June 1896.] 



PRICES OF LIVE STOCK. 



91 



PRICES OF LIVE STOCK AS RETURNED UNDER 

 THE WEIGHING OF CATTLE ACT. 



The returns of prices under the Markets and Fairs (Weighing 

 of Cattle) Act, 1891, for the first three months of 1896 are now 

 available. The detailed particulars embraced in the statements 

 rendered to the Board of Agriculture have been somewhat 

 reduced, with a view to facilitate the task of the market autho- 

 rities and auctioneers in collecting the data required respecting 

 the actual number of animals entering, the number weighed, and 

 the prices current at the markets or auction marts of the 19 

 places scheduled by the statute. It is satisfactory to observe 

 that the numbers of cattle whereof the live weight was ascer- 

 tained, and the current prices per live stone or live cwt. calculated, 

 show an increase over those of the similar quarters of 1894 and 

 1895, although the total number of cattle entering the scheduled 

 places was considerably reduced. 



The comparison stands as under : — 



Animals. 



1st Quarter, 



1st Quarter, 



1st Quarter, 



1896. 



1895. 



1894. 



Cattle : 



No. 



No. 



No. 



Entering markets - 



260,823 



271,648 



282,562 



Weighed - - 



26,190 



24,771 



22,587 



Prices returned - 



23,709 



22,211 



20,353 



Prices returned with quality dis- 



17,916 



16,818 



13,978 



tinguished. 







Sheep : 









Entering markets - 



738,502 



710,865 



895,871 



Weighed - - - 



10,116 



7,703 



8,193 



Prices returned with quality dis- 



8,881 



5,279 



5,197 



tinguished. 









Swine : 









Entering markets - 



61,745 



57,508 



41,429 



Weighed - 



740 



345 



555 



Prices returned - 



308 



232 



86 



Prices returned with quality dis- 



308 



4 



11 



tinguished. 









Judging from these data, it would seem that the practice of 

 weighing swine, which has hitherto been comparatively rare, is 

 beginning to make way; the total weighed being twice the 

 number in the same three months of 1895. As the general table 

 appended shows, however, the weighing of swine is reported from 

 three markets only — Leeds, Newcastle, and Perth— and as yet 

 only at the last two places have prices been returned. 



