STATISTICAL MATERIAL 19 



market advanced from 100 in 1900 to 119-6 in 1913, and the total 

 value of the supplies of these products taken together should be 

 multiplied by the fraction -rrf.-g before comparing with the total 

 value for 1900. It follows that the increase in the exported and 

 imported supplies in any recent period is not so great as trade 

 figures expressed in values represent it. 



In dealing with the trade returns certain difficulties arise owing 

 to incompleteness of detail, and to differences in classification 

 between the official publications of different countries. It frequently 

 occurs, for example, that exports of meat are entered as 

 " unenumerated " ; these may consist of beef, mutton, pig-meat, 

 edible offal, or oils and fats in varying proportions. In both 

 import and export trade returns, but especially in the former, all 

 animal oils and fats are sometimes classified together in one group, 

 so that tallow is not distinguished from edible products. In this 

 connection a peculiar feature is apt to appear as between the 

 import and the export trade of some countries ; oleo and kindred 

 products, used largely for making margarine, are classified with 

 meat products in the import trade, but when manufactured into 

 margarine, fall into the category of dairy products in the export 

 trade. The trade in live food animals must, of course, be taken 

 together with that in meat in considering any particular area. 

 Distinctions are not always made between cattle, sheep, pigs, dogs, 

 and poultr}^ which are sometimes entered together as " other 

 animals " after horses. In strict accuracy it would also be neces- 

 sary to distinguish in international trade mature animals that have 

 been fattened and are destined for immediate slaughter, from young 

 animals that are intended to be kept for some time as stores in the 

 importing country ; this latter class of animals consists mainly 

 of cattle, owing to the ease with which they can be transported 

 and the much longer maturing period required by them than by 

 sheep and pigs. Unfortunately, however, statistics do not always 

 distinguish mature from immature cattle in international trade, 

 though the values which are usually given serve as some indication 

 as to the average quality. With regard to pedigree breeding-stock 

 which have a very high average value * and which are, of course, 

 not primarily intended for conversion into meat the international 

 trade is relatively small. The exports of such animals are mainly 

 from Great Britain, which otherwise has an insignificant export 

 trade in live animals. In considering the movements of live animals 

 in international trade, horses can generally be excluded from dis- 

 cussion in this inquiry. It should be noted, however, that part 

 of the export trade in live horses of such a country as Great 

 Britain, where horse-flesh is not ordinarily consumed, may consist 



1 The average value of the cattle exported from the United Kingdom in 

 1913 was 4S ; of the sheep, ,11 "7, and of the pigs about /14. Agric. Statistics 

 1913, Part IV. (Cd. 7551), pp. 295-0. These values are^of course much above 

 the ordinary prices for these animals, 



