STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2811, 29 January 1908, Page 7

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

By Dbotxx.

Weekly Stock Skies : Fertnfghtly : Bumsite. Wednesdays I >verc»rßiH, Taesday* Askl.art«a,Tuesdays Mtniklu: A**i*eU»,We4ne«tey«r cq^^ PaimerrtoiL. FtHnisMa: Wmton,, and? W«fOamaru, Tuesdays fferf ot, Kelso *nd= Kyehmr*. Thr stock markets- a.t Addangson> an& Burnside for- mutton, have- been. dulU, prieeabeing* better- at Buraside. titan- at! Addingr ton. There is- a good' demand* for fat lambs at Addingtoir, the quantity- coming forward being- small' 1 at present. At Burnside as yet there is no export buying of 1 lamb. The- market' in London, for- frozen- ', meat generally is dull and* depressedj and? there ie a lack of the- usual brisk' forward Ibuying. In Otago and Southland 1 ' farmers don't seem inclined' to- accept., the offers made for lambs- for' forward" delivery 1 , and probably as very large number will be- he&l over for safe as tegs' cor hoggets' later om , ! Where ; feedi is. abundant and" weaffier gooxi; it costs little- fo Bold these- over tilF they, sure heavier; and as-bnyro^-r costume^' to lies mainly* oi» a weight Business' tfiere iar.morw money to t&o- farmer in? tegs or - hoggets' thsat mr- latrnfe^ properly; sa- eaffeoV anoF Tt fchcrefbra ttrinfc that 1 the- shipments? ofpxime- (' New* Zealand lambi of >' mod*rai® weigh* w*m? X be. less:- ibis; season than before. '

Last week 1 pointed out that the growen* had in the past the best of the bargain, and got full' and" eveik over-value for then* ,-muttoirj and" the following, from, the Auetra-. " Hail Meat Journal, confirms ,my opinion : -* THE'PROZKN MEAT'O?RA..nE.<OF"M(yr. . The y«ar just 1 finished has been highly 1 satisfactory to thai 'growers ' of beef, and mutttjn, but far/frbinr satisfactory to tb« exporters. ThVprice- has 1 - been very high- nw - Australia? and' New.-" Zealand, and only moderate in London.- The.% African, market has i alien away- a good 'deal, caused. By, that: conntrjp again becoming self-supporting:; .the sliginj preferential tariff- given, -to Australia- agaiosf Argentina has given; .this ■ country what small mutton, or lamb orcfers* have been, going, foul sis months- go- by tßißi trade gets smaller aaxt smaller. Neir Zealanff. has- no scope there fot her meat — the quality 'for' one thing is tot' high, amdi for another- thing they can. d* better with their- meat;- in England. Othex outside markets show., little- or no expansion the only promising one- at the present being the North Americani Both Canada and tha United States will!" probably become' big eas- ' tomers. for mutton: and; lamb in; the course of the. nest few year's. Their population rapidly r increases, and their flocks show no expansion. It has been, a strange anomaly for the, past 'twelve, months. Australian meatf has been, selling wholesale in Australia aft practically the. same prices it fetches mc Smithfield. Australian and New Zealand} shipments show- a. good increase all- roundt Argentine Meat Works were supposed' t« largely curtail (by arrangement) their shipments, but as the year' progressed theft gradually and: gradually increased, until «tt the endi of last ' month they overtook iancl increased: their export- figures over the prelvious year's. The totals for tho differerft , countries are. as follows:, —

In New Zealand meat has; also been maintained at prices "fully, equal to< Smith.- ■ field rates, and this after all the freezing; and shipping chargea l paid oil the' exported? • meat.- The present dulness in, the London *meat trade is largely due t» the abova facts, and owing; to the- tightness, of tha • i money market, speculators have to be care- , fuh It is true' that the "money market: 1 is easier, but the losses to exporters and importers in. the past will" probably continue to make them cautious in the future-- 5 Whilst it is' true that importers have dbnet badly and had at any time but a small margin of profit I' am always of opinion' that retailers have' .had. more than, a fate margin, of. profit, and- that if eainbination ! or co-operation, among our freezing com*

paniee is brought about, one of the first things to be done is to improve the distribution and try to push the trade by givingthe consumer the benefit of some of the retailer's too large profit. Some of this ■will, under a good scheme, come to th© producer or grower in th© future, and on the whole be better for the producer ana the consumer, ■■ whilst at the same time giving the retailer and the much-abused »ut always useful middleman a fair profit. A. fair deal all round in fact, _ and something- like steady markets established as far as is possible. There are many other matters that might be dealt with, Among them that of improving the landing conditions in London, which, according to a paragraph in Lloyd's Shipping Uazette, are not satisfactory, although of late little oomplaini; on this score has been heard jin New Zealand. Lloyd's Gazette says : —

