STOCK MARKET REVIEW

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 428, 9 August 1928, Page 12

STOCK MARKET REVIEW

SHARP RISE IN BEEF HIGHEST LEVEL FOR YEARS I ~~~~~ l Beef took a sudden jump at New Zealand’s chief markets yesterday, reaching the highest level recorded for a number of years. The feature about the market is the sudden ascendency of heifer beef, choice young heifers commanding a poundage rate well ahead of that of choice ox. At Addington yesterday, with the double market prior to Grand National week, prices soared to figures which were certainly well above the export parity, and, in many cases, would leave nothing in the deal for the local butcher. Heifer beef during the rising market has suddenly come to the fore, and light-weight well finished lines meet with keen competition at prices above the choice ox parity. Best heifer beef at Addington yesterday made up to 575, while handy ox made at 545. Eig Prices at Westfield Beef, especially well finished lighter weight grades, met with very brisk competition at Westfield yesterday and values were decidedly firmer. The market was slightly erratic, but 40s was exceeded for several pens of the lighter sorts, both of heifers and young ox. The offering was drawn from most parts of the province and was only of average quality, no line of specially noteworthy finish coming forward. Some of the principal quotable lines included: Extra heavy prime steers on account J. R. Self, Papatoetoe, £l6 15s to £l7 15s. The line, one of the best of the day, went to R. E. Scott, Birkenhead. Big-framed well finished steer, on account R. Madill, Hamilton, £l9 17s 6d, bought by Arthur Naylor, New Lynn. Twenty-five steers from W. Vosper, Cambridge, averaged £l6 3s lOd. Eight from John Hoey, Kamo, averaged £ls 2s 6d. Twenty-seven from ll# A. R.obertson, Mangere, averaged £l4 2s. Sixteen from Naylor Bros., Taupiri, averaged £ls 15s 9d. Tjri from R. Bregman, Waiuku, averaged £l3 15s. Light-weight steers on account Geo. Winstone, Mount Albert, went to £ls 2s 6d. Similar steers on account Morris Harding went to £ls 7s 6d. Dear Beef at Addington The Addington market yesterday was a "double sale,” on account of the holiday next week. There was a good display of high-class beef and mutton from various parts of the southern half of the North Island and all parts of the South Island. There was a good beef sale and mutton practically held l?st week’s rates, notwithstanding an exceptionally heavy entry. A few milk lambs were forward, the best selling at 2s a lb. and others at Is 6d a lb. An entry of 605 fat cattle came forward 4 including lines from the North Island, Southland and West Coast. The entry was of high quality, and there was a sharp rise in prices. The best prices were: £4O for a local bullock, £26 17s 6d for a heifer and £25 10s for a cow. A line of 17 from Manawatu averaged £27 Bs. Best heifer beef made 52s to 57s per 1001 b.; best handy weight ox, 50s to 545; best cow, 49s to 525; good prime steers, 45s to 495; heavy, 45s to 50s; ordinary, 40s to 445. Show bullocks made £3O to £4O; choice prime bullocks, £24 to £27; good class steers, £l9 to £22; ordinary steers, £ls to £18; light steers, £ll to £l4; show heifers, £2O to £26 17s 6d; extra prime heifers, £ls to £18; prime heifers, £l2 10s to £l4 10s; light heifers, £8 to £l2; show cows, £2O to £25 10s; extra prime cows, £l4 to £l7; prime cows, £ll 10s to £l3 15s; medium cows, £9 to £ll. High Prices for Fat Sheep A fat sheep entry at Addington of 50 per cent. \ more than normal met with good sale throughout, with little change on an average from last week. Half a dozen of the best exhibition pens sold well, making up to £7 2s 6d for a pen of three local wethers, other prices being £4 15s and £4 4s for two Southland pens, and £4 Is for another Canterbury pen. A line of 70 Hawke’s Bay wethers sold at from 52s 7d to 60s 6d. Values were: Exhibition wethers, £4 to £7 2s 6d; extra heavy prime wethers, 50s to 655; prime heavy, 44s to 47s 6d; prime mediumweight, 40s to 43s 6d; medium, 35s to 335; light, 32s to 34s 6d; exhibition ewes, 54s to 595; extra prime heavy, 44s to 455; prime ewes, 36s to 40s; medium,. 