COMMERCIAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4473, 29 September 1922, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

?• WAIKATO MARKET REPORT. The Farmers’ Auctioneering Company reports as follows: Beef.—The market for beef continues good, and values are advancing. The outlook can be viewed with confidence fpr a month or two ahead, at any rate, Mutton. —Better yardings have been observed lately, but nptwithstanding this, values have maintained their position. Store Cattle.—The demand for steers is continuously improving and considerable pptimish exists regarding the future. Forward, steers are somewhat short of requirements, while yearlings (in this district,, at any rate) ar® almost unprocurable. Empty heifers still continue to decline, although a few good sales of well-bred Jerseys have been recorded. It is certain that this class duripg the past year, or two has, been overproduced, and it should be in the interests of breeders to give more attention to the rearing of steers. Store Sheep.—The markets are still harp ofstore sheep, although considerable inquiry .exists. Records of forward sales from outside centres in- , dicate a very generous attitude on j the part of buyers towards sheep off shears, values being higher than for a number of years. , Dairy Cattle.—The market generally is weak. A spasmodic outburst is witnessed now and again, but ip the main dairy cattle are at a low ebb. No doubt with better spring weather the demand will improve; meantime it is possible to put a heiyi together very cheaply. ) Pigs.—There has been a falling off , in supply with corresponding im-: provemept in values. For the time of | the year prices are extremely tow,, weight sheets indicating an overall j value of about per lb. j Horses. —The demand is not strong, | although really good animals still | seem to attract purchasers. We quote as follows: Bullocks, heavy, prime, £8 5s to £9 10s, medium £7 to £B, light £6 5s to £6 15s ; cows, heavy, £6 to £B, medium £4 to £5 ss, forward £2 7s 6d to £3 ss; steers, 4year, £4‘ 5s to £5 ss, 3-year £3 5s to £4i; cows, stores, £1 2s 6d to £2 : steers, 2-year, best, £2 15s to £3 17s 6d, medium £2 tp £2 10s; heifers, empty 2-year Shorthorn, £3 10s to £4 10s, Holstein £4 10s to £5 10's, J’erseycross £4 10s to £5 15s • dairy heifers,

best Shorthorn, £7 to £9 10s, Jersey £9 to £l3 10s ; yearling heifers, Jersey, £4 15s to £6, best Shorthorn £2 to £2 15s ; yearling Shorthorn steers £1 15s to £2 10s. Wethers, prime, heavy, 31s 6d to 33s 6d, medium 29s to 31s, light 25s 6d to 28s 6d; ewes, prime, heavy... 24s to 295, medium 21s to 23s ; store hoggets, best, 17s to 19s, medium 15s to 16s 6d. Pigs: Bacpners, heavy. £2 10s to £2 15s, light £2 2s 6d to £2 7s 6d ; porkers, heavy, 35s to £2 2s 6d, light 30s to 32s 6d ; good slips £1 to £1 10S, small 17s 6d to £1 Is ; weaners 12s 6d to 16s 6d. Horses . Heavy draughts £35 to £5O, medium £3O to £37 10’s, light £2O tp £2B, harness horses £lO tp £l7, hacks £6 to £lO, HAMILTON STOCK SALE. At Hamiltion on Tuesday, September 26, we had a very heavy yarding of fat cattle, but pther classes were only in moderate supply. The same applies to the yarding of sheep and pigs. Bidding for fat’cattle did not reach as high a level as at some recent sales, but the standard was well maintained to the conclusion of the sale. Best bullocks made from £7 16s to £9 2s 6d, lighter and unfinished £6 10s to £6 15s. The advertised line of Hereford cows from the East Coast ’were well competed for, although a 1 portion of the draft, was passed in. The 68 head sold made from £5 7s 6d to £62s, averaging for the lot £5 13s. j Fat cows on account of Waikato I clients realised from £4 16s to £6. Store cows sold at recent rates, making from 27s 6d to 37s 6d. The yarding of young cattle consisted mostly of small lots, which sold at ruling rates. Bidding for sheep was somet what easier under the hammer, many lots being passed in, but all were ! cleared at owners’ reserves afterj wards. Good shorn wethers made 275, ! lighter 265; fat hoggets., medium, 24s L6d • store wethers 225. Best quality Jersey-cross heifers, well forward, so’d UP to £lO 10s, Shorthorn £7 10; backward and poor £3 to £4 s, medium .dairy cows £5 to £6, culls £2 to £3 10s. A good number of pigs ! (fat and store.) were penned, and the ’ prices of the fats were qn a par with those reported last week. Stores showed a further improvement. Heavy baconers made from £2 10s to £2 120 extra good potker P s to medium bac,oners £2 ssto £2 8s; small, weW-finish-ed porkers 38s to £2 2s, unfinished 28s to 325; slips 18s poor 12s to 15s ; good weaners 14s to 16s, otheis 10s to 12s ; sows in pig 36s to £3.