Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-25
as a balance to trade and prevent squeezes
of any duration.
England's Beef Bill.

| of any duration.
| England's Beef Bill.
| England. in normal year. buys about
| forty million dollars worth of fresh beei
from foreign countries. or over two-thirds
| Of the total consumption. When the price
| goes too high, however, for the wage-earn.
| ers to buy, they fall back on frozen mutton
| md frozen beef from Argentina and Aus
| ralfa, and, II needs be. do without. In or
| mary times the United States furnishes
. about IS per cent of the fresh beef i'm
| ported, trade which amounts to about
| thirty million dollars a year. There has
| been great shaking up during the era OF
! high prices, which has prevailed for months
| past, and the figures for the current year
| are awaited with great interest. They will
| snow just how far, In pinch, the English
| people can do without meat and will dem
| onstrate through importations, other than
| American, just how the meat dealers of the
United states have secured this trade by un-
dc rseliing the people who can only come in
| now when there is a shortage
| During the past fiscal year the United
| States exported about 800 600 head of 1--we
| cattle. as against 100000 head the year be-
| fore, difference of 10000 head During
| the past nscal year about 300, OO0, 900 pounds
| OF Iresh beef were exported, or over 80, 600, =
wv pounds less than the year preceding
| The past fiscal year, however covers more
than the period of real shortage, for it is
only In the past six months it has been
hSCihy IcII III many markets OF the
world which are supplied with America
beef.
Falling Of in Exports.
In June. 1901, for instance the United
| States sent out 80, 900 head of live cattle to
England, while in June, 1902, the receipts
mere from the same source were less than
2o,oOo head. In June. 1901, the United
States sent about $4,000, 900 pounds of fresh
beef to England, and in June, 1902, the re-
cefpts here from the same source were only
about O,0OO,OOO pounds AS England nor
many depends upon the United States for
| 20 per cent Of her beef it can readily be
| Imagined that such a decrease not only re-
suited In high prices, but in almost a fam
Inc among the poorer classes 1t might
| also be added that this condition Is one of
| the influences instrumental in bringing
about boom In the British colonial trade
| idea, for the politicians were forced to take
notice. 1t has also intensified the British
| dislike OF the so-cafled American trust Of
adj descriptions, boyle man which is a
| useful stage property for the sensational
| section of the English press.
| The beef sold in England this summer has
ranged in price by the carcass wholesale,
| from 10Y to 1872 cents per pound. The beef
| sent from the United States in 1901 was
valued in New York at 9h cents per pound
| and In 1902 at over II cents per pound. If
| the transportation and selling charges are
| added there is little profit shown at any
| time, and a considerable loss during the
for steamers are made in ffve-year terms
| and contracts for cattle and meat are made
months In advance: hence, any remarkable
| rise in price cannot be provided against, ex-
cept in the general averaging of the trade
of a year or OF several years.
American beef has been kept coming to
London at the expense of other English
ports and other foreign markets for 1t Is
| here that the American packers and ship
pers have spent the most money in building
up trade and invested the largest sums In
executive and handling facilities. It is to
the foreign cattle market at Deptford on
| the Thames, just below London, that the
American live cattle are sent to supply the
city.
Shortage Seriously Felt.
In March the shortage was first seriously
| felt. 1t amounted to about 1000 head or
10 per cent Of the receipts in March Of the
year before. In April the shortage was
again 1000 head. in May over 1900 head.
in June over 1000 head, in July nearly
| 1900 head and in August the same, and so
on up to the present time The loss in fresh
beef receipts at the great Smithffeld dead
meat market was about 5000 tons. What
these things mean to a city of nearly $780,
600 people. a vast majority of whom earn
| less than $40 per week to the family, and
who live from hand to mouth day by day,
can be more readily imagined than de-
scrfbed.
From no other source can England sup
ply this deficiency except in very small
degree. The United States ard Canada are
the only countries in the world sending live
cattle to England. as others are debarred
from sanitary reasons or by lack of trans
portation facilities. Argentina would send
some live cattle to England, but that she Is
prohibited owing to alleged cattle disease
at home. Argentina has. however, sent
more frozen beef to England this year than
she ever has before, live or dead weight.
Cattle From Argentine.
Since the high prices prevailed there has
been great pressure brought to bear upon
the English government to admit live cattle
from Argentina and 1t is expected the en-
barge will be removed early next year. The
belief Is general in England that there are
vast herds of cattle in Argentina ready to
be shipped as soon as restrictions are re-
moved, and that when this happens there
will be slump In the retail price Of beef.
The market. experts who have agents the
world over. say that this Is a wild exag
geration, and that while there would be
quite number OF cattle come from South
America, in time there would be no such
relief to the market as the people seem to
expect.
In the meantime the British public is full
minating against the alleged American
'meat trust and American chilled beef
from Chicago, st. Louis and Kansas City
Is sold as home killed by the local Eng
lish butchers. A well-known advertiser of
one of the big American firms recently said
that the high prices had been good thing
for the American trade in one way. for Eng
lish people were now eating American beef
and liking it VINO mad never before allowed
themselves to buy 1t. To let the people
know that it is American beef and to edu-
cate them to boldly ask for 1t as such, he
SAYS is now the problem in the trade, for it
is desired to take advantage OF the progress
made in its introduction into the best Eng
lish homes So far this advertiser is in de-
spair for he says that the only effective
scheme he can think of is to get the Prince
of Wales to walk down Pail Mall wearing
placard on his back which shall run the
legend: II eat American chilled beef"
Needless to say, even this enterprising
American sees no way of carrying his in
yasion of the British market to this point.
]. D. WHELPLEY.
Buried on Horseback.