152 



IMPORTS OF THE CEREAL YEAR. 



The statement on the opposite page, which has been com- 

 piled from the Accounts of Trade and Navigation, shows the 

 quantities and values of the principal articles of agricultural 

 produce imported into the United Kingdom during the cereal 

 year ended August 31st last, and of the imports of a similar 

 character in the corresponding period of 1896-Q7. The chief 

 differences presented by a comparison of the figures for the 

 two periods may be briefly reviewed under the divisions of 

 meat, grain, and dairy produce. 



In the case of meat no noteworthy change is recorded 

 in the entries of live cattle and sheep in the past cereal year 

 compared with those of the preceding twelve months. There 

 was, how^ever, an increase of 286,000 cwts. in the supplies of 

 fresh beef and of 203,000 cwts. in those of fresh mutton. The 

 augmented imports of the former article were mainly due to 

 heavier shipments from the United States, our principal 

 purveyor of imported beef, while the larger receipts 

 of mutton were, for the most part, accounted for by 

 increased consignments from Argentina, whence we imported 

 1,023,000 cwts. as compared with 845,000 in 1896-97; the 

 entries of mutton from Australasia remained practically at the 

 same level in the two periods, viz., 1,980,000 cwts. Fresh pork is 

 a more prominent item in the trade accounts of the past season 

 owing to the increasing shipments of this article from the 

 United States. To the latter country we are also chiefly 

 indebted for the increase of 750,000 cwts. in the supplies of 

 bacon and hams. 



The figures relating to the imports of grain show a slight 

 increase in the imports of wheat, the quantity of this cereal, 

 in the form of grain and flour, imported during the past 

 year having been equivalent to 21,962,000 quarters, as 



