604 



Imports of Agricultural Produce. [jan., 



a distinct drop in prices in 1904, the average of the year being 

 47s. id., per cwt, as against 52s. iod., in 1903. 



Converting the live animals into their equivalent weight of 

 meat, and adding the total imports of dead meat of all kinds, it 

 appears that this country consumed, in addition to the home 

 supply, some 21,321,000 cwt. in 1904, compared with 21,061,000 

 cwt. in the preceding year. The lower values, however, enabled 

 this somewhat larger supply to be imported for a sum of 

 ^"47,474,000, as against £49,195,000, which was the total value 

 credited to these various kinds of meat in 1903. 



Table II. 



Imports of Dairy Produce, Margarine, and Eggs. 



Description. 



Quantities. 



Values. 



1903. 



1904. 



1903. 



1904. 





Cwt. 



Cwt. 



£ 



£ 



Butter 



4,060,694 



4,241,005 



20,798,707 



21,117,162 



Margarine 



882,123 



960,278 



2,313,618 



2,494,467 



Cheese ... 



2,694,358 



2,554,298 



7,054,710 



■5.843.773 



Milk, Condensed 



915.717 



904,919 



1738,931 



1,607,646 



Milk and Cream, Fresh 



22,487 





40,176 







Gt. Hundreds. 



Gt. Hundreds. 





Eggs 



18,848,897 



19,942,594 



6,617,599 



6,730,574 



From Table II., which gives particulars of the supplies of 

 dairy produce, it will be seen that the year 1904 was marked by 

 a further increase in the quantity of butter, the imports of which 

 exceeded those of any previous year. The noticeable feature 

 which the returns reveal, however, is that while all the European 

 countries, viz., Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Holland and France,, 

 whence our main supplies are derived, show a decline, the 

 Colonial imports from New Zealand, Australia and Canada 

 show a substantial growth. The average value of the imported 

 butter declined from £$ 2s. 5d. to £4. 19s. yd. per cwt, and of 

 Danish butter, which is one of the highest priced butters im- 

 ported to these shores, from ^5 8s. id. to ,£5 5s. 5d. per cwt. 



Canada is now the main exporter of cheese to the home 

 country, and from that source we received 1,900,500 cwt. out of 

 a total 2,554,000 cwt. The rise in the average declared value 

 of imported cheese, which has been noticeable for several 

 previous years was checked, and a fall has to be recorded from 



