The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-05-08
AMERICAN BEEF BARRED.
English Army officials to Buy Home
Raiscd Cattle.

The State Department has received Il
long communication from Joseph Fl.
Choate. Ambassador to Great Britain. in
response to instructions to investigate the
extent and effect of the discontinuance of
the use of foreign beef by the British
army. The report shows that the notice
of the army contract office, issued April 3.
excludes from army use for six months.
from June / next. all foreign beef of every
description whether imported dead or
slaughtered in Great Britain. \ digest of
Mr.. Choate's report follows:
DIR. Wray, inspector of American cat
tie. appointed by the Department of Agri-
culture who has investigated the subject,
is of opinion that the order. when carried
into effect, will not result in a great or
any considerable loss to exporters Of
American beef or cattle, for the reason
that the domestic supply of beef for all
purposes in Great Britain and Ireland is
so limited that, whatever beef may. by
the new ruling and notice, be shut out
from army use, will necessarily be alb
sorBed by tie general market. There Is
no oversupply now.
1.-The annual report of the British Board
of Agriculture for 1899 shows the total
number of home bred cattle in the United
and heifers, 1852, coo: other cattle. 4,O7s, 600
Assuming the 4.e7s000 to be all that are
properly available for slaughter. they
would furnish something less than one OK
or one bullock for each ten persons of the
population, ii the population amounts to
100000
The same report of the Department of
Agriculture states that this domestic sup
ply amounts to III beef cattle fer each
1000 persons of the population. From these
figures Dr.. Wray thinks it clear that
whatever beef the army may draw on
the local markets, an equivalent will have
to be furnished from abroad for the gen.
eral market The quantity of beef i'm
ported from the United States and Canada
(Which Is equally affected by the ruling
and notice. is very large, and is increas-
ing every year. and is brought to Eng
land only to supply the demand, or the
aggregate consumption; so that according
to the views of DIR. Wray, and many ex-
porters whom he has consulted there is
no cause to apprehend any direct injury
to the American trade. If these views are
correct, the great probability is that it
will not be practicable to enforce the new
rule for even the six months for which
the experiment is proposed to be made.
and the contractors. in order to ill their
army contracts with the requisite guam
THY of beef of good quality will have to
be permitted to furnish imported meat.
DIR. Wray Il equally emphatic In ex-
pressing his opinion the operation of
the new order is not likely to increase the
existing prejudice against imported Amer
lean beef, and 50 to work indirect loss
to our exporters He has been informed
at the army contract Office that the rea-
son for making the new order is not be-
cause of any prejudice. either on the part
of the War Office authorities or among
the officers and soldiers of the army, who
are TO be fed, but solely to try and meet
complaints from British farmers, especial
ly in the immediate neighborhoOd of the
places where the army authorities pur-
chase and require delivery. that they are
shut out by the foreign article"