Omaha daily bee., 1895-09-10
AUSTRALIAN CATTLE COMPETITION

AUSTRALIAN CATTLE COMPETITION
The cattle ralscrs OF this country win
be Interested in some facts presented
by the National Provisloner relating TO
the cattle production Of the Australian
colonies and their future possible COM
petition with the United States In sup
plying the European markets. This
country has now TO contend with the
discriminative policy OF several
European governments against its cat
tie, and If in addition thereto 1t must
hereafter encounter a formidable COM
petition from Australia the question of
maintaining our cattle-raising interest,
to say nothing of increasing it, may be-
come serious one.
According to information obtained
from a gentleman identified with the
States is in no danger of competition
from that direction with its hog prod
ucts. The raising of hogs in Aus
tralia is no more than sufficient for the
home demand and until more corn is
grown there at much lower rate than
relatively small scale and with refer
ence only to home consumption. But
the raising of cattle and sheep is
steadily expanding interest and is as
suming proportions which promise to
enable that region to supply Europe
with considerable part of its beef and
mutton. There is no finer cattle coun-
try in the world than Queensland, the
largest of the Australian colonies,
while New South Wales is a great
sheep-raising region. While there is at
present an enormous difference in the
extent of cattle raising here and in
Australia and it must be years before
the latter shall reach our cattle pro-
duction, if it ever does, still the eX-
portable quantity from Australia may
in few years become so large as to
be very serious competition. 1t Is
stated that at present the meat prod
ucts of Australia available for export
are, as to the home consumption, some
where about two 10 one, whereas in
America the total export of beef and
cattle does not represent more than
one-twelfth of the annual surplus. The
United States exports some $50, 600 tons
of beef alive and dead annually.
Queensland can increase her beef eX-
ports by 10000 tons annually and New
South Wales can increase her mutton
exports by 25,O00 tons. OF course this
country has an advantage in the matter
of transportation, but this may be
overcome by the lower cost of raising
cattle and sheep in Australia.
The gentleman quoted by the Pro
visioner said: "Once we succeed in
putting our meat on the English mar
ket, alive and refrigerated, it is abSo-
lutely impossible for the States to com
pete with Australia" 1t is not alone
from this source that American cattle
growers have to look for competition.
Argentina is pushing forward in this
direction, as in the production of wheat
and corn, and cattle from that country
is finding its way to the European mar
kets, not on an extensive scale as yet,
but enough to indicate what the future
may bring about. With our great home
market alone absorbing eleven-twelfths
now of the cattle produced, this interest
will continue to be large and important,
but the indications appear to be that
it will not be greatly Increased through
the engagement uf exports. Indeed it
seems probable that we shall do well if
we maintain the present volume of eX-
ports of cattle and beef.