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now so carefully prepared and brought so free from, bruises or other injury
as to be more than ever in competition with the home-grown cattle; but as,
against this, they have themselves to face competitors of no mean order in
the productions of the great plains of Canada, the presence of which, in
such large numbers of excellent quality on our English markets, is one of
the best features of the year, and the most reliable information is to the effect
that notwithstanding the comparatively low prices realised they will increase
in number and improve in quality.
Some of the effects of the prolonged drought in Australia are still apparent
in the poorly nourished beef which has found its way to the English market
from that quarter, and much of the Australian mutton has also fallen far short
of what we consider it ought to be, but meat producing is a matter requiring
time, and, already, we have the earnest that our Australian Colonies are not
going to be left out in the cold, as shown by the presence on this market of
the very finest lot of lambs we have yet seen from Melbourne; if they can
find them in continuity as good as these, our New Zealand breeders will have
all their work cut out to maintain their precedence.
The quantity of fresh meat from Denmark has been less than previous years.
There has been some pork from Russia which has come in generally good
condition and met a fair trade, also some beef, but of the latter it can only
be said that if what we have seen is a fair sample of Russian beef it is hardly
likely to be greatly appreciated in this country.
On the 15th April, 1903, an important measure was put into force by the
Nether land Government with the object of preventing the export to this
country of any doubtful meat from Holland.
In 1902 Dr. Poels was sent from the Netherlands to make enquiries
respecting our method of meat inspection, and the system now adopted in
Holland is the result of his report. The details of the scheme now in
operation in that country are fully described in the Netherland Royal Decree
of 21st November, 1902, and in a Ministerial Order dated 31st December of
that year, which are too lengthy for reproduction here. Briefly, it amounts
to this: pending legislation of a compulsory character, the Netherland
Government have introduced a system of voluntary inspection and marking
by Government officials, at a very small chai'ge, of all meat intended for export.
This has been attended with a considerable measure of success so far as the
larger and better class of Dutch dealers are concerned, only the smaller
merchants not availing themselves of the opportunity of having their
goods inspected.
An attempt was made to induce all the steamship companies carrying
Dutch produce to this country to refuse to convey any meat not officially
marked. Unfortunately one company—the Great Eastern—demurred, and the