COMMERCIAL ITEMS

Hokitika Guardian, 2 December 1927, Page 1

COMMERCIAL ITEMS

ADCMKC.TON CTOCIt SALES. I)IIOP IX CATTLE AND LAMBS. CHitisTCT*LUC H. Dee. I. A full in tlie i'rice ol' fat lambs from As in os a head, and an average easing in fm entile oi about 25s a head, .were feature; of tin' metropolitan weekly market at Addin' ton yesterday. The decline was due to the lari'? yardin"«. Prime fat sheen advanced from Is to 2s a head, as the quality was hotter than last week, though the yard ini' was larger. In fat lambs and fat cattle, also, the entry was greater than at the previous sale. In the ease of fat lambs iwas almost double and there were Alt:) head more of fat cattle. There was spirited competition among buyers for all good quality fat sheep. A moderate entry of store' sheep saw a good demand for wethers o’.t of the wool, and a fair sale for ewes and lambs. There was a .good .sale for forward store- cows, and the better dairy cows met with a fair demand. The entry for pigs was very large again and there was a further easing in the market, except for weaners. Eat cattle—. Mixed quality characterised the fat cattle, of which there was an entry much larger than usual. There was a fair proportion of prime handy-weight steers and several pens of heavy-weights. Many of the rows were unfinished, though some pens held prime lots of cows and heifers. Passings were frequent in the early part of the sale, which opened with little change in prices for prime handyweight sorts. For the other stuff there was not the same amount of bidding.

On tho average the sale showed an easing in values of 20s to 25s a head, particularly so in the heavy cattle ami rough steers and cows. Consignments of prime steers from the “Waikato districts, anil from the "West Coast and Southland, were included in the yarding. Prime medium-weight beef was eipial to from 41s to 435, prime ,‘)7s to 40s. medium 35s to 37s (id, heavy weight: 32s to 30s. row lieef 30s to 34s and rough down to 24s fid per 1001 b. Values were: —Extra prime steers to £2O 2s fid. prime heavy steers £lfi to CIS, medium-weight steers £l4 to £l.l 11s, light steers £8 7s fid to £l3 10s. /extra prime heifers to £l3 12s fid, prime heifers fill Its to £l3 Is. medium heifers £9 to £ll ss, light heifers .07 os to £8 11s, extra prime cows to £l2 17s fid, prime cows £ll to £l2, medium cows £8 15 s to £lO 11s, light cows £1 to £8 10s. Store cattle—Cows comprised the hulk of the fairly large yarding of store cattle, with one pen of rough steers, one of yearling heifers and several hulls. Forward cows met with a good demand, and there was a fair sale for other classes. Values were: Good forward cows £4 to £fi, medium cows £2 to £3 los, aged and inferior 20s to 31s. yearling Shorthorn heifers to £3 12s <3d, bulls £3 to £8 os.

Dniry onttr—There was a pood .sale for the better class of dairy cattle, of which there was a small entry. Values were: Best second, third and fourth Olivers £8 Ids to £ll OS. others £1 to £7. sprinpiup heifers to £9 10s. cows in profit, £4 10s to £1 10s. Vealers— Quality among the vealers was only fair, and late rates were maintained for the better sorts, hut inferior calves met with a dull sale. The entry was smaller than Inst week, and the animals consisted mainly of young calves. Values were: Twelve to eighteen-months sorts to £8 2s fid. good vealers £4 7s fid to £5 7s fid, medium vealers £3 os to £4 os, others IDs to 30s. small and inferior calves 3s to 8s fid.

Fat sheep—The ten races of fat sheep were nearly nil shorn, and the general quality was hotter than last week, there being a large proportion of well-finished ewes and wethers. In a good sale, prime sheep advanced in price h.v from Is to 2s a head, though there was little change in the price of light sorts. Towards the end of the sale the easing in values of the poorerquality sheep became more pronounced. Fast, week nine and a half pens were yarded. Values were: Extra nrime

shorn wethers to 46s 4d, prime wethers 35s to 395, medium wethers 3ls to 34s 7d. light wethers 2(is to 33s 10d, extra prime shorn ewes 37s to 38s 4d, prime ewes 31s to 30s, medium ewes 27s to 29s 7d, light ewes 22s to 2fi«, wolly wethers 35s ]()d to 50s Id. woolly ewes 30s to 52s Id.

Fat lambs—On an average the market yesterday dropped 3s to 4s a head. In some cases lots were sold at a decline of os a head on last week. 'Phe entry totalled 784. compared with 430 a week ago. Values were: Extra prime heavy lambs 37s Id, prime lambs 23s to 32s 7d. medium lambs 2fis To 27s 7d, light and unfinished 23s to 25s 7d.

Store sheep—Wethers out of the woo], with a fair sprinkling of ewes and lambs, made up the hulk of the yarding of store sheep, of which there was an average entry. The ewes with lambs were mostly aged. The demand was good for shorn wethers and prices in the main were equal to last week’s, though sales were more difficult to effect, through a smaller attendance. Ewes and lambs sold fairly well at last week’s rates, some sound-mouthed ones going at 22s Id. Values were: AVoolly four and six-toothed half-bred wethers 32s 7d to 31s, shorn four and six-toothed wethers 22s 2d to 25k lid, lower-condition shorn four and sixtoothed wethers 20s to 21s Id. aired half-bred ewes and lambs IGs Id to 22s Id. inferior aged ewes and lambs 13s 4d to 14s, woolly half-bi ■ed ewe hoggets 31s 7d. shorn two-toothed wethers 21s fid.

Pigs—Owing to the large yarding of pigs, especially in porkers, the demand was weak. The market, showed an easing tendency, though haeoners were almost an average entry. Values were: Choppers £2 to £4 fi.s, light haeoners £2 lss to £3 ss, heavy haeoners £3 10s to £3 los. extra, heavy haeoners to £4 1, average price per lb. Id to fid. ight porkers 33s to 38s, heavy porkers 4fts to 525. average price par ]b. sjd to <d. -11 l classes ot store pigs except wonners brought lower prices, owing to the very large entry. The low prices for haeoners and jxirkers liad a hearing on the demand for the larger sorts of young pigs. Values were: Corn] won liars 17s fid to 21s. ordinary wenners 13s to lfis fid, medium stores 22s to 2fis. large stores 27s to 325.