Evening star., 1931-12-07
LIVE STOCK PRICES
IN SHARP SETBACK
Dressed Stock Fairly Steady
but Offerings on Hoof
Are Cheaper.
BY FRANK /. WELLER.
Associated Press Farm Editor.

The week under review saw probably
the strangest alliance of live and
| dressed meat markets OF the current
season.
Cooler weather and broader con-
sumner outlet kept dressed prices steady
with a week ago or higher, while
! veritable deluge of stock on the hoof
reduced the level of values for all cate
gories and sent some brackets to the
lowest point of the season.
Hog receipts at the IL principal mar
ketS were a feature OF the week and
a startling revelation of what the coun-
try can do when it decides to let go
They were not far from 100000 head
as compared with slightly more than
half that number WeeK ago. Cattle
and sheep receipts were 1ar lower than
hogs, but approximately so per cent
higher than last week.
Medium Grades OFF.
Strictly good and choice heavy cattle
lost 25 cents at Chicago while all other
kind were so cents to 81 lower. Medium
grades were off the most as receipts
scored the highest of the season, The
bulk was largely shortfed and warmed
up steers. HoldoVerS were liberal from
day to day and while the majority was
cleaned up at the close, most steers
turned at $3.50 to ST. Kinds eligible to
$40 and better were scarce
Again the price spread was wide. Al
though the weeks top was only $1285,
compared with $3.50 paid for an ex-
ceptional load of show stock a week
before, common kinds sold for $3.50.
Muddy feed lots resulted in a heavy
supply of short-fed at Kansas CITY,
where the market fell off so cents to a
dollar for decidedly weaker under
tone. Choice grades were about absent.
Choice long yearlings topped at $1O50.
The bulk of offerings sold for so to
$6.75. Slaughter heifers lost as much
as steers.
Burdensome receipts Of short-fed and
yearlingS caused a sharp break at
Omaha and prices declined so cents to
one dollar on common and medium
kinds, with lightweightS off the most.
Strictly good and choice steers were
Is to so cents lower, heavies showing
the smallest decline, Choice long year.
lings topped at $1l.50.
Steers lost so to rs cents at East st.
Louis and mixed steers and yearlings
SO cents to one dollar.
The bulk sold for $4.75 to $725. Year
lings made top of $ll, but most fat
steers sold for $500 to $500.
Hog Prices.
The run of hogs for the first four
days Of the week at Chicago was the
| largest since February. 1923, and car
ried prices off Is to IS cents. Light
weights were off most, with pigs 90
cents lower and packing sows 10 to Is
cents lower. The weeks top for hogs
was $3.50, but slipped down to $40 on
Thursday and $3.50 on Friday-the
lowest top of the year. Most hogs sold
between $500 and $40. With the prac-
teal top at $440 and the average at
81 "a the market had the narroWeSt
Iprice spread of the season.
Weakness featured the hog market
at Kansas City. where new low levels
for the year we're established. The
extreme top for the week was S4.45.
Excessive receipts and a declining
| fresh pork market brought new lows at
Omaha. Hogs lost 25 to 80 cents. The
top on Thursday was s410.
East st. Louis recorded the lowest
prices in "a years. The net loss for the
week was Is to 20 cents to bring Thurs
days crop to $4.45.
The November average for hogs at
Chicago was S4.61-the lowest Novem-
Der average in 30 years,
Lamb Prices Decline.
Killing classes of lamb dropped off
25 to so cents at Chicago for the week
Better grade native and Westerns
brought $3.50 to $5.75 and the top was
$6.10 Fat lambs were under pressure
at Kansas City and lost so to 85 cents.
The bulk sold for $525. Omaha saw a
loss of so to IS cents at the first of the
week and made no Improvement Most
offerings went at $5 to $5.25 and the
top made $535. East St. Louis was so
cents lower than a week ago.