Dec. 1895.] LIVE STOCK TRADE OF QUEENSLAND. 291 



Of the seven million cattle in the colony, owned by 20,859 

 persons, 6,610,470, or' 94 ,per cent., were the property of 2,820 

 proprietors only, or an average of 2,344 to each owner ; on the 

 other hand, the remaining 402,527 were divided amongst 18,039 

 persons, giving an average of 22 head to each. 



Queensland being essentially the chief cattle-producing colony 

 in Australasia, the disposal of the surplus beyond requirements 

 for local consumption is necessarily of primary importance. 

 The southern colonies for many years afforded no inconsiderable 

 outlet for the sale of live cattle, but this means of disposal has 

 lately become very restricted. Increased production of beef and 

 mutton, especially the latter^ and a change in fiscal policy in 

 some of the southern colonies, were amongst the causes which 

 helped to render tlie neighbouring markets less open to the 

 admission of Queensland cattle. How much the causes men- 

 tioned affected the disposal of cattle and sheep in the localities 

 referred to may be gathered from the fact that there were 

 50,000 less cattle and 6,000 less sheep exported alive across the 

 border in 1894 than in the previous year. 



With regard to sheep, the comparative loss of the southern 

 markets is not perhaps such an important matter, as their clip 

 is a readily available income won within the colony, and their 

 numbers, as yet, are believed to be in no way approximate to 

 the carrying capacity of the pasture available in fair seasons ; 

 but with respect to horned cattle the matter is different: 

 increasing numbers involve additional expense without a corre- 

 sponding increment from their sale. Thus additional importance 

 is lent to the question of means for their disposal. 



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