437 



IMPORTS OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE 

 IN 1897. 



The following statement, which has been compiled from the 

 Trade and Navigation Returns, shows the quantities and values 

 of the principal articles of agricultural produce imported into 

 the United Kingdom during the past year compared with 

 the similar imports for 1896. The total value of the 

 receipts at British and Irish ports of the various products 

 enumerated amounted in 1897 to £158,000,000; an 

 increase of £6,000,000 over the sum represented by the cor- 

 responding consignments of the preceding year. The Trade 

 Accounts of 1897 exhibit no interruption in the general 

 tendency towards expansion in the volume of foreign and 

 colonial food products directed to the ports of this country ; 

 but there was a decided contraction in the supplies of wheat 

 and some other varieties of grain. This is a feature of some 

 interest in connection with the improvement experienced 

 in the price of cereals during the past twelve months, and 

 will be referred to hereafter. At this stage it will be conve- 

 nient to notice briefly the changes which have occurred in the 

 quantities and values in the several groups of imports of the 

 same class. 



The supply of imported meats of all kinds, live 

 and dead, excluding rabbits, amounted in 1897 to about 

 19,263,000 cwts., of the value of £38,205,000, whereas in the 

 previous year the corresponding imports were approxi- 

 mately 17,607,000 cwts., valued at £34,789,000. Of fresh 

 beef, on the hoof and in carcase, about 7,916,000 cwts. 

 were received. This was an increase of nearly 717,000 cwts. 



