§ MR. COOPER (Southwark, Bermondsey)To ask the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, whether he will state what was the average price per stone in the Metropolitan Central Meat Market of homegrown beef and mutton for the years 1890, 1895, 1900, 1905, and 1907; and the average price per stone of beef and mutton killed at the Deptford Foreign Cattle Market for the same years.
(Answered by Sir Edward Strachey.) No official returns giving the information desired are available prior to 1896, nor 1403 have we any information as to the price of mutton killed at the Deptford Foreign
| Prices of Beef and Mutton (per stone of 8 lbs.) at the London Central Market. | ||||
| Year. | English. | Deptford-killed Beef. | ||
| Beef. | Mutton. | |||
| Per 8 lbs. | Per 8 lbs. | Per 8 lbs. | ||
| 1896 | 3s. 6d. to 3s. 9d. | 3s. 10d. to 4s. 4d. | 2s. 11d. to 3s. 3d. | |
| 1900. | 3s. 10d. to 4s. | 4s. 6d. to 4s. 11d. | 3s. 8d. to 3s. 11d. | |
| 1905 | 1st quality | 3s. 8d. | 4s. 9d. | 3s. 7d. |
| 2nd quality | 3s. 6d. | 4s. 4d. | 3s. 3d. | |
| 1907 | 1st quality | 3s. 9d. | 5s. | 3s. 9d. |