Shipowners and storeowners are indignant tft the mere" suggestion of a reflection on their refrigerating engines, and they produce their temperature logs in proof of their denials. ' As to where or how -the prejudice arose the ! Owners of stores are utterly at a loss for an Explanation if the fault be not with the ship. The "shipowners know nothing at all about it; Slaving put the meat overside hard frozen; <>r so they affirm with every appearance of conviction. The meat was, perhaps, ,a couple ■ jf months on the voyage and several weeJc& an- store at destination, and comparatively | hut a* few hours in passing from 1 ship to store, j Ana yet there- can- be "..little 'doubt that in instances not a few it ia.just 'these few hours" — these,- few hours, more or less 1 — which are' lesponsible for the damage. The meat arrives under all sorts' of marks, more or less- mixed (together. .The colonial shipper loves a variety "of- marks. A barge is sent down to the_ justarrivea steamer for carcases of "a particularazutrk, and as tb& barge's carcases are found ■they are lowered into her. ' There they lie, in a roomy hold, perhaps in hot or muggy .weather, waiting till the rest can be found. this may not be for some time; ithe shipment may be scattered about the steamer^ hold; and the barge has to leave eventually with her hold half full of meat and ba.lf full air. Next-.d&y she comes back, "hanging -about, probably with her-v Siatcnes off, -ndr waitß for the rest, of her 3oad. : All the^me any meat- -taken into the ibarge's hold is getting soft.- and perhaps at ithe end of its journey the "carcases* have, fur(ther to be -carted through, the:, streets^ to a frozen store. All this may be inevitable;" but it requires no meat -expert to arrive at the 'conclusion that much of* the. damage which [colonial meat is made .to suffer is damage ■which. = occurred neither previous to shipment nor during the ocean voyage. -The history 1 of it may be difficult or impossible in. a particular case to prove, but that,-more especially j in hot weather,, it occurred bjetweeri snip and Store is in many casesvtoterably certain. .'

f" T hive beiore n«> tot-di~l reports under Bate London,. December 13, and select that of tbjp Colonial Consignment and, Distribution. Company as giving a very full statement of the position at that .time",.- all the other reports agreeing-witk- At. AThi6 report indicates ,tEer. want of- combination > among_ importers or thoee who' control the. ' meat' in. London acts^ detrimentally, against the , prices, but in all ''eases I venture to Bay the .retailer comes oui on top, and (has his full .share of profit, arid over it, and is, I believe," very much the "boss !Df the trade." Says the authority: — New Zealand Mutton. — The arrivals during %he last four weeks -amount to 110.129 carcases,"- and bring the year's importations up ito 1,964,527 carcases. These figures show the large" increase of 240,024 carcases on last year's totals at the game date. The stocks in store fere in quite manageable-compass,* and 'sales *re not being pushed. The demand, however, has been so • restricted' that efforts have (been directed rather towards maintaining .values., than to increasing the output. Canfterbury sheep are in comparatively short Supply^ and' are quoted at a. fair premium. (Light carcases are making up to 4Jd per lb. fbvtt heavy sheep are selling down to 3Jd jper lb., Southland sheep are in evidence, but lonly command a very small fraction more than SSorth Island brands. The trade in North (Islands has been restricted by the margin existing between these and South American quotations, but holders have not given way. (Light 'sheep are selling ,up to^ 3gd per lb, and meavies down to 3id' per-'lb, 'with a firm overage of Sgd per lb. Ewes are not quite jBo. T>«ntiful, and: are fairly steady at 3d fcer lb.w South American Mutton.— The arrivalsidurjng the month have converted th© decrease last reported into' an increase of ~60,181 carcases, the total importation , now reaching 1,719,754 carcases. The weakness in this section of the market 'is to be attributed as puch to the competition between importers as jo the dulness of the demand, and there has .been no attempt to support the efforts of tlie '.New Zealand importers to improve prices. Values on the London market have fluctuated jbetweert- 2|d and 3Jd per lb, ana are pTacitically on- "-the same level in the -provinces, iwher© the same sluggish demand is being exrjpenenced.. - * \

