OUR STOCK MARKETS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 178, 25 June 1884, Page 2

OUR STOCK MARKETS.

The steamers that . periodically leave New Zealand for Austral iattakfli a considerable number qf houses, anji tlie tiaffip.is extending thua proving that it is remunerative. Now, it is highly pro Gable that it would also pay to send cattle. \'n an editorial m the f Sydney Jlfail, commenting upon tKe, importation of'fiit; cat'tlo from Queens/ laud,we find the following : — "A couple of dry seasons have brought about ex-

tnionlinuvy changes iv the fat stock markets of this colony. Two years ago the grave question with the grnziers of this colony was, What shall we do with our fat stock ? The principal markets were overburdened. Good meat was sold at £d per lb. The shipments of frozen meat were not rwilizing fair pricos m Britain, and it was seriously thought that the boilingdown pots should again be brought j into general use. What a -contrast exists between the pa*t ami the present. Since the opening of this year the gmxiers hare been unable to meet home requh einents, and Victoria, Queensland, anil New Zealand have, had to supply ihe deficiency. Victoria, a, cbUmy: which for, many years had been drawing supples, of jrueat from this side' of th*. Murray, ha" of late taken the place of the seller instead bf the buyer. Now Zealand has sent us chilled meat; and Queens land is no rt shipping for Sydnoy hundreds of livebullocks.". In Bathui'st the price of meat is quoted at 7d per pound, or 2d more than Australian frozen meat is fetching m London, and the people are beginning tp, talky of demanding ad export duty. Messrs Ryan, Hammond, and Co., of Sydney, m thejr.renort dated sth June^ say,. } l Prime stock are certain to comtnand splendid prices for> some itime-to • /icome." Messrs Pitt, So*, and BauGBBY quote best' beef as worth ;3<2s" ; 6^lb ; per! lOOlbs ; crossbred wethers, 26s 7d id 27s 7d ; and merino wethers, 17s to I.Bs. These figures: sufficiently' 'show the! state of the Sydney market). Now let us turn to Add vide. Here there is a greater scarcity still, for New ) South Wales has, up to within the } last! few months,,beeu ;th'eMuA'ce from which South Australia has. drawn her-] mam supply of pfea]t. Thj»] source; is] no>r out "off, and as yet no substitute has | been found. Beef and mutton are jboth at a higher price m Adelaide ,at the present time that ; they JHaje S 'ever been before — higher, m fact, tiiaiji at Bathursl ; L 22 per head, for bullocks and LI 10s i 'to L2per . 1001 i« for beef are quoted. The] Wellington Post referring to the feature, inquires :— Are these : pricesgoing.]to continue long enough tojustify the stock^raisers of New Zealand m making arrangements for inaugurating an extensive export-trade m iJbis direction ? Our contemporary's opinion is that they are. It h, we believe, a fact that the' 1 number of sheep m New South Wales has ibecn reduced by fully one third during the last six months. This is not la trifling decrease,^ and : is not^ likely to be aoon^ecou|ied. . The re-" stocking'of the .depopulated runs v»ill 'je a ;severe drain upon .the losal sup-* ; piy fot'nVahy'''mohthVto come. As regiirds. beef,, other causes than the J drought are operating to render it probable" than Ne% ; S >uth Wales and South ia will have" to import ■ lai'gely for years. Tho Sydney Mail refers to the fact that apparently ,New| South Wales will be given up "more extensively Ho breeding sheep, and will look to Queensland to supply fat oxen. If goes On — "New South -Wales ik riot growing beef enough for Home consumption. Never mind from what cause ;' that is ; the fact. The cause that operates now may ..happen again • even a drought a*rid a; prolonged agitation over a land law. It is aSwell, therefoi'e, to iiridersta'ndthat m more' than one place bri r tho Continent of Australia, to say. nothing jf New Zealand, ; ther$ l tire resources 7 ' upon which may fall back."' •But instead 1 of saying'nol;hihg' j of New Zealand,' wo have to put New Zea--l|nd ] in 1 - the first consideratip'ri; (^ueebsland has- to ; ship : her stock j a : rid J ' the cost of shipping from "Wellington would not be a great deal more than shipping from Gladstone or Clarence^, At WangarinTbiir gibers liave tieetf' making nothing .by.then* stock for some! time '.pfUt.^ For-beasts ! that, fetch! sto £J:Bln:Adiilaide r they have 'been getting £6 to £8. Well , may jthe Chronicle. .s&y-^Hh^ prices fetched on the otfre^^side areiiiaking our Ifarmers' te'et^iV wat'eri'V] Our friends m Otago tfna Canterhuiy are already test : ng the^tistH]iah^nfarket. Jiy t^e HuurptOj whioh-/ left for. Sy.dj. ney. la.^ f w^kywe^notioed a cdnsigni'ineht; of 30 head of cattle from tn*e Sou th . Sheep, can be ; shipped m ithe r carcase m a chilled chamber without any clangerTdf •deprbcialion on :thef v«>yage. r Wlien we consider the..the! ' the ! condition of the fi ozen meat trade I at/ tlje present time, and reflect rather ladly ! .^ey lii; m Lohdbii does Wit i^ave^'niucn of a margin for »hippei.s, it must striko'us that thiß necessitieg /of pur brethreii nearer kt ; hand B'.t o-gest a legitiniate and more sjn'omising market for'A.porr tion at least of oiir fiirplus stoclc. If a remunerative stock market could be : o|»ene^ up acixiss the «iiter| otir'New .Zealand farmers would soon find that' stock ii-hLsing^iadcejised ! t6 l lie dje unf: profitable iind'BH;a~kihg' it has' l\efeh : for mouths past, and the minimum price of beef would soon proportionately m- ■ crease|. %j | //,. (":•-:/;■;■;,