BRITAIN'S FOOD IMPORTS IN WAR TIME 



Glasgow, Scotland, Nov. 12, 1915 



An illuminating analysis of world trade with Great Britain during the war is con- 

 tained in a report issued by the Board of Trade. Since the imports dealt with consist 

 very largely of agricultural produce, the report should be read with interest by Canadian 

 farmers. One finds, for instance, that the United States of America, while adopting 

 an attitude of complaint towards our Navy's control over neutral commerce, is reaping 

 huge fortunes from us directly as a result of the war situation. The figures in the 

 report are those for the first nine months of the present year, and for purposes of com- 

 parison with a pre-war period, they are contrasted with the corresponding months of 

 the year 1913. United States exports to this country, on this basis, show an excess 

 of over £83,000,000. Moreover this figure does not include the revenue from material 

 supplied on Government contract, such as munitions, etc. In the ten months to the 

 end of October of this year we have paid to the States £8,000,000 more for wheat 

 alone. Another million goes against wheat flour, and barley and oats bring up the 

 total gain for all kinds of grain to fully £13,000,000. This partly represents increased 

 quantities, but the greater part is due to higher prices and constitutes "unearned 

 increment" for the American producer and exporter. Other food commodities for 

 which we have paid the States more than in a normal year are: — Bacon, £5,300,000; 

 hams, £2,000,000; chilled and frozen beef, £3,000,000; and cheese, £1,800,000. So 

 that in wheat and other foodstuffs America's gain over the war amounts to the gigantic 

 sum of fully £25,000,000. 



BIG PURCHASES IN UNITED STATES 



The following table shows the purchase of products from the United States alone 

 made by Great Britain during the first nine months of 1915, as compared with the 

 purchases made during the corresponding period of 1914. The total value of these 



items is £26,486,333 for 1915, as compared with £11,793,651 for 1914, an increase of 

 £14,692,682, or 124 per cent. 



1915 1914 



cwts. cwts. 



Beef, chilled 488,339 2,079 



Beef, frozen 276,158 350 



Beef, salted 43,730 23,209 



Pork, frozen 22,849 3,230 



Pork, salted (not bacon or hams) 49,504 32,280 



Bacon 2,704,363 1,121,969 



Hams 1,094,499 625,042 



Poultry 57,284 35,660 



Butter 36,548 7,347 



Cheese 445,934 15,131 



Canned salmon 450,700 398,598 



Hops 99,209 45,374 



Lard 1,740,482 1,294,985 



Sugar, refined 1,291,052 370,823 



Other Sources of Supplies 



But America is not alone in this prosperity derived from the misfortunes of neigh- 

 boring Powers. Practically every neutral nation in varying degrees has benefited in 

 trade. The following table presents the position regarding Britain's imports during 



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