A Central Market

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 946, 12 April 1930, Page 29

A Central Market

Value to 4 the Farmer The value ot: Hie "Westfield i'at stock market to the farmers of the Auckland Province lias been strikingly demonstrated during the past few weekk With prices for export on the down grade, the AN estficld market, supported by* Auckland butchers, has held well above Ihe overseas parity and, to a large extent, made if possible'for Auckland farmers to get practically the same prices as their Canterbury fellows, in spite ot a market predilection in favour of tbe South.

At the moment exporters are prepared to give the equivalent of little Jnore than 31s a hundred on the hooks at Auckland works for prime ox beef, vet up to 37s is being given at the Westfield saleyards, and unless there j 3 a ' particularly big increase in offerings over the next few weeks there does 1 not appear much likelihood of i the local market meeting the export.! parity in the near future. The posi- j tion at the moment is that the loopl buyer for Auckland retail shops can afford to give a little more than the exporter for his requirements as he ran generally size up his ratio of profit immediately he buys a beast, whereas the exporter may have to wait at least two months before he can realise on purchases. In the sheep and lamb sections the position is much the same; Westfield prices for choice quality stock can generally be regarded as being slightly above those ruling in the paddocks under exporters' assessments. There' is one way alone in which the Westfield fat stock market renders a most, valuable service to the farmer. The trouble with the Auckland fat stock market in the past from the exporters’ point of view has been the large number of small drafts of stock offering. Whereas iu Hawke's Bay and Poverty Bay, for instance, drafts of fat stock of from 500 to 1,000 are common, farmers in the Auckland Province mostly sell in lines of under 100 head, making col- j lection costly and adding to costs at |

the works through the need for additional sorting and bookkeeping. It is a well-known fact that a straight-out line of over 1,000 fat sheep or lambs or more, even though the delivery i might be spread over different dates, ! can generally be looked to to bring a : shade higher per head return, when j compared with a number of small ! lines handled on account of different ; owners. 111 other words, what the exporter saves in handling charges he can afford to put on to the price to the producer. At Westfield fat sale the farmer gets the top price for his stock for, not only are the yards handy to the works, but the buyer is able to buy up a number of lines which, boxed together, make up, generally, a sizeable draft and the handling cost per head is reduced. From the producer’s point of view also, more than one exporter, apart from buyers for butchers, bid on a line, widening competition and ensuring for the seller the fullest market price. The day is still a long way ahead when the principal stock-raising districts of the Dominion vyi 11 be able to do away with central markets, whatever temporary trends may indicate. In many ways they are essential if the farmer is to secure an equitable price for his stock. Experience at Westfield in recent weeks has shown this clearly, for whatever prices may be offered in the paddock or at other ! provincial saleyards. they must be | based largely on the Westfield or overI seas parity.