Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-31
LIVE STOCK PRICES
REGISTER DECLINE
Reported Scarcity of Fed
Steers May Bolster Fall
ing Market.
BY FRANK I. WELLER.
Associated Press Farm Editor.

The reputed scarcity Of finished
steers ready to run at once ultimately
may have q lot to DO with bringing
back the fed steer and yearlins market
which eased OF last week as much as
as cents.
Under the influence of a depressing
dressed beef trade which held upper
grade steer meat steady to SO cents
lower and the less desirable grades SO
cents to So lower than q week ago,
strictly good to choice offerings lost IS
cents while the others declined IS to so
cents, mostly 50 cents.
On wednesday Of last week, Kansas
City sold 10 head Of 6i7-pound year
hngs at top Of $1,000 However. they
represented only about one-fourth Of a
load and probably were the best cattle
offered this season. In no wise did they
represent the total sales in this class, on.
the countrywide trend in the price Of
prime cattle.
Causes OF Decline.
Cause for the decline in steers can
be traced to the predominance of good
and choice offerings arriving this week
Runs did not carry many common and
medium grade steers. This, coupled
| with the fact that the beef trade turned
sluggish and the live market had been
showing creeping advance for several
weeks, explains the downturn which,
however, may be more or less temporary
because Of the light supply Of better
| grade stock.
The undertone on strictly choice offer
lngs Is still strong and If receipts should
| be curtailed 1t would tend to strengthen
the best OF those in between.
In beating down the in-betweens the
killers merely have accomplished what
they have been trying to do for a week
or more-get the different grades of
merits.
| Until recently strictly good steers were
selling too close to strictly choice offer
| ingS and medium kinds often were lust
a shade In price away from good kinds
IN general way good and choice
| offerings showed the largest loss and
among these in-betweens, the weightier
lew isolated cases some thick-fleshed
but weighty bullocks, now are rs cents
lower than they were last week.
Prices worked little lower on COM
] non and medium grade stocker. but held
! up well on good and choice kinds. The
! latter grades were scarce largely not
only because the range run was small
but also comprised either two-way steers
, or medium grade stockers.
Despite the fact that the country Is
cycling the replacement advance with
caution, demand for good and choice
kinds stu Is broader than the supply.
| this applying to stockers of value to sell
at $6 upward.
Hog Prices Weaker.
Hog prices have weakened unevenly,
declines increasing severely as weight
was reduced. Weights above 25O pounds
were steady to Is cents lower. while
! light and medium weights were unevenly
rs to so cents lower Pigs and light
lights were so to rs cents lower, and
packing sows steady to 10 cents higher.
Light pork loins at Chicago were 81
lower than a week ago. while heavy
lolns were 81 to 81 higher.
/ An increase in the receipts and par
| ticularly in the lights and underWeiehts
was the main weakening factor. but a
| drop in the shipping de-: nd also
| weakened the market.
The added quota of light lights and
| medium weights carried a generous
volume of strictly finished kinds most
days, indicating that many feeders have
been pointing their Spring shoats for
early shipment.
Fat lambs and yearlings finished
| mostly 25 to so cents higher, the cur
rent market being benefited by better
distribution along with curtailed re-
| ceiptS.