592 Imports of Agricultural Produce. [Jan., 



The imports of bacon, which had. been rising steadily since 

 1902, decreased and amounted to 5,366,000 cwts. as against 

 5,543,000 cwts. in 1906. The principal sources of supply were, 

 United States (2,281,000 cwts.), Denmark (1,807,000 cwts.), 

 and Canada (1,192,000 cwts.). The marked increase which 

 has taken place in the price of this form of food as compared 

 with the price some years ago is well shown by the fact that 

 5,805,000 cwts. were imported in 1899 for the sum of 

 £10,400,000, whereas in the past year 5,366,000 cwts. were 

 valued at £14,839,000 ; this represents a rise in the declared 

 value from 35s. zod. percwt. in 1899 to 55s. 4^. per cwt. in 1907, 

 that is nearly 20s. per cwt. or 55 per cent. 



Rabbits continue to be imported in large quantities from 

 Australia and New Zealand, 538,400 cwts. being received from 

 the former and 75,200 cwts. from the latter, valued approxi- 

 mately at £1 per cwt. Belgian (Ostend) rabbits are worth 

 nearly three times as much, but the quantity received last year 

 was only 62,400 cwts. 



Poultry is chiefly received from the United States, Russia, 

 Belgium and France, and game from these and other countries, 

 The total value of the poultry received was £904,000 compared 

 with £869,000 in 1906. Russia's share in this trade amounted 

 to £271,000, that of the United States to £202,000, and that of 

 France to £206,000. 



Converting the live animals into their equivalent weight of 

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

 (excluding poultry and game), it appears that this country 

 consumed, in addition to the home supply, some 22,586,600 

 cwts. compared with 22,957,500 cwts. in 1906. The total 

 value credited to the different kinds of live and dead meat 

 was £50,859,000. 



In 1906 the imports of butter were higher both in quantity 

 and value than in any preceding year, but in 1907 there was 

 some falling-off. Denmark continues to hold the first place as 

 a contributor to our markets, and the receipts from this source 

 were 1,819,000 cwts. compared with 1,675,800 cwts. in 1906. 

 Russia was the next largest exporting country and supplied 

 658,000 cwts. The colonies of Victoria, New South Wales, 

 Queensland, and New Zealand sent 901,800 cwts. as^against 

 857,500 in 1906 and 750,700 cwts. in 1905, but the_amount 



