282 



in the future, since no part of the Overseas Empire has hitherto 

 developed as an important surplus maize-producing area. 1 With 

 regard to the other items in the table, it will be seen that only in 

 tropical oil-seeds is the proportion derived from Imperial sources 

 a really heavy one. This item, in the years preceding the war was 

 relatively insignificant, but it has since increased very greatly in 

 importance and may do so still further in the future, if the export 

 trade from West Africa and from the Indian Ocean to the United 

 Kingdom is developed to its full capacity. A very large increase 

 in this trade might indirectly lessen the dependence of the United 

 Kingdom and of the Empire upon foreign countries for supplies of 

 cotton and linseed cakes and even of maize. 



In only three other items, namely, linseed, wheat and grain 

 offals among the feedstuff materials imported into the United 

 Kingdom, was the share supplied by the Empire more than half. 

 Considering that over one-half the total direct and indirect imports of 

 milling offals came from Imperial sources, and allowing for the exports 

 of such materials from the United Kingdom and for the exports 

 of wheat from the Empire to foreign countries, it is found that the 

 Empire's consumption of milling offals was in reality perhaps 

 completely covered by its production of the same in the form of 

 wheat and other food grains. If wheat cultivation within the 

 Empire expands at the same rate as it has done in recent years a , 

 there may even be a virtual surplus of this class of feedstuff s. On 

 the other hand, it must be remembered that the Empire as a whole 

 shows a marked deficiency not only in animal feedstuffs taken 

 together, but also in animal foodstuffs. If a real endeavour is 

 made in the future to meet these deficiencies from Imperial pro- 

 duction, the whole of the milling offals produced within the Empire 

 would require to be retained as animal feedstuffs. In view of the 

 great deficiency of the United Kingdom in both animal foodstuffs 

 and feedstuffs, it is remarkable that there should have been ex- 

 tensive exports of milling offals from British ports in the years 

 preceding the war. 



With regard to the remaining items in the table above, it will 

 be seen that in 1913 only comparatively small proportions of the 

 deficiency of the United Kingdom in oats and in barley were sup- 



1 The Union of South Africa, however, shows some promise as a surplus 

 maize-producing area. The exports of maize thence rose from 11,000 tons 

 in 1913 to 149,400 tons in 1915. Large tracts of land in various parts of the 

 Union and in Rhodesia are said to be adapted to mazie cultivation, but ex- 

 pansion awaits closer settlement and better means of transport. 



2 In the period 1901 to 1911 the wheat acreage of the Empire increased 

 45-5%, while the population increased only 6-8* (Rew (Cd. 7271), p. 377). 

 The increase in production was probably greater than the increase in acreage 

 owing to higher average yields. Since 1911 there has been a considerable 

 increase in wheat production in Canada and in Australia, and it seems probable 

 that in the near future there will be an appreciable increase in the wheat 

 production of the United Kingdom. 



* The white population of the Empire increased by about 14% in the same 

 period. 



