486 



PRICES OF LIVE STOCK. 



[March 1896. 



PRICES OF LIVE STOCK AS RETURNED UNDER THE. 

 WEIGHING OF CATTLE ACTS. 



Returns of prices are now available for three complete years 

 under the Markets and Fairs (Weighing of Cattle) Act, 1891.. 

 These statements show the number of animals entering the 

 markets or auction marts of the 19 places scheduled by the- 

 Statute, together with the number whereof the live weights 

 were ascertained, and the current prices per live stone or live 

 cwt. calculated. The three years' statistics make the total number 

 of cattle, sheep, and swine reported to the Board as entering, as 

 weighed, and as priced, respectively, within the scheduled places 

 as under : — 



Animals. 



1895. 



1894. 



1893. 



Cattle : 



Entering markets - - - 

 Weighed _ - _ _ 

 Prices returned . _ _ 

 Prices returned with breed and quality 

 distinguished. 



No. 

 1,186,149 

 100,033 

 88,403 

 64,072 



No. 



1,203,533 

 96,344 

 84,593 

 58,559 



No. 



1,219,208 

 92,492 

 84,403 

 57,323 



Sheep : 



Entering marl^ets - - - 

 Weighed , . . _ 

 Prices returru^d with breed and quality 

 distinguii-lied. 



4,330,256 

 34,886 

 23,577 



4,649,277 

 39,210 

 26,072 



4,854,732 

 38,177 

 28,180 



Swine : 



Entering markets - - - 

 Weighed _ - - _ 

 Prices returned _ - - 

 Prices returned with breed and quality 

 distinguishecl. ■ 



233,189 

 2,803 

 1,226 

 17 



139,187 

 2,498 

 523 

 56 



191,376 

 1,450 

 401 

 6 



The table sliows the slow, but nevertheless distinct growth of 

 the practice of weighing cattle in British markets. Over 100,000 

 head of cattle were weighed in 1895, against 92,000 in 1893, 

 although the total number of cattle shown was less in the later 

 year. Takiog the country as a whole, the proportion remains^ 

 however, remarkably small, not quite per cent, passing over 

 the weighbridge. Of this quota, however, the local prices were 

 last year supplied in 64,000 cases in such form as to provide 

 the basis for a record of transactions which may be expected to 

 year by year become of increasing comparative value. 



As previously pointed out, the weighbridge is far more largely 

 resorted to in the cattle trade of Scotland than in that of 

 England, where the producers have shown thetnselves less 

 anxious than the northern farmers to make use of the facilities 



