LAMB VALUES.

Shannon News, 2 August 1927, Page 1

LAMB VALUES.

disparity in prices SOUTH ISLAND REPLIES. (Wanganui Chronicle.) It is a recognised fact that the finest lambs for the freezing trade are grown in the Wellington province, and the Wanganui district in particular, and with this fact in mind farmers.on this coast have asked the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board to enquire into the reasons for the disparity of -id a lb. between the scheduled prices of the local and the Canterbury article. The Christchurch Press has replied to the question: — “Speaking of the claim that the north produces the better quality, it says: ‘Boiled down,’ the claim that the North Island has an equivalent class of lamb, if not a superior, to Canterbury, is true —for a few weeks at the beginning of the season when the early Southdown milk-fattened cross lambs appear. For quite three-fourths of the season after that its Romney cross over-sized, lightly finished, grass-fat-tened lamb does not excel, or equal, the rape-fattened lamb of Canterbury. In effect, one swallow does not make a summer. Another thing is that the North Island has not an Addington market, where every element, for export as well as for local consumption, is competing at the limit of values. This applies not only to lambs, but to every department of fat stock. Pence we see every year North Island fat cattle or fat sheep bearing the cost of transport to Addington and being sold at a profit. Addington market sets the standard of values for outside the bounds of its home province.” THE LOCAL VIEWPOINT.

In a recent interview with an English journal, Mr R. S. Forsyth, Loudon manager for the Meat Board, stated that the best Southdown cross lambs were grown in the Wellington province, and at a recent meeting of farmers at Waverlcy, Mr T. Duncan (a member of the Meat Board) said he had never seen finer lambs than those lie had noticed that day between Wanganui and Waverley. Mr W. G. Belton referred to the disparity between the Canterbury and Wellington prices, at a meeting of the Wanganui Provincial Executive of-the Farmer's ’ Union. He said, that Mr Forsyth had admitted that this district had beaten Canterbury and yet the freezing companies operating in the Southern province bought stock in the paddock or in the Addington yards at -]-d a lb. more than in the Wanganui district. It looked to him as though the companies had got their heads together and were averaging the prices up. THE ROMNEY EWE.

Discussing the matter with a “Chronicle” man, a local breeder said that the general use of the Romney ewe was chiefly responsible for the flue lambs grown in this district. There was no lamb that matured quicker thanthe Southdown-Romney . cross. South Island breeders were beginning to realise this, and last year over 10,000 Romney ewes were bought in this district by Southern buyers.