Export of Meat from New Zealand. 517 



The latest return of the number of persons engaged in 

 agricultural and pastoral pursuits in 



Agricultural West Australia relate to the year 189;, 

 Population of 1 a . 

 West Australia, when the population so occupied num- 

 bered 11,843. Of this number, 5,755 

 males and 749 females were engaged principally in farming ; 



males and 212 females principally in dairying; 2,983 

 males and 1,205 females in pastoral pursuits, and 701 males 

 and 62 females in fruit farming and market gardening. 



[Statistical Register of Western Australia for 1S9J, published in iSqq.^ 



The shipments of frozen mutton and lamb from New Zea- 

 land in the year ending 31st March, 1899, 



Export of Frozen amoun t e d to 2,731,762 carcases, made up 

 Meat from New . ,/0 " ' \ 



Zealand- °i 1,618,422 mutton carcases and 



1, 1 13,340 lamb carcases valued together 

 at £1,347,733 ; the export in the preceding year was 

 2,995,204 carcases valued at £1,545,769. The decreased 

 exportation of the past season is stated to be due to the long 

 spell of dry weather, which had compelled owners to get rid 

 at the earliest opportunity of every sheep fit to freeze, as well as 

 those for boiling down ; they were, therefore, disposed of at 

 least a couple of months before the usual time and appeared 

 in the total for the previous year. The breeding of lambs for 

 freezing is receiving considerable attention, the breeds most 

 favoured for early maturity being Shropshires and South- 

 downs, though in some districts crosses from Shropshire rams 

 and Lincoln ewes are found to mature early. The quantity 

 of beef exported was 91,729 cwts. as compared with 69,494 

 cwts. in 1898 and 22,892 cwts. in the preceding year. The 

 whole of this beef was shipped from North Island, and a 

 further increase is looked for in the current season. 



