586 



Imports of Agricultural Produce. [Jan.,. 



IMPORTS OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE IN 1905. 



The following tables, which have been compiled from the 

 Trade and Navigation Accounts, show the quantities and value 

 of the principal articles of agricultural produce imported into- 

 the United Kingdom during the past year. 



The imports of cattle showed a further increase in 1905, and 

 were larger than in any of the six preceding years. The United 

 States and Canada are now practically the only sources of supply,, 

 the number of cattle received from the Channel Islands being 

 insignificant. By far the larger portion come from the United- 

 States, that country being credited with 414,900 in 1905, com- 

 pared with 401,200 in 1904, while Canada sent 148,700, against 

 146,600 in the preceding year. No live cattle now come from, 

 the Argentine Republic, but the trade in stock " on the hoof" 

 has been replaced by a large and rapidly increasing export of 

 fresh beef. The largest number of live cattle received in any 

 one year from that country was 89,369 in 1898, when the 

 exports of fresh beef only amounted to 108,000 cwt. Since 

 then the quantity of beef has annually increased, and amounted in. 

 .1905 to 2,580,000 cwt, which, estimating the average production 

 of meat from Argentine cattle at 720 lb. per head, is equal to an im- 

 portation of 401,300 head of live cattle. The United States, which, 

 contributes to the beef supply of the United Kingdom not only 

 in the form of live animals but also by refrigerated meat, occu- 

 pied for the first time in 1905 the second place in point of 

 quantity in the chilled meat trade, as her consignments to this 

 country only amounted to 2,232,000 cwt., thus falling short of the; 

 Argentine quota given above and of the consignments of 1903 

 and 1904, which were 2,694,000 cwt. and 2,396,000 cwt. respec- 

 tively. The United States meat, however, fetched a much 

 better price than the Argentine product, the average value of 

 the former being 43s. 2d, as against 29s. id. per cwt. for the; 

 latter. 



The total imports of fresh beef amounted to 5,037,500 cwt., a. 

 quantity larger than in any previous year ; the total weight of beef 

 represented by the imports of cattle may be estimated at 

 3,678,400 cwt., so that the total receipts of meat of this class, 

 from abroad in 1905 was 8,716,000 cwt., or about 22 Ub. per head. 



