SHEEP OF NO VALUE

Hokitika Guardian, 21 January 1931, Page 3

SHEEP OF NO VALUE

NO GRASS A VALLABLI 1

(.Star Correspondent)

GISBORNE, January 15

The first stucK saie tor luv year j.u-31 nas enipna.uc.eu tlie extraordinary position ot tne sheepfaruiers 111 roveity liny—-and probably ou the Last Cousl generally—and has recorded tlie staggering fact that, viewing the prices obtained under tne hammer, u is impossible to avoid the conclusion tnat thousands—even tens of thousands—of sheep are to-day entirely wuuout value. No nimble, sixpence even would be . bid for them, and, being valueless, who would take them as a gilt.''

The parlous condition ol sheep!arming generally is accentuated here by a

very lengthy spell without rain. Recent weeks have been excessively hoi, with burning winds generally prevailing. Except for some high back-eoun--Iry districts, Poverty Bay is well scorched, and its grass has gom. Weekly sales with an entry ol 25,030 sheep are usually met with in February anti March,, but this season ma;, see the entry doubled, for the usual private sales “in the paddock” have not been made, aptl the export by road to other districts has been on a very small scale. How is this expected large entry to be disposed of?

EWES AT EIGHT BENCE

The first sale of the year, on Janu nrv 9, brought an entry of- only 2650 store sheep, and for poor lines, ordinarily worth at least a few shillings, no bi l could l>e obtained. Prime fat ewes could be bought at 4s, forward ewes, but actually good summer mutton for homo-killing, at 2s (id and 2s 9d while a line of fair conditioned old ewes, the majority of which could be fattened under good grazing conditions, sold at Bd. Ewes at 8d are ~r eticallv without value if a drover las to he employed to take them to tin, sale. Small lots of lambs wore sold jby tlie bunch, a pen of 17 small, but healthy ones making 19s 6d. With those results on a small entry, what is going to happen when thirty or lorty thousand sheep conic into a sale? Farmers, having no grass, cannot buy sheep. Farmers, having no grass, must sell sheep. The position is not improved by the position at the freezing works. Under a new arrangement, all killing toi export is being done at Kaiti works, end 1) board of 05 'butchers is putting through 6.000 sheen a day. Nevertheless, sheep cannot lie taken as fast as they are offering, so that faimeis have some difficulty in securing space.

SHEEP CANNOT BE SOLD

Your correspondent lias discussed tlie position with the sheeptarmei s, and, although there is some reluctance to face the facts, it is perfectly plain that, on to-dav s local values, a large mini her of sheep that must la disposed of are without value, and cannot »e sold. That they will have to be destroyed on the property by the owner seems the only way out, unless export prices improve, and the district receives a good soaking rain, which, however, it seldom does at tins time of the year. Even with bounteous rain, hut no improvement in export prices, it would seem that, with heavy ewes being worth i{d a B>. for export, the sale value of many sheep would he nil.