460 



FOREIGN OFFICE REPORTS. 



[March 1896. 



All live stock intended for exportation will be required to 

 pass eight days in the Company's yards, the tariff and rules for 

 wliich are to be submitted for the approval of the Minister of 

 Commerce. 



After defining the circumstances under which the Company 

 may go into liquidation, the law reserves to the State a right 

 of pre-emption on a valuation of the premises and buildings. 

 The concession cannot be withdrawn from the Company except 

 by an order from the Council of Ministers, and then only on 

 proof being furnished of failure to comply with the provisions 

 of the Act. 



The Cattle and Meat Trade of Belgium. 



The Board have received from the Foreign Office a copy of a 

 memorandum prepared by Mr. G. R. de Courcy Perry, Her 

 Majesty's Consul- General at Antwerp, on the subject of the 

 cattle and meat trade of Belgium. The last agricultural sta- 

 tistics were taken in Belgium in 1880, when the number of 

 cattle and sheep amounted to 1,382,815 and 365,400 head 

 respectively. The figures quoted below show the importation 

 for consumption of cattle and sheep and of fresh meat into 

 Belgium during the years 1891 to 1894 inclusive, and the 

 exports of Belgian cattle, sheep, and meat in the same periods : — 





Cattle. 





1894. 



1893. 



1892. 



1891. 



Importation 



Exportation - - - 

 Excess of importation 

 over exportation 



No. 



55,653 

 1,184 



54,469 



No. 



120,810 

 1,102 



119,708 



No. 



68,607 

 3,249 



65,358 



N-o. 



104,913 

 4,781 



100,132 





Sheep. 



Importation 

 Exportation 



Excess of importation 

 over exportation 



No. 



193,395 

 7 



193,388 



No. 



199,558 

 318 



199,240 



No. 



190,136 

 8,886 



181,250 



No. 



204,621 

 7,276 



197,345 





Fresh Meat. 



Importation 



Exportation - - - 

 Excess of importation 

 over exportation 



Cwts. 

 414,543 

 889,498 



25,045 



Cwts. 

 254,434 

 241,882 



12,552 



Cwts. 

 .535,052 

 359,955 



175,097 



Cwts. 



499,066 

 343,239 



155,846 