31s to 355; light, 26s to 30s; old ewes, 23s 6d to 25s 6d; extra good hoggets, 42s 6d to 50s; medium, 34s to 38s; light. 80s to 335. Stortford Lodge Market At the weekly stock sale at the Stortford Lodge Yards yesterday there was a good yarding of fat cattle and sheep, but only a small entry of store sheep. Prices for all classes of stock were on .a par with last week’s rates. Heavy prime bullocks made to £ls 10s; very heavy prime cows, to £ll 15s; fat wethers, to 425; fat ewes, to 325; fat hoggets, to 30s; ewes in lamb, to 34s 6d; other store sheep yarded were only of very poor quality. Prices at Westfield Prices at Westfield yesterday ranged as follow: Cattle: Extra heavy prime, big framed steers made to £l9 17s Gd; heavy prime steers made £ls 10s to £l6 12s 6d; lighter prime, £l4 to £ls 7s 6d; light prime, £l2 to £l3 17s 6d; small and unfinished, £9 10s to £ll 17s Gd. Extra heavy prime young cows and heifers made £l2 to £ls 7s Gd; heavy prime cows and heifers, £lO to £ll 17s Gd; lighter prime, £8 to £9 17s Gd; other killable cows, £5 5s to £7 17s 6d. Sheep.—Extra heavy prime wethers made £2 5s Gd to £2 Ss; heavy prime, £2 2s to £2 5s 3d; medium to heavy prime, £1 19s to £2 Is 9d; light to medium prime, £1 17s Cd to £1 18s 9d; unfinished, £1 13s to £1 15s 9d; extra heavy prime young ewes £1 15s Gd to £1 ISs; heavy prime ewes, £1 13s to £1 15s 3d; lighter prime ewes, £1 10s to £1 12s 9d; other killable ewes, £1 5s to £1 9s 6d. Lambs.—Extra heavy prime lambs made £1 12s to £1 13s 3d; heavy prime, £1 10s to £1 11s 9d; lighter prime, £1 7s to £1 9s; light prime, £1 5s to £1 6s 9d; small and plain, 19s to £1 4s. Calves.—There was a heavy yarding, mostly of small calves. which sold at late quotations. Heavy vealers improved in values. Runners made £5 to £7 2s; heavy vealers, £4 6s to £5; medium, £3 14s to £4 4s; light, £3 5s to £3 12s; small, £2 10s to £3 3s; small and fresh dropped, 12s to £2 8s; rough calves, £1 5s to £2 ss. Pigs.—Values for porkers improved. Baconers sold at late quotations. Choppers sold at £2 10s to £4 ss; heavy and medium baconers, £3 16s to £4 ss; light baconers and heavy porkers, £3 10s to £3 14s; medium porkers and light porkers, £2 18s to £3 Ss; small and unfinished porkers, £2 Ss to £2 13s. Values for stores were easier. Large stores made 30s to 365; slips, 20s to 255; weaners, 7s to 19s. Irregular Sheep Market A heavy yarding of sheep at Westfield included a big percentage of wellfinished wethers. The market had a decidedly easier tone and at times prices were very erratic. Generally, heavy prime wethers were Is to 2s down on last week’s market, but there was little quotable decline in the market for lighter-weight lines. At times prices for all grades were fully up to late rates. Strength was added to the market for light to medium-weight wethers by the operations of export buyers, who checked any tendency to drop much

below late levels, operating on a basis around 6d a lb. Good ewes were hard to locate. A heavy yarding of mostly small and fresh-dropped calves suitable for the bobby veal trade, met with keen competition at late rates.