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113
It must not be inferred from this that there is any sign of an era of dearer
meat close at hand; the Canadian supply has again been heavy, though it can
hardly be said there has been much improvement in quality, there have been
various indications that we shall ere long have an importation of Canadian beef
so large as to make us independent of the United States. Meanwhile,
all the world seems anxious to sell us beef, one Company, consisting largely of
English carcase butchers, is formed to import cattle from Roumania, while
another, got up by persons who appear to be authorities in Mexico, proposes
to send us chilled beef from thence, and professes its ability to supply us at a
cheaper rate than Argentine, pointing out also that its productions should
arrive in better condition, as the sea journey is so much shorter. It would
be premature at present to say anything as to either of these, but the names
of those who "make things go" appear in connection with both, and it seems
by no means unlikely that both the above.named sources of supply will form
the subject of comment in next year's Report.
The further diminution in the proportion of home.grown meat passing
through the Central Market referred to above makes the ratio approximately
one part of British to four of foreign, or rather sea.borne meat, and even this
does not represent the whole of the facts, inasmuch as many large customers
are now supplied with foreign produce from the Cold Air Stores or direct
from the ship. This condition of things may well furnish a subject for the
thoughtful, and it is devoutly to be hoped some means will be devised of
galvanising our home producers into activity before home.grown meat has
become a negligible factor in the London Market.
The Canadian cattle have been mostly large framed animals, "ranch
trotters," not well made up nor overburdened with quality, yet furnishing a
lot of nutritious food, and, on account of the small proportion of fat, free
from the objection of " wastefulness."
It would scarcely be possible in this Report to avoid some reference to the
scare caused early in the year by the publication of some "blood.thrilling"
statements as to the condition of things existing in the American stockyards
and slaughterhouses, especially as, in order to reassure the British public, an
exhaustive enquiry was made by the Local Government Board, who naturally
commenced their inquiries at the Central Market, as the greatest emporium of
the meat trade in this country'. United States produce comes on the London
market in the form of hind and forequarters of beef, chilled, to which little
objection can be taken; the quality is ''fair to good," the condition almost
invariably good, and the evidences of health in the live subject too palpable
to be called in question, but most of the other productions have to be taken
largely on trust, as the conditions under which they are sent scarcely admit
the possibility of any inspection worth the name on this side of the ocean:
these are pigs frozen hard so that the inspector cannot examine them; they