FLUCTUATIONS IN STOCK VALUES.

Shannon News, 4 November 1921, Page 3

FLUCTUATIONS IN STOCK VALUES.

PRESENT PRICES BELOW PRE-WAR LEVEL.

The low rates ruling for stock at the sales held this week was the subject of remark by a dealer who has been in the stock business for years on this coast. Speaking 10 a News representative he said that this week’s prices were below the pre-war level, and were about on a par with thos? ruling at the end of 1908 and thp fall of 190 Q, a period that was regarded by stockmen as making the lowest prices for the last 15 years at least. As it happened he had records extending ' over a period of years, and reference to these showed that in November, 1908,. fat ewes brought 13s, fat wethers 13s 6d, wether hoggets 11s, ewe hoggets 11s 3d, ewes with lambs 9s ld„ | fat cows £4 :11s to £5 Is, forward cows ;£2 15s to,£3, forward steers £2 5s Cd, f heifers £2 6s, springing heifers £2 8s ■ 6d] to £2 17s 6d, cows with calves £3 !2s 6d. In March ,1909, there was evidently a fall in the market, for, fat ; four and five-year ewes realised 9s 9d, fat wethers 12s and 13s, fa.t and for ward wethers 7s Id, lambs 2s 6d to | 4s 4d, "wearier calves 12s 6d, store cows i £1 and £1 2s 6d, fat cows £3 10s to j £5. These values are« even below those ruling Tuesday. Going back to 1914, there was a much healthier tone about tiie market, and between the months of March and July ,of that year fat 2 and 4-tooth wethers were bringing 19s 3d to Is 3d, fat wethers 18s Id, fat ewes 225, 4 and 5-year ewes 8s Id, hoggets 12s 6d, store lambs 4s 6d, 2-year steers £4 9s, lat cows £6 to £B, and springing heifers £5 2s to £7 15s. The ensuing period of the war had the effect of raising prices from year to year, and the rise continued even after the armistice, and in November, 1920, just twelve months ago, were perhaps at their high-water mark. The records for that month show that fat maiden ewes and wethers were realising 44s sd, prime wethers 46s Bd, hoggets 23s 6d and 24s Bd. Fat cows £lB 2s 6d, £l3 2s 6d and £l3, and lighter £lO and £ll. Fat bullocks ranged from £l6 5s to £lB 10s and £2O, forward bullocks £lO and upwards, store cows £6 to £8 2s 6d, steers £6 to £8 15s, and yearling and two-year heifers £6 to £8 15s. Heifers of the Jersey type frequently reached the £2O mark. Early in December the market commenced to weaken, and from that on it might he said to have steadily declined up to the present time. Such a change in the short space of twelve months, 1 our informant stated, has never been | recorded in the history of the stock j market in this country, but seeing the j condition of the world markets, it is j not to be wondered at altogether. I Both sheep and cattle breeders, and ) particularly the former, have been j having a bad time, but it was only j a case of hanging on and hoping for I better times.