The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1915 LOCAL STOCK PROSPECTS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 290, 1 September 1915, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1915 LOCAL STOCK PROSPECTS.

(With which is incorporated The Taihape Post laa "Wa.imari.no Newi.)

As the hundreds of square miles of I country which forms the hinterland of ! Taihape on all sides are destined to re- I main a paradise for the pastoralist for as long as w e can see into the future with, any clearness of vision, we are forced to realise that meat and •wool will remain two of the chief products for which this territory will be particularly noted. Although much of th e land is what may be termed hilly there is not a square inch of it, speaking generally, that does not or will not carry a good sole of grass, and in proof of this we may say that, hills or valleys, ther e is no owner that will sell at less than £2O an acre. Then, it is not to be wondered at that Taihape, Whether we are working fcr it or not, I is fast becoming a noted stock centre. Our settlers, by crfreful selection, have built up flocks of a finer clsss of welldoing animals than can be found in most other parts of New Zealand. They manag e to get highest, prices for their wool and for their meat; and it is only necessary to mention that when country like that in Hawke's Bay. during last year's drought,' would not support an animal to ten acres, fat sheep and lamb s were going f/rom Taihape in prime condition in thousands. It is a compliment to our settlers that farmers come to Taihape saleyards from a radius of well over one hundred miles, many coming a much further distance. Without doubt it is the class cf carcase.quality and quantity of wool, in conjunction with robust constitution evolved by the breeders of this district that furnishes the key to this condition. Prices realised for averagely uniform lots sold in ouir yards ar e well up to the best obtained elsewhere, and in most cases they are, perhaps better. Of course there are [exertions at exceptional times, and • in this connection we have frequently had it pointed out with obvious heartburning that at a past sale a line was selling at a price very much above what was got a few weeks later, and it might be advisable to state in re-no-rts th* number comprising the lot for which extraordinary prices are,obtained, n* is done in Canterbury sale reprrfc*. For instance, at the sales just. .^..^„„.,!„.- i-yr, National week in

j bttxiierbary prices bordering on the record are thj xuie tor tat tneep, and som e si\AVcr,i are inclined to be led astray thereoy with only a gitaice. But wnen looking closer they nnd tlxtSd record prices are for small iois or' extra prime wethers, and on turning io th e ordinary store sheep sections they will find that they are just as well off in the Taihape yards as Canterbury men are at Addington. Extra tr.me fat wethers realised this year up to seven pounds tea shillings but even that wa s only half what similar fats have brought in Australia, where the mutton has fetched over two shillings a pound alive. it is

obvicu.3 that these are only fancy

prices obtainable on special occasions. To give a better idea to both bujyers and scl ers; to remove as far as possible any disappointment, and to enable buyers and sellers at a distance more especially, to make a very close approximation of what they may expect, it would be beneficial to all concerned to give the number comprising extra-special lots that bring extra-spe-cial prices. Markets, the world over, fluctuate as is only natural, but in Taihape, whether we realise it or not, the commencement of a popular stock centre i 3 well on the way, and, from the many occasions on which the subject has been brought under our notice,

settlers are moving and working hi the direction of further progress. Therefore, anything that will cbviouf ly help in f:rw?jrding more raoid'y the in evitable, should be encouraged. As it is, settlers in this territory are as happily situated is those in any odv-r •part of New Zealand with respect to the market for the;)- stock. It seems. however, a study should he made of maintaining normal conditions, neither frightening away prospective buyers, or raising false hopes in' the would-be sellers.