COLONIAL WOOL AND MEAT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1060, 24 February 1911, Page 8

COLONIAL WOOL AND MEAT.

ASTfi «OMMEXTS BY , .THE MAIL. • Tho.:total .import of -colonial wool into tho United Kingdom during the past year was 1,721,330 bales, as against 1,735,893 in tbo previous year. Tho direct shipment* from tbo colonics to tho Continent and U.S.A. were i;0(i6,500. bales in I'JIO, as against MU.OOO in 1001».' Of the year's import, 937,000 bales woro landed in London in transit to various-manufacturing centres, as against 910,000 in 1900. About 349,000 bales were taken henco for France, Germany, Belgium, . U.S.A., Austria, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, Russia,'etc:, in competition with tho home'trade, who have tnus taken considerably.' inbro than half of the quantity sold.- . " Messrs. Jacomb, • Son, and Co., in their report, state that South African wools throughout tho year have met an even rdarkQt and varied littlo from series to series, that is for tho combing sorts, and theso showed / further improvement in breeding and gct-np. Several high-class clips w.cre noticed during the earlier part of tho year, and created a very favourable impression. ■ Queensland shows a well-grqwn stanle of fine quality, and mostly in good condition. South and .West Australia aro both producing a splendid warp wool, long and sound, and on the whole'up to last year; but JseiV South wools are generally: b'f shorter giSwtli .tha.n tbo Iv&b clio, .and tbg proportion being-, heavier than usual,'while Victorians aro in ■ similar case, though a'bettor and sounder clip seems likely .frbiu'.tho- splendid • woolgrowing' country of •. the Western District. •■.-,, 'Tho "LivOi Stock Journal"'to. hand, by the mail:comments,on the import, statistics, as follows!—"In connedrWn with tho importation statistics v there cro some P3ints.woi!th,v_oLjiotice..Tho_lower prices for commercial .cattle .•cnrards tho close 'of 'fhe"j ; car"'afo*'d6ubtltss"nssociated with' the increased imnorts, and these again were stimulated by the higher • valuc3 current dbring tho greater iiart of 1910. Notonly did ~tho •Argentine enlarge its output, but Australia became a considerable exporter df,becf.,,ltiisaiot, perhiips, generally 'realised that Australia, sent, us SOG.OOOcwt. ef -beef; 'aiaihst- 560,000cwt. from tho.United States; 'whilo.tho Argen-tine-contribution Was nearly four and a half million civt. • The. centre- of'competition is evidently, therdforo, shifting from the'north to tho south, of ..the American continent, and the livo cattle trado. from tho .former is-also-gradually-declining. •In eleven-months of lOOSlthe livo cattle imported from t'io Tinit'ed States and .Canada! ruimborejl 354,912, and'in 1910 tho number had declined to 153,009,. whilosheep'dropped, from 74,057. to ' 427. It seems nat too much to conclude that tho British agriculturist may keep his mind easy in future as regards imports of'living animals; Tho 'countries that possess' what ussd to bo regarded, as the privilege -of sending them do not seem to think it worth'whilo to, retain it, and, so far;as imports aro. Concerned,: tho !indicatio"ns are that tho trado in carcasses will at no 'distant date entirely, supersedo tho other. As the,live trade in fat stock disappears tho menace of tho imported storo liusi-. ncs? must,go;with it, so that increased confidence,'! should be; drawn from ~ this fact. .''There Can be little, doubt, -too,' that' very much of!.the Argentine meat does not compete directly with home fed, and the poorer classes therefore are now receiving the benefit of. cheap meat, which was impossible under former conditions. The wonderful expansion of the. imported meat frade i?,'of course, a f.erions matter for the homa*iiroduc6ri,'and will have to be fated on its" merits; but tho gradual and natural extinction of tho sea-borno live stock trade is reassuring, -and the only plan is to make 1 quality better, so that there can bo no possible coinnarison between tbo,home meat and the imported."/ ■. '•:■?... .„-:• :.->..■-~r~:-.