CURRENT LOCAL TOPICS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 287, 22 November 1930, Page 12

CURRENT LOCAL TOPICS

Store Steers For Stortford.

Present indications point to a large entry of store steers at Stortford Lodge sale on Wednesday 26th. inst.

Wanganui wool Sale.

Wool brokers do not expect growers to fill the- allocation for the sale on the 28th. inst. Owing to the wet weather shearing operations are very backward, but with the help of the held-over wool, brokers anticipate offering about 19,000 bales;

. - T- ■< < I • Hawko’s Bay Rre Grass. Numerous applications have -, been received by the Agricultural Department from farmers ou the . HereLaunga Plains to have their rye grass pastures certified, but there is a certain amount of doubt whether the} can continue to keep then paddocks closed until the seed has matureu owing to. the requirements of dairy stock end breed in j ewes. Oaten Sheaf Chan.

Oaten sheaf chuff, from Southland, was being unloaded at the, Hastings Railway Station to-day, importations from the South being necessary owing to the local supplies -being exhausted. This crop has been profitable to local farmers this season, and it was unfortunate that the acreage grown, was more limited than usual. It. is also rather difficult to understand why more wheat is not grown locally, with a minimum price guaranteed by the Government, this is less, a gamble than most other farming propositions. British Farmers’ Problem It will interest New Zealand farmers to know that to-day the British farmer is paying for his labour a trifle over 100 per cent. more , than he did in 1911-13. To-day, for everything he can raise and sell the British farmer is receiving from the purchasing public only 35 per cent, more than he did before the war. “How can, he possibly balance these two items, labour and the receipts, for his 1930 agricultural produce?” asks a London paper. Soviet Dumping. Great indignation is expressed by farmers in Great Britain at the attitude of the .Soviet Government in dumping wheat and fruit on the London market at ruination prices. It seems very likely that the heavy supplies of Russian soft fruit also affected the sale of our own produce. Compared With Last Year. As reported on Wednesday there was a good representative yarding of both cattle and sheep in the store pc,, at Stortford Lodge this week auu a comparison with the prices ruling at this time last year is raihei interesting. '■ With few exceptions all prices tor sheep are at least 10/- per hea-d below last year, when buyers were more optimistic than the outlook of the market warranted. This vein- they are inclined to be more pessimistic than prices warrant.. For the last three months mutton prices in the London market have slightly improved each month and this would give tlie -impression that present prices of stores are safe and buyers can operate with confidence. Woolly store ewes were sold at 7/10 and If a- puivhaser has suitable feed he should bo in a position to show 100 pel’ cent, profit. The same remarks apply , io two-tooth . ewes which were sold at 5/- less than six weeks ago, although the outlook is certainly no worse- With regard to cattle the nrioe ;>aid since the end of 1926 has been recognised as a “fake”, one caused, by a .short supply owing, to the heavy mortality during .tin- 192526. drought and a luxuriant growth of Trass since then until mid-summer in 1930.

All young cattle .are down about 100 per cent, mid grown cattle from 50 to 75 per cent., although ,bqef is about on a par with this time last vear. 11l was. very noticeable thin local buyers were keener after the forward linos of sheep that will be soon available for., the fat buyers, thviiig to tHo presence of,buyers from Maimaat.il and Southern Hanke's iv. there was free bidding on all ,-lasses of stores,. and vendors were I n lunate to (uive. this competition, as prev.iiilipir- ne.sterly winds usually depress local buvgrs.