522 
THE FOREIGN CATTLE MARKET. 
struck out of the schedule, and, so far as the Corporation were 
concerned, they had taken no action, directly or indirectly, in the 
matter. The question was a most important one, because it 
affected the food supply of the metropolis and the price of meat; 
and when they found statements made such as those which appeared 
in the letter to the Times , to the effect that in consequence of 
these restrictions the price of meat had gone up considerably, it 
behoved them to see whether there was any truth in those state¬ 
ments. From the opening of the market till now 2272 beasts 
had been landed at it. The number in the corresponding period 
last year that came from Germany was over 6000, so that there 
was a falling off of something like 4000 beasts in the three 
months. But there had been an increase of sheep—from 15,000 
to 44,000; and these came from France and Belgium, and not 
from Germany at all. The falling-off in the number of cattle had 
not been caused by the building of the new market—it had arisen 
from a desire to prevent beasts coming here with a view to induce 
the Government of this country to take off the restrictions which 
they had imposed. He would not express an opinion whether 
the restrictions should be taken off or not : it was a matter for the 
Government to consider whether they would let cattle come in 
free. He had no doubt the letter to the Times was written by 
the same gentleman who originated the paragraph in the Daily 
News: they seemed to come from the same source. He (Mr. 
Budkin) knew the influences which had been at work ; and the 
persons who had to do with the letter and the paragraph knew 
perfectly well when they wrote them that there was not a word of 
truth in them. They knew perfectly well that the Corporation 
had not applied, or thought of applying, for a bill, but it seemed 
to him the Corporation was to be made the stalking-horse for these 
regulations being taken off. 
There was another point to which he wished to allude. It was 
said the charges atHeptford were excessive. That had been carefully 
gone into between the Corporation and the Government, and they 
had calculated very closely indeed as to what would be anything 
like a recouping charge for the Corporation. They had calculated 
on the basis of the animals that came to this country last year, 
and if the same number of animals were to come they would, as 
near as possible, recoup themselves, without leaving anything as a 
margin, but they found that in the first three months there had 
been a falling-off of beasts. Therefore their charges were not 
excessive in the interest of the Corporation. He would now look 
at them in the interest of the public. Their charge for a bullock 
was 5 s., for sheep 9 d., for calves 2s. 6^., and for pigs 9 d. At 
Odam's wharf, where the whole of the 34,000 beasts came last 
year and were slaughtered—a place certainly not to be compared 
