276 
The Progress of Legislation against 
country were healthy than when disease prevailed, and further 
that when disease abounded there was a considerable increase in 
the importations. The tabulated extract given below from the 
official returns will most strikingly show the important value to 
be attached to the maintenance of health. In 1883 very serious 
losses were sustained from the prevalence of foot-and-mouth 
disease, but there was no appreciable loss from that disease after 
1884. Of pleuro-pneumonia there were 931 animals attacked 
in 1883, and 2,437 in 1887. In 1883 there were 11,225 swine 
attacked with swine fever, and 41,973 in 1887. Therefore the 
losses sustained with pleuro-pneumonia and swine fever were 
much moi’e severe in 1887 than in 1883, and as deaths from 
each of these diseases are about 80 per cent, of the animals 
attacked, there was a considerable sacrifice of animal food from 
these outbreaks. Nevertheless these, when compared with the 
losses arising from foot-and-mouth disease, sink into comparative 
insignificance : — 
Statement of the Quantities 
and Values of the 
Live Animals for 
Meat, and of Dead Meat, 
imported into the 
United Kingdom in 
the Years 1883 and 1887. 
1883 
1887 
Kum her 
Number 
Live cattle . . 
474,750 
. 295,261 
„ sheep 
. 1,116,115 
. 971,404 
„ pigs. 
. 38,863 
. 21,965 
Cwt. 
Cwt. 
Dead meat , 
. 6,050,148 
£ 
. 6,573,866 
£ 
Value of live animals 
. 11,983,754 
. 6,149,048 
„ of dead meat . 
. 16,254,064 
. 14,344,295 
28,238,718 
. 20,493,343 
This shows a national saving of 7,745,375/., notwithstanding 
that there had been an increase of about 1,250,000 in the popu- 
lation. 
The following statement will show the effect that foot-and- 
mouth disease had upon the wholesale price of meat, which, to 
the consumer, means much more, as the butcher calculates his 
profit upon the capital invested : — 
Average Prices of Imported Dead Meat. 
Beef, fresh, per cwt. 
„ salted „ 
Muttou, fresh „ 
Pork, fresh „ 
„ salted „ 
Bacon „ 
1883 
& s. a. 
2 1(5 2 
2 3 0 
2 18 10 
2 12 6 
1 18 8 
2 13 1 
1887 
& s. (I. 
2 5 0 
1 10 (5 
2 0 1 
2 0 4 
18 8 
2 2 2 
