FLOCKS OF THE WORLD.

Putaruru Press, Volume IV, Issue 129, 22 April 1926, Page 6

FLOCKS OF THE WORLD.

A HUGE SHRINKAGE. Survey of Sources of Supply. Sheep production in the world is undergoing a very interesting and important change. As a world industry, the general trend of sheep k and wool production seems to be receding; in some countries though, notably Australia, U.S.A,, Uruguay, Argentine and .New Zealand, phases of breeding operations are expanding. In the last 15 years, world production of sheep has decreased 89,000,000 head or more than the normal sheep population of leading country, Australia. Beeently, Armour J s Live Stoek Bureau, conducted by Lieutenant-Colonel Edw. N.* Wentworth, completed a study of world sheep production, and Colonel Wentworth gives as the explanation for the decline in sheep population the fact that surplus sheep production has always been a frontier industry. The average farmer has been unable to meet the costs of production made necessary by range methods of the past. Within the last 15 years it has been apparent that the frontiers of the world are becoming more and more settled, with a corresponding decline in the extensive method of sheep production, future expansion in world sneep population will undoubtedly depend on the inc-ofporation of a‘small flock into the farm livestock project, according to Colonel Wentworth. , The survey of the sheep industry disclosed that in proportion to human population, New Zealand has more sheep than any other nation; with Australia and Uruguay following. The United States ranks 14th. Naturally, then, New Zealand is the leading exporting country for mutton and lamb, it having sold for foreign account more than 300,000,000 pounds of mutton in 1924. The United States is seventh as an exporting nation, having sold upward of 1500,0001 b of mutton last year. Great Britain is easily the largest importer of mutton and lamb, taking from ■25 to 50 times as much mutton annually as its nearest importing competitor, Erance. Belgium is third United States fourth with 2,166,000 pounds. Another interesting feature, brought out by this survey, is that since the war the world production of wool has t>een approximately two and one-half "billion pounds, almost one billiou pounds under the pre-war average. Production in the various countries in 1923 was as follows: — lbs. Europe produced 696,000,000 Australia-New Zealand .. 670,000,000 South America 443,000,000 North America ' 282,429,000 Asia 250,320,000 Africa 247,265,000 y Among individual countries, Aus- ' Iralia produced the greatest amount of wool, Argentina was se-

cond, with 270,000,000, United States third, 266,000,000. The exports of fine wool, for clothing and combing, in 1924., again showed Australia’s prominence in the industry, when that country shipped 709,000,000 pounds. Argentina was second, with about half that amount, while the United States exported relatively nothing. Indea leads in the exporting of carpet wool, having shipped 45,528,000 pounds last year, wrth China ranking second with 47,744,000 pounds. British South Africa and New Zealand are increasing rapidly in exports of coarse wool, while Spain and Uruguay sure decreasing rapidly. Persia has also been falling off! materially in the wool trade, while China is gaining. The principal markets for imports of wool are five, and they account for abont 85 per cent, of wool imported in the world trade. Last year the importation into tho United Kingdom was 914,000,000 pounds, .of which 368,000,000 pounds were re-exported. France imported 460,000,000 pounds, and re-exported 46,000,000 pounds; the United States imported 334,000,000, and re-exported 11,000,00; Germany imported 279,000,000, and re-exported 3,700, Belgium imported 210,000,000, and re-exported 107,000,000 pounds. While wool production is rather widely distributed, large wool consumption seems to be concentrated in five countries, according to the following calculations from the Department of Commerce which were cited by Colonel Wentworth. The United States, during the period 1920 to 1923, consumed 593,000.0001 b; the United Kingdom 587,00tv<0 0 pounds;- France 455,000,000 pounds Germany 287,000,000 pounds. Belgium 105,000,000 pounds. Of the apparent consumption in the United States, the net domestic production was 270,000,000 pounds. It is quite apparent that the war has had a serious effect upon the consumption of wool in France and Germany, both of them having consumed relatively less than they did during the pre-war period. Belgium retains about the same position.