308 PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION 



United Kingdom by great distances. It would appear that for 

 the future the best means, short of subsidies, of maintaining low 

 freights for animal foodstuffs homewards from the Dominions, and 

 of preventing the diversion of part of these supplies to nearer 

 markets will be found to lie in the maximum development of the 

 home-country's exports of iron and machinery to the Overseas 

 Empire. These goods constitute suitable return cargo, are made 

 in the United Kingdom mainly from home-produced law materials, 

 and are required in great quantities by the Dominions. It is especi- 

 ally regrettable, therefore, that American manufacturers should 

 have captured an important part of the British-colonial trade in 

 agricultural implements and machinery. The present conditions, 

 under which there is a shortage of return freight from the United 

 Kingdom to the Dominions, and likewise from the Dominions to 

 the United States, may prove distinctly unfavourable to the whole 

 of the surplus of foodstuffs from the Overseas Empire finding its 

 way to the United Kingdom. 



The case of South Africa is entirely exceptional in this direction. 

 Hitherto there has been a marked shortage of cargo homeward 

 from the Union, and the development of an export trade in meat 

 and maize thence to the United Kingdom is thus distinctly favoured 

 by transport conditions. 



The question of freight space does not apply with such force to 

 butter and condensed milk, or even to cheese, as to meat, since 

 these articles are, on the whole, less bulky in proportion both to 

 money values and to food values, than the latter. Partly for this 

 reason, therefore, the British Empire may be able to supply its 

 requirements in dairy produce more completely in the future than 

 in the past. 



The requirements of the United Kingdom in animal feedstuffs 

 may increase in the future if more attention is given to animal - 

 rearing, but shipping conditions make it imperative that as large 

 a proportion as possible of the additional requirements should be 

 produced in the United Kingdom itself, if the Empire is to become 

 more self-sufficing in this respect. Although feedstuffs can be 

 transported jn bulk, much more cargo-space has to be used in carry- 

 ing them than in carrying the finished animal foodstuffs in order 

 that the British consumer may have the same quantities of the 

 latter at his disposal. 1 It has been noted in Chapter I., above, 

 that something over 25% of the net deficiency of the United 

 Kingdom in animal feedstuffs in 1913 was supplied from Empire 

 sources. There is good reason for supposing that a larger pro- 

 portion may be supplied in the future from these sources, if shipping 

 and freight conditions are favourable. The rising wheat production 

 of the Empire, especially in Canada, should cause a greater pro- 

 portion of the wheat imports of the United Kingdom in the future 



1 This is owing to the fact that from 10-12 Ibs. of feedstuffs are required 

 on an average to produce 1 Ib. of animal foodstuffs, (See Part II.. Chap, v., 

 p. 268.) 



