St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-05-14
ENGLISH CATTLE TRADE.

News comes from England of agita-
ton over the restrictions at present inn
posed on the free importation of foreign
cattle. A number of years ago, when
pleuro-pneumOnia made Its appearance
III some Of our Eastern states, the privy
council promulgated an order, on SAM
tary grounds, fOroidding the entrance
into England Of live cattle from Amer
lea unless they were in a condition for
immediate slaughter and inspection.
Feeders, as they are called with us, or
store cattle, as the English call them,
were rigidly excluded, Oh the theory,
real or pretended, that if they were
diseased the native herds might become
infected through contact with them,
and serious loss might fall in this way
on the English grazing interests. If
there ever was any reason for this regu-
latiOn it has long since been removed,
but the regulation is still in force. The
only sort Of American meat which is al
lowed to make its way into the English
market Is the meat dressed on this
side of the Atlantic or that which
comes in the shape of cattle already
fattened, and which are killed as
soon as they are landed. No bulls
or heiferS intended for breeding pur-
poses can effect an entrance under any
circumstances. The curious feature
about all this is that no such embargo
exists against Irish or Canadian cattle.
These come i'll any form they please,
under the pretenSe that there is no fear
of faint from these quarters. Now, dur
ing the years covered by this state of
things, there has been marked falling
off In the number of COWS raised i'll Eng
land, and no increase whatever i'll the
number of those raised in Canada; while
in the United States the ratio of cattle to
population was 6l TO 100 in 1870, and is
now 81 to 100. The competition of
American breadStutfS has notOriouslv
affected the prosperity of the British
farmer. but the hope has been cherished
there that the home grazing business
would maintain its Importance, and
while the cheaper grades of meat might
be brought from the United States
prime beef and mutton sufficient for
English consumption would always be
supplied by native farmers. The COM
plant, however, is now made that such
is not the case, and that the future has
still more unpleasant things in store in
this direction also. The English farmer,
1t is alleged, does not raise cattle enough
to satisfy the English market, be-
cause his supply of heifers is cur
tailed by the determinations against the
importation of live cows from America.
TO which reference has been made. The
imnnrf INNS from Canada ~,
there is no such restriction, are almost
entirely in the shape of feeders. These
are bought at large prices by the En-
gliSh farmers, who take them to their
farms and fatten them for the SHAMELESS.
But enough do not come from this
source to fill the need, and the consumer
is forced to fall back. even against his
will, on dressed beef from America or
on that of fatted cattle killed on their
debarkation. There is good deal of
profit to the native farmer in fattenlug
f0reign-bred cattle, if he could only GET
them for the purpose, but Canada can
not send all that are wanted, and the
United States are not permitted to send
any. 1t would be better for the English
consumer if the fattening could be done
in England, because, for some reason or
other, they are able to do this cheaper
than with us. And at the same time
1t would be better for us if we
could send our feeders on ship
board to England rather than the fatted
cattle. because. the fatted cattle are
heavier. of course, and are more deli
cate, and require greater care while on
the way. All these things add to the
cost of transportation, and while part of
this is borne by the foreign purchaser.
the losses, should anything adverse
happen during the Journey, fall OH us.
1t is rather hard to tell whether the ex-
clusion to which we are subjected is
due to a sincere fear of the introduction
OF pleuro-pneumonia or whether tins is
only a preteXt to cover species of pro-
lection. In either case it works adj
verSely to everybody, and is quite I'M
necessary and undesirable. There is