March 1897.] 



PRICES OF LIVE STOCK. 



443 



regards the statistics furnished by Aberdeen and Dundee. But 

 the data supplied indicate a range of average price per live cwt* 

 varying from a minimum of 236-. 8d. at the former of these 

 places, which, it may be remarked, supplies three-fourths of the 

 available quotations, to 29s. lOd. at Perth. 



In the second or medium quality cattle, where the price 

 records are more complete, the local averages of upwards of 

 86,000 transactions give a range of price from 28s. 45. per cwt, 

 at Liverpool to 32s. 8d. per cwt. in London. 



Of prime cattle, similarly, the Metropolitan quotations make 

 the highest average for the year, or 37s. per cwt., while those 

 from Leeds mark the lowest average, or 32s. 2d. per cwt. In 

 Scotland the range in this category is considerably less,' the 

 highest annual average, calculated from the sales, however, 

 of only 1,020 head of stock, reached 35s. at Glasgow, while the 

 average of the sales of 7,823 cattle classed as prime at Aber- 

 deen was 34s, 10d. } and those of 1,496 prime cattle at Edinburgh, 

 33s. 4d. per cwt. 



Comparing the prices of the past year as a whole with those 

 of 1895, a continuous decline in all markets is apparent, with 

 the exception of the quotation for second quality cattle at 

 Liverpool, and for prime quality at Shrewsbury, where there 

 was an upward movement of 6d. per cwt. on the year. In 

 London the decline was Is. per cwt. in prime stock, but it 

 reached Is. lOd. in those of inferior quality. At Perth the lowest 

 grade showed a drop of 2s. per cwt., and the highest grade 

 2s. Id. per cwt. The details for all the markets, for which 

 comparisons for the two years may be given, are as under : — 



PEACE:. 



Inferior 

 or 



Third Quality. 



Good 

 or 



Second Quality. 



Prime 

 or 



First Quality. 





1896. 



1895. 



1896. | 1895. 



1896. 



1895. 



Leeds - 



Per Cwt. 

 s. d. 

 26 10 



Per Cwt. 

 s. d. 



Per Cwt. 

 s. d. 

 29 2 



Per Cwt. 

 s. d, 



Per Cwr. 

 s. d. 



32 2 



Per Cwt. 

 s. d. 



Liverpool - 







28 4 



27 10 



32 4 



33 8 



London 



27 S 



29 6 



32 8 



34 4 



37 0 



38 0 



Newcastle - 



26 0 





30 4 



33 0 



S3 10 



85 4 



Shrewsbury 



25 0 



25 10 



30 0 



30 6 



31 4 



33 10 



Aberdeen - 



23 8 



25 3 



31 6 



32 9 



31 10 



36 8 



Dundee 



25 2 



27 3 



31 4 



33 2 



33 6 



35 3 



Edinburgh - 



27 2 



28 7 



32 6 



34 6 



33 4 



35 1 



Glasgow 





33 6 



31 4 



35 4 



35 0 



36 S 



Perth - 



29 10 



31 10 



31 10 



3J 5 



33 10 



35 11 



In 3,593 cases during 1896 the weighbridge was used to 

 determine the price of cattle at an agreed on rate per cwt. of 

 live weight. Of these cases 1,019 were reported in London, 

 while Dundee and Glasgow each reported upwards of 800 live, 

 weight transactions. 



