134 



PRODUCTION 



probably risen since that date, though it should be remembered 

 that edible oils, especially olive oil are widely used as butter 

 substitutes in France. As a consequence of the general increase 

 in the per capita rate of consumption of animal foodstuffs, there 

 was a tendency for a shortage to appear especially in meat, in the 

 years after 1908, in spite of the rise in the ratios of live stock to the 

 population and of the probable greater yield of foodstuffs per unit 

 of stock. 



With regard to the future, it may be predicted that when the 

 normal course of life has been resumed after the war, the country 

 will in the main be able to furnish its own supplies of animal food- 

 stuffs. It may be some time before the numbers of the live stock, 

 which have suffered very severely owing to war conditions, are 

 restored to their previous levels ; and during this interval abnormal 

 imports of animal foodstuffs, particularly of meat, may be necessary 

 to furnish even considerably reduced per capita rations. On the 

 whole, however, the population is not likely to increase appreciably 

 in the near future, nor the standard of living to rise rapidly. Manu- 

 facturing industries in France have not expanded quickly in the 

 past as in some other countries, and they probably will not do so in 

 the near future. When peace conditions are properly restored, it 

 seems likely that any deficiency in animal foodstuffs will be more 

 or less covered by supplies from the Fiench Colonies. 



(d) BELGIUM. 



This small country carries normally a dense population which, 

 so far as animal foodstuffs are concerned, subsists mainly on 

 supplies produced at home. Prior to 1914, however, there were 

 considerable excess imports of food cereals and of animal feed- 

 stuffs into the country l without which it would have been totally 

 impossible for the large industrial population to have its require- 

 ments in food satisfied. 



In the years preceding the outbreak of the war the per capita 

 consumption of animal foodstuffs was moderately high, and tended, 

 apparently, to increase. 2 Figures are available for 1902, in which 

 year the per capita meat consumption has been estimated at 

 70 Ibs., and the per capita butter consumption at 25 Ibs. ; the latter 



1 The following table shows the net imports into Belgium of different kinds 

 of animal foodstuffs and of grains and oil-seeds in the years 1901 and 1912 : 



2 This appears to be the case from the fact that while the combined live- 

 stock ratio increased appreciably from 1900 onwards, the net imports 

 of animal foodstuffs also increased noticeably. 





