EUROPE'S NEED OF CATTLE

Taranaki Daily News, 4 October 1917, Page 8

EUROPE'S NEED OF CATTLE

- LORD HARCOUR.T'S PESSIMISM, j Speaking in the House of Lords, Lord Harcourt recently said that while he was acting as President of the Board of Trade, in lftlfi, ho acquired information which caused him the greatest anxiety in regard to the meat supply. "After the war there would be a world scarcity of meat—almost a world famine. Germany, Belgium and Holland were faced with a post-war deficit of 8,000,000 head of cattle, and Denmark, Austria, Serbia and Roumania another 8,000,000. Europe, therefore, would seek to import from lfl,000,000 to 20,000,00 head of cattle. Britain only 00 per cent, of the meat consumed. He was himself so impressed with the seriousness of the position last year that he sought to arrange a scheme for securing a supply of chilled meat which would be ample for Britain for ?everal years after the war." Considering that there are numerous conntries with huge herds of cattle practice ?.lly untapped, and that it only wants a few -years with good bulls to increase the weight of these by 25 per cent, at least, the anxiety need not be so great. The following countries with large herds of cattle or with big immediate possibilities have so far hardly been scratched! —Brazil, lUruguay, Paraguay, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rhodesia, China, Venezuela and Natal. These countries, with numerous others, should keep Europe well supplied with beef. Again, Argentina, Australia and Xew Zealand by the end of the war should have a very large beef reserve, as at the present time none of 'these countries are shipping all their supplies. Again Great Britain, who supplies licrself in normal times with about 05 per cent, of her meat, will liava learned 'ohe lesson of economy; there will not be so.much waste, and possibly she will 'supply herself with 75 per cent, of her requirements. Again, horse-llesh is not to be despised, and many millions of these are killed in South America alone simply for thefir hides. We do not shar« Lord Harcourti's pessimism.—Pastoral' Review.