The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-03-07
PRICES HIGHER
I'LL OVER WORLD
Cost of Meat Advanced in Both
Producing and Consuming
Sections.
FIGURES ARE QUOTED
Show Increase in Fresh Meats Low
er Than in Case of Sailed
Variety.

WASHINGTON, d. c.. March T.
Meat prices have advanced In all the
principal producing and consuming
sections Of the worlc. according TO
compilations Just made by the Bu-
reau OF Statistics of the Department of
Commerce and Labor. The figures
which the Bureau has compiled con-
Eist chiefly OF the export prices of the
principal meat-exrorting countries of
the world and the import and quoted
wholesale prices In the chief meat-im-
porting and consuming countries.
The chief meat-exporting countries
are Australia, New Zealand, Argen-
tina. Canada and the United States;
and the chief meat-inlporting coun-
tries. the United Kingdom, German
and. In less degree. the other Euro
pean countries. All of the fneat-ex-
porting countries show higher prices
per pound in their exports in recent
years than those of a decade ago. ana
all OF the meat-importing countries
show higher rates In their import
figures nnd IN the current market quo
tations
Curiously. the advance In fresh
meats 10 less than that in sailed ana
preserved meats. and in nearly all
cases the advance in beef Is less than
that In pork or mutton. The fact that
the percentage of advance In prices
OF fresh meats, especially those ex-
ported in the chilled or frozen state,
has not been as great as that OF
sailed or preserved meats is supposed
10 be due, In part at least. to the re-
ductions made during the past decade
In the cost of chilling or freezing and
transporting meats Of this class. and
10 the increased supply of fresh meats
In European markets resulting from
tho growth of the system. On the
other hand, prices OF fresh mutton
have advanced more than those of
fresh beef. the reason being, pre-
sumably, in part ct least, the com
peratively slow growth In the world g
supply of sheep and the consequent
advance in price of weci.
Bureaus Methods Simple.
The method employed by the Blu
reau of Statistics In determining the
export and import prices OF meats In
the various countries is a compara-
lively simple one. II takes from the
pfficial statistics of the countries ex-
porting or importing considerable
quantities of meats the stated guam
titles of meat exported or imported
and the stated value of the same, and
by dividing quantity into value deter
mines the average export or import
price per pound.
Considering more In detail the
price movements in the various coun-
tries. statistics of exports from Aus
traiia indicate. in the case OF peer
preserved by cold process an advance
In export price from s6,23 per ie5
pounds to $40 In f99s. mutton and
tarlb, from s2.S2 per 100 pounds In
1899 to s6.47 in 1908, an advance OF
per cest. in price of fresh beef. and
Of practically 10 per cent. In that OF
mutton and lamb. Similar conditions
ara disclosed by the statistics OF ex-
ports of meats from New Zealand.
which cover period from 1895 to
1898. The average export price or
frozen beef has In that period risen
from s4.53 per 100 pounds to $e.22:
that Of frozen lamb. from s6.o9 To
$S157s and that of frozen mutton, from
4 f4sS7 to szss0. an advance In average
export price Of IL per cent. In the
case OF frozen beef, ~ Ia per cent IN
that of frozen lamb. and nearly 30
per cent. in that of frozen mutton
exported from New Zealand. Mean
time the average export price OF
frozen rabbits has decreased from
t3.s7 per 100 pounds in 1897 TO 1913
in 1908. In Argentina the export
periodically fixed by the government
as n basis OF trade valuations. OF
frozen beef the slater export price
for fs87-isss was sl.75 per 100
pounds. for 1ao6-1ses, ss.as: OF
frozen mutton. FOR lssT-ss. $f.7s per
100 pounds. for iao0-1sos. $3.50; and
Of 3erked beef. for 1897. se.9s per
100 pounds. and In 1908, $500 pes
100 pounds. an advance In the period
from 1877 to 19na az $50 per cent In
price ~ frozen beef. IL per cent, in
that ct ierked beef. and lee per cent
IN that of frozen mutton. From
Canada the value or fresh beef eN-
-nnrfs nfvaMced rom an annual aver
+ age ~ SIC per pound In 1898. to Sc
IN 1909: that OF mutton from sic
per pounds in 1898, to 11.2c In 1908;
Y,ork from a.sc per pounds In 1893
Ia DC In 1909; and of butter frorn
Is.1c per pounds In 1898. to 24c In
1903.
All the European cities show. wher-