ARGENTINE LIVE STOCK

Hokitika Guardian, 6 May 1924, Page 4

ARGENTINE LIVE STOCK

Thc South American representative the X.Z. Meat Producers Hoard iu

his last monthly letter has given sonio very interesting particulars of the general conditions as applying to live stock in the Argentine. He writes as follows:

"I had a lengthy conversation yesterdnv with Mr Gresham, Manager of Armour and Company’s interests here, and he assures me that his Company

anticipates an increased killing on the South Coast this season, which ho

calculates is ten to fifteen per cent over last year’s figures. In his opinion the same conditions would apply to the oilier plants. I also saw Mi 1,. C. Harr, Afa linger of Swift and Co., and that gentleman gave me the same impression as Armour’s manager, but added that the earlier anticipations had on some former occasions proved to he wrong and nobody could be sure of the state and numbers of the sheep slaughtered till the season was over, as prolonged drought with strong winds in the beginning of March caused the sheep in that part of the country to lose condition rapidly. Mr Harr says it would be sale to calculate, at the very least, an equal number of sheep, to be slaughtered this 1 season on tiio South Coast. It stir-

prises me that they are able to maintain their sheep kill in that part of the country, as the conditions there n,v Hmilar to the Falkland Islands, where mi sheep are available this year for export, while last year 1 went there and purrha.s«d-37.0l)l) lor Importation here to finish oil on the good pastures here, though there, were several lots of good quality fat wethers when thov were bought iu the Usilklands. There is a good demand tor nil classes of fat sheep here, especially lambs, which are in request at higher prices. TJjr .Messrs Gibson suhl the breeding ■nocks on one. oi their small estancias and got very

good prices. . r Cattle.—There is a good ottering oi best quality chillers which arc worth 3.502(1 per lb put in works. It is considered by well informed persons that best quality fat cattle will be seated in the near future, and prices higher. There is no interest for what was formerly known as “Irooster” grade; big, heavy, or plain quality cattle are classified as "Continental," its about half of the frozen beef exported now goes to the Continent. This grade .d cattle is worth 2.2<>5d to 2. PI 2d per lh in works. Calmer cows are woilh 2.0(i2d and cannot- steers 2.25. There is more interest for store niid, breeding calll» and values are higher. It is very probable that prices for all classes of cattle will he considerably I ighor within a year, as the continuous slaughter of an extraordinary high percentage of calves, male and lomale, will have its efiect on the fittore cattle supply. Pasture is good to the South ol the Province of Buenos Ayres though large areas oi allalla lands hove siiilered from the prolonged drought and l fie extraordinary quantity ol small native locusts which have been more dost rueiive this year than ever previously known, and have eaten up all vegetation in many districts. and what they have left has little I celling value for outlie. I hi> is sueh an

enormous, good country, tts lar as its soil ami climate goes, and what may he del util to the production from one ( las- of eamn, will equally favour another. The Provincial Government has been studying the respective advantages of the two freezing plants oli’ered it.

Considcrahie numbers el live cattlecoot inn:: l > he shipped to Germany. Belgium. anM Italy, mostly big entile that would yield over !’(><) H>s of dressed heel', though ionic light, (Hit) lbs ■dressed > weight A bet doeii-A ligus -leers have beet sent to the Switzerland market. sheep t-i ic'-- are as folio't . Shorn v- ethers, t'.l-id to !i.-r.V.d. Shorn ewes, 5.25(1 io n.!!25d. Shorn lambs, M.25d to !UH)d. I.stubs in wool. H.537d to 11.1'Td. The nnuiel sterling is woilh to-ilaj 12.50 Pesos.