488 



PRICES OF LIVE STOCK. 



[March 1896. 



and tlie market authorities of Wakefield, though showing a 

 few cases of weighing, stand in the exceptional position 

 of being altogether unable to supply any record of prices. 

 The returns from Asbford, Birmingham, and York also 

 continue very insignificant, while sufficient and comparable 

 returns of transactions for the purpose of establishing the 

 local course of prices can, as in 1894, be only quoted for the 

 four markets of Liverpool, London, Newcastle, and Shrewsbury, 

 and from the Scotch markets of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, 

 and Perth. The quotations from Glasgow having only become 

 satisfactory during the last half of 1895 cannot be included in 

 the yearly averages, but they are shown in the detailed tables 

 for the fourth quarter of the year, where they will be found 

 to agree generally with those of neighbouring markets ; 

 although, like Edinburgh, Liverpool, and Newcastle,- the quota- 

 tions are practically confined to the two higher grades of 

 quality. 



As previously shown, the local classing of the stock sold 

 according to quality displays considerable irregularity of practice, 

 so that the quotations of the extreme range of prices in each grade 

 do not offer information of much comparative value. It is, 

 however, permissible, as on former occasions, to obtain some- 

 thing of the nature of an annual average price for each of the 

 eight above-named markets, by dividing the total price entered 

 under each grade by the total weight. These figures, which 

 exclude all quotations relating to store cattle separately dis- 

 tinguished, furnish at least a more satisfactory basis for the 

 current market value of cattle in Great Britain than are available 

 in other form in this country. For the two past years the 

 averages calculated as explained stand as in the following 

 table : — 



Places. 



Inferior or Third 

 Quality. 



Good or Second 

 Quality. 



Prime or First 

 Quality. 



1895. 



1894. 



1895. 



1894. 



1895. 



1894. 



England : 

 Liverpool 



Per Cwt. 

 s. d. 



Per Cwt. 

 s. d. 



Per Cwt. 

 s. d. 

 27 10 



Per Cwt. 

 s. d. 



28 4 



Per Cwt. 

 s. d. 



S3 8 



Per Cwt. 

 s. d, 

 32 4 



LoBdon - 



29 6 



26 4 



34 4 



34 0 



38 0 



38 6 



Newcastle 







33 0 



34 0 



35 4 



35 4 



Shrewsbury - 



25 10 



24 8 



30 6 



28 2 



33 10 



32 0 



Scotland : 

 Aberdeen 



25 3 



24 6 



32 9 



32 3 



36 8 



36 3 



Dundee - 



27 3 



26 2 



33 2 



31 10 



35 3 



34 2 



Edinburgh 



28 7 



26 6 



34 6 



33 4 



35 1 



34 8 



Perth - 



31 10 



80 4 



33 5 



32 1 



35 11 



34 4 



The rates thus ascertained per live cwt. are in the case of 

 third quality cattle in every instance slightly higher in 1895 



