STOCK VALUES

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 42, 12 May 1927, Page 2

STOCK VALUES

PRICES AT WESTFIELD CATTLE EASIER An exceptionally large yarding of beef at Westfield caused the sale to continue almost till dark. There was the usual butchers’ demand, but the average quality of the stock was not up to the standard of last week’s offering. CATTLE The approach of winter and subsequent shortening of pastures is causing many graziers to send the cattle on to the market in larger quotas. Choice extra prime heavy beasts were in the minority, many‘lines being small and just up to butchers’ standard. Several lines of choice P.A. steers were penned, selling from £lO 10s to £ll 2s 6d. Bidding slackened toward the end of the sale and prices averaged a drop of about 10s a head on last • week. Several lines were passed in. Prices ranged as follow:—Extra heavy prime steers made up to £ll 17s 6d; prime steers, £9 15s to £lO 10s; light prime, £S 15s to £9 12s 6d: small and unfinished, £ 5 5s 6d to £7

7s 6d; extra heavy young cows and heifers made £7 to £3 10s; prime cows and heifers. £5 15s to £§ 17s; lighter sorts, £4 10s to £5 12s 6d; other killable cows and small heifers, £3 to £4 7s 6d. A heavy yarding of calves found a ready market for good quality vealers, but inferior sorts were in poor demand. Runners made £2 ISs to £4 17s; heavy vealers, £2 9s to £3 9s; medium. £1 16s to £2 8s; light. £1 10s to £1 15s; rough and plain, 8s to £1; small and fresh dropped 3s to 7s. SHEEP The yarding of sheep registered an increase of about 400 on last week. Some very poorly-finished wethers came forward and the yarding generally was below the standard of the last two or three weeks. The usual demand was maintained throughout, though several lines were passed in under the hammer and values were irregular. Despite the irregularity, however, prices averaged at least a drop of 6d on last week. An exceptionally fine pen of two-tooth wethers, one of the best offered for several weeks, made £ 1 7s 6d. Top price was £1 7s 9d. Heavy prime wethers made £1 5s 6d to £1 6s 9d; medium butchers’ lines, £1 3s 9d to £1 5s 3d: light and unfinished wethers, which sold at comparatively higher values than the prime pens, £1 0s 6d to £1 2s 6d; heavy prime young ewes, 19s 6d to 21s; prime ewes, 17s 6d to 19s 3d: seconds, 16s to 17s 3d; just killable, 14s to 15s 9d. An average yarding of lambs comprising only a small percentage of extra prime lots met a ready sale at late values. Extra heavy prime lambs made £1 4s 6d to £1 6s; heavy prime, £1 2s 6d to £1 4s 3d: lighter prime. £1 Is to £1 2s 3d; light prime, 17s 6d to £1 0s 9d; small and plain, 14s to 17s. „ PIGS Pigs were penned in large numbers and sold readily at late quotations. Choppers sold at £3 10s to £5 13s; heavy and medium baconers, £3 8s to £3 i.2s; light baconers and heavy porkers, £ 3 to £3 6s; medium porkers and light porkers, £2 10s to £2 18s; small and unfinished, £2 2s to £2 Bs. Large stores made £1 12s to £2 2s: slips, £1 5s to £1 10s; weaners, 12s to £1 2s. COUNTRY SALES The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company report holding sales during the past week at Westfield, Clevedon, and Pukekohe, with good yardings and values for all classes of cattle firm at late quotations. A large yarding of sheep and lambs at Clevedon also sold at most satisfactory prices. The firm quotes: Best daii’y cows and heifers, £lO 10s to £l2 10; other ditto, £6 to £9 15s; aged cows and inferior heifers, £2 10s to £5 10s; bulls, £2 to £B, according to weight; empty cows, £1 10s to £2 15s; wcaner calves, 15s to £1 15s; yearling to 18 months heifers, £2 to £3 10s; yearling to 18 months steers, £2 10s to £3 7s 6d; 2 to 2i year steers, £3 10s to £4 12s 6d; 3 to 3 \ year steers, £4 15s to £5 7s 6d; 4 to 41 year steers, £5 10s to £6 7s 6d; grown steers in forward condition, £6 10s to £7 10s; store wethers. 18s to £1 3s: store lambs, 8s to 12s; fat forward lambs, 14s to £1 0s 6d.

Late commercial reports from other exchanges will be found on page 13.