Argentine and in frozen mutton from New Zealand. The Canadian Cattle Breeders' Association has advised its members to pay more attention to shipping chilled beef, rather than to sending live cattle. to be slaughtered at Liverpool and London.

The exportation of Canadian butter to Great Britain has greatly fluctuated. It reached its highest figures in 1881, when the value was $3,333,419; from then, against European competition (particularly Danish), it gradually declined until 1889, when the value was only $174,027; after 1889 the trade revived, but has not had a regular growth. Its present development dates from 1897, when, under the stimulus of governmental instruction in manufacture, shipment, etc., and subsidized cold-storage steamers, it jumped up to $1,912,389, as compared with $893,053 in 1896.* In 1898 the value was $1,915,550.

The Canadian cheese trade has been one of steady growth. In 1868 the value of the exportations to Great Britain was only $548,574; in 1880, $3,772,769; in 1897, $14,645,859; and in 1898, $17,522,681.

These figures, both as to butter and cheese, are taken from the last report of the Canadian Minister of Agriculture, covering the fiscal year ended June 30, 1898.

From the same authority is taken the following table, showing the rapid growth of Canadian farm products exported, and, speaking roundly, over 90 per cent of these exportations were to Great Britain:

Following is a table which shows the value of the leading Canadian importations into Great Britain, with the value of the same kind of products from the United States, for the years 1894, 1897, and 1898. The figures are taken from the British blue book.

* The consul is not responsible for the discrepancies in the value of butter and cheese apparent in this report. These are chiefly due to the contradictory figures given by the Canadian and British authorities. It should be borne in mind that the figures for Canadian exports are for fiscal years, while those for imports into Great Britain are for calendar years. This, however, can not reconcile the strange difference in the cheese figures, viz, exports from Canada in 1897, $14,645,859; imports into Great Britain, $16,278,574; increase, $1,632,715; exports from Canada in 1898, $17,572,763; imports into Great Britain, same year, $14,306,503; decrease, $3,266,260.

Undoubtedly, much of the increase in Canada's exportations to Great Britain represents only a gain in transportation-that is, a great deal of American produce is shipped via Canadian ports (Montreal, principally) to Great Britain. This is especially so as to grain. I am informed that a great deal of American cheese (mostly New York creamery) comes here through Montreal and is sold as Canadian cheese. This is done not merely to save freight, but because of the prejudice which "filled" cheese has created in this market against the American product. The American cheese here referred to is equal to the best Canadian, but it can not just now be sold on its merits if known to be American for the reason above stated.

An American doing business in Liverpool in shipping hides from American cattle slaughtered here tells me that he is doing a big trade in sending these hides to Canada to be tanned, the leather being brought back to England. Within six months he shipped in this way 20,000 hides. He says that they can be shipped from Liverpool to Montreal cheaper than they could be carried by rail from Chicago to Montreal.

In addition to the steps taken as above described to increase the sale of Canadian products, high officials from Canada have during the last two years traveled a great deal over Great Britain, making speeches before chambers of commerce and trade organizations, setting forth the claimed merits of Canadian food products. The Dominion has nine or ten agents in the sh Islands who combine

some of the functions of a consul with t se of a commercial traveler. These gentleman have samples of 1arm produce displayed at their headquarters, and they visit agricultural fairs with movable exhibits. Several of the Provinces also have special agents. It is a matter of comment that English newspapers of late have devoted more attention to Canada and Canadian products than was ever before known. All this, of course, has its effect. It tends to pre

dispose the consumers of Great Britain in favor of Canadian products, and it certainly is an element to be taken into consideration in the competitive battle, although quality and price are overwhelmingly stronger than sentiment in matters of trade, here as elsewhere. Canadian authorities claim that in 1898 Canada supplied 14 per cent of the total food importations of Great Britain. Some months ago a company was organized with $1,000,000 capital to handle Canadian food products in England. This corporation has made. special arrangements at Liverpool for handling Canadian produce, including space and facilities at one of the cold-storage warehouses, said to be the largest in the Kingdom.

Statistics are not yet available as showing the status of BritishCanadian trade for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1899; but there can be no doubt that it has made a large increase over 1898. During 1898, there were twenty-three steamers under subsidy contract or agreement with the Canadian Government to provide cold-storage service for the carrying over of butter, cheese, eggs, fruits, and other perishable products to British ports. Since the present summer season has opened a number of ships have been added to the regular Canadian lines, the capacities of some of the old ships have been increased, two or three new regular lines have been established, and the number of "tramps" has grown. From Liverpool alone there have been six additional sailings a month to Canadian ports since January. The subsidy system has been extended. tem may be divided into three classes—(1) for the mails, (2) for cold-storage service, and (3) for miscellaneous cargo. In some cases, the Dominion subsidies are supplemented by the Maritime. Provinces. A regular line has been subsidized to Manchester, going through the ship canal, which has an outlet into the Mersey, near Liverpool.

This sys

The "boom" in Canadian trade has had its extravagant phases. Among Liverpool shipowners there was never any confidence in the ambitious scheme entered into under contract with the Imperial and Dominion Governments to run 21-knot mail boats between England and Canada. There was no surprise when the contractors recently asked to be relieved of their obligation. Nor was there any general confidence in local shippi- circles in the remarkable attempt to run an all-the-year lin om Milford Haven (Wales) to Paspebiac, Gulf of St. Lawrence. One of the pioneer ships got locked in the ice for weeks, and since then no more has been heard of the scheme. But it is semiofficially announced that the attempt to establish a fast mail line to Canadian ports to rival the New York service has not been abandoned, and there are what appear to be authoritative intimations that the next attempt-under subsidy from the Imperial

1

and Dominion Governments-will be by the Canadian Pacific Railroad, which would thus be enabled to take through passengers and freight from Liverpool to Yokohama over its own system the entire distance.

The value of the total imports into Great Britain from the United States in 1898 was $612,662,073, a gain of 28.8 per cent in five years; the value of Canadian imports in 1898 was $99,161,544, a gain of 38.7 per cent in five years. As compared with 1897, the United. States made a gain in 1898 of 10.3 per cent, while Canada's gain was 5.8 per cent. It should be kept in mind that the gain by the United States was mostly in manufactures.

The value of the total exports from Great Britain to the United States in 1898 was $138,677,558, a loss of 7.2 per cent in five years; the value of the exports to Canada in 1898 was $28,372,680, a gain of 5.1 per cent in five years. As compared with 1897, the loss of British exports to the United States in 1898 was 24.7 per cent, while the gain in exports to Canada was 11.4 per cent.

JAMES BOYLE,

LIVERPOOL, July 25, 1899.

Consul.

AMERICAN CATTLE AND FRESH BEEF IN BELGIUM AND GERMANY.

The latest decree of the German Government affecting American meats was promulgated early in July and took effect on the 15th of the present month. It declares that from that date fresh beef shall not be imported from Belgium into Germany. As Belgium has no surplus home-grown beef supply to export anywhere, it was at once evident that the decree was in reality aimed at American beef and was occasioned by the fact that the Belgian Government, which has for several years past prohibited the importation of live cattle from the United States, has recently rescinded that restriction, leaving the butchers of that country free to import at certain designated ports American cattle for immediate slaughter, and, unless prevented by new regulations, to export the meat thus obtained across the frontier into Germany.

This latest decree is therefore the logical furtherance and fulfillment of a policy upon which the German Government entered in 1894, and which has the following history:

During that year Texas fever prevailed among cattle in certain districts of the United States, and the Agricultural Department at Washington had during several years previously the subject under careful and thorough scientific investigation. One vital point upon