HALF-CROWN STEERS

Opotiki News, Volume II, Issue 182, 15 May 1939, Page 4

HALF-CROWN STEERS

* FAIR AT MATAWHERO 4' - ' 3079 WEANEKS OFFBREI) POOREST sale; for years The selling of wearier steers down to the low price of 2s 6d ancl wearier heifers down, to 3s made the sale of vveaner cattle at the Matawhero fair cm Tuesday one of the poorest, oif’record, states the P.. 8. Herald; The quality of the entry \vhsAio|Yas good as that established at' previous fairs in seasons of favourable growing conditions. Nevertheless, the yarding was highly creditable to the district. Prices; were very iow, and it was generally considered that this was in part due to lack of cattle feerj. A good number of pens was passed, in, particularly in the earlier part of the jjale, and several pens , failed to bring a bid. •&

Steers made up to £1 10s in two instances, and the fluctuating nature of tlie sale is shown by the fact that several good pens sold round about -£ i. ' The sale weakened towards the end, the demand appearing-to lie satisfied, and one non of well-bred' good conditioned! Hereford steers, rather on the small side, evidently, being late calves, changed owners at 3s, while, a .pen, of

light •conditioned Polled Angus steers, also small, made 2s Gd. Prices from 5s to 10s werei made by several l'airl'y good pens. The average price per pen over the whole sale for weancr steers was 19s 7d. Heifers in one instance', Mr. W. ‘Turnbull’s entry, made £1 3s, while the entry of Air. O. G. Atkins reached 19s Gd. and 16s to 17s were obtained for other pens, hut these values were well above the average. Many good pens of heifers brought an opening hid' of os, and a few failed to get am- further. One pen, good hilt small, sold at 3s. The average price per pen over the whole sale for wanner heifers was 10s 6d. __ ’ 'The entry: was 1198 heifers and 2081 fsteers, totalling 3279.