkt, but a little kesitancy was skown in bidding for tke first few pens, buyers awaiting the trend of tke market. Tke sale saw all values iu vendors' favour, with no lines sold ckeaply. Tke increased freezing schedule saw fat skeep values rise 1/- a kead above rates ruling before the holidays. An unusually small yarding of fat cattle aecounted for values for female sorts rising by up to 20/- a kead the quaiity generally being plain.3 WAIKATO. Fat cattle are on offer in ligkter numbers and all classes are slightly dearer. Store cattle remain in firm demand. Fat skeep are in better request with an improvment in values. Store skeep are traded readily at fully firm rates. Fat pigs continue skarp of sale i|itk little ckange for stores. Waikato stock markets kave been characterised by normal activity during the past few days, althougk light entries have been the rule at most centres. Pigs kave provided the exception and at Morrinsville and Frankton the latest entries this season have been on offer. The fat lamb trade kas again been hampered by tke go-slow policy adopted by freezing works employees and considerable delay kas been occasioned by (ke disorganisation tkat kas been brought about. WANGANUI. Fat cattle and. skeep were fully firm on tke previous week at Wanganui. Uull lambs sold freely, very often within a few pence of good to average lambs. Tke sale was a good one, with practically a total clearanee, but bidding was never animated at any time.