Australian- Mutton.— Fair quantities are Arriving by. each vessel, aggregating- 54.636 carcases during the month. " Some stocks which had been field in the hope of an improved market are noW^coming' out of store, *nd are tending to lower' t>rices:. ■ The quotation is atill nominally 2ld to Si per Ib, but **l«s «re being made under these figures. . New Zealand 'Lamb. — Arrivals amounting to 19,579 carcases practically complete the imjporta for ihe year, which amount to the record total of 2.824,177 carcases. This heavy *quan«ty _ has, all gon« into consumption, and New Zealand lambs have almost disappeared from wlo mwket for th© present. They are the «ftsily spared, as the better class AusflMUlfcSß are preferred to stale New Zealands, «f quotations are atill at & high level, n*giag /rom Sd io si<3 per lb. ,* Awfcalian; liambs.— rThe heavy shipments are fcTjrftting the market?. • The "month's " i£ea»jW« IVOtAmi to 170.659 carcases, of which * J*3JEL F £«*-«- lion are of inferior quality _*9 -to move. Really -prime lambs *t* MfepUt.tt 5d to 51d-per lb, but not many *r«oa» j *un3n«id these figures. The value of •r«m» c«»ue<i is about 44d to 43d' per lb, . jrA itjf&n %haat id Tier lb, but soino very ol&m mVftr carcases have been difficult to BitpMH ii »i ad per-lbl -Solders generally Ji r * jß&tPovzteg io push sales in view of ii 4*4 * ?*3Lr sar ? fikipinents made last month, ♦J.Hfa -fm u?Iv« during the period' when the Si3*nA ** nautXif dullest. .

. Vkam lv» been fc, great deal of silljr j*ui Ifl 2&\TBpa,pers nortK andi soutEJately JP*£2i!* reT y hi S fa Prices for. butter in *a» sotar«, because just at present' owln#~ to £ -Iftssening: of the- usual supply, from 1 'Australia prices for tK» time in London >r« high. Lei •us wai€ till" March or April before we telk. We must remember In New Zealand that we are but in- a >raall way. It is quife often DelioT*3 that the New Zealand output of cheese and butter influences the market, also that Canada and Denmark supply the bulk of the sßritish consum.sv's dairy produce, and' that the dear old Mother Country quita ta>e» ift back scat in these reepecte.

I give here a statement made in Canada by our late dairy ""commissioner, Mr J. A. Euddick, now chief of the. Canadian department, Lest we forget, lest we forget,' How very small we are as yet. Mr Ruddick cays that "the .present talk of Butler boing as high as 40 or 50 cents a "pound is all nonsense, *- Many people in Canada imagine that Great Britain is absolutely dependent on its imports for dairy produce, manufacturing littl<£"or none of ite owrti The fact is that in Great Britain this year tbe manufacture of cheese will total- 150,Q00 tons, while in Ireland there, are 800 creameries which will produce .butter this year to the value of £7,500,000, two-thirds of which is creamery. The total production of butter and cheese in the -British Isles is twice -as much as in Canada.^ Of course, it can all be used right at home, but the dealers there are like all_ other dealers — if they can get a higher price in Canada they will export to us ac quickly as they will import from us for profit. The same is true with Australia and New Zealand; butter from these countries can be laid down in Canada, for not more 'than they are paying the factoriee here."--

On Friday, the 30th inst., at 8 p.m., the National Dairy Association hold their usual .conference at JEnvercargill in the Southland Club Hotel. 5Mr Singleton, Acting "'Dairy Commissioner, will be present, and have something to say._ All Southland and Otago dairymen will be glad to see him, as this, is his first appearance among them since his return from his visit to the Old World. Mr , Singleton is deservedly a favourite with dairymen who have long recognised his earnestness and ability, set out as this ie by his modesty and unassuming manner. I think that some of the Stock Department representatives will be present, and that the best thing this conference can do ie to apply itself to /the practical improvement of the milk supply- and the , proper, feeding of cattle so as to ensure themakinig of good dairy produce. ' , Some should certainly be made to" get a substitute for turnips, as feed for dairy cows. -Evidence is not wanting- that in the future this must.be done, and I am convinced that 6ome substitute can and muet be found for 'the turnips so beloved by Southland .farmers that in the past at anyrate nothing has been ■able to move them' to even try to find a substitute. Evidence will,' I believe, be" given' that in c their beet interests a substitute must ,be found. -

On - Saturday morning all proceed to Bluff to 6e'e the grading of cheese by the graders for Kaikoura and Thorpe Grange.

I The shipments from Bluff by the steamers Tpngariro,- Athenic, and Fifeshire have totalled some 4200 crates of cheese- each ['fortnight, and 'about 1500 to each steamer j^from Dunedin. This'- supply will probably "decrease a little, but I trust not much. About the same quantity is booked for next fortnight's shipments from Bluff and Dunedin.

Kheew. Lambs. - BeeT. New Zealand 1906 ] 4 779j898r2,4£L,559 137,6 i« „ - 1907- 1,887,822 2,74&,751- 189,51 C TL, Australia 1906, 1,151,525 11,887,083 "226,718 I . ,", 1907 1,383,953,1,439,098, 276,406 s Argentina* 1906 2,799,170 120,106, 1,769;316 I „ ' 1907^2.904,217 *108;632 *lJBlrl J Blr7 J 962 I* ■ . L