330 



PRICES OF LIVE STOCK. 



[Dec. 1896. 



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 third quarter of 1896 are now 

 available. The particulars rendered to the Board of Agri- 

 culture by the market authorities and auctioneers from the 19 

 scheduled places in Great Britain continue to show an increase, 

 compared with the similar quarters of previous years, in the 

 numbers of cattle, sheep, and swine weighed alive, and in a 

 larger number of cases than before the prices of these animals 

 have been given. This increase is relatively greater than the 

 absolute numbers recorded as passing over the weighbridge 

 would of themselves indicate, since there were fewer cattle and 

 sheep entering the several markets which supply reports in 

 these three months of 1896 than in the like period of either 

 1895 or 1894. 



The totals of the returns received for the whole of Great 

 Britain may be shown as under : — 



Animals. 



3rd 

 Quarter, 

 1896. 



3rd 

 Quarter, 

 1895. 



Srd 

 Quarter, 

 1894. 



No. 

 227,346 

 24,471 

 22,481 

 16,857 



No. 

 270,831 

 22,320 

 19,345 

 13,815 



No. 

 279,586 

 20,611 

 18,408 

 12,216 



1,424,166 

 11,028 

 8,476 



1,444,156 

 9,727 

 7,348 



1,502,874 

 9,278 

 6,526 



46,431 

 1,346 

 503 

 503 



48,127 

 1,014 

 453 

 2 



20,676 

 743 

 157 



3 



Cattle : 



Entering markets - 

 , Weighed - 

 Prices returned - 

 Prices returned with quality dis- 

 tinguished^ 

 Sheep j 



Entering markets - 

 Weighed - 



Prices returned with quality dis- 

 tinguished. 

 Swine : 



Entering markets - 

 Weighed - 

 Prices returned - 

 Prices returned with quality dis- 

 tinguished. 



As on former occasions the much larger use of the weighbridge 

 in Scotland than in England is clearly brought out in the returns 

 received. Taking the case of cattle separately the comparison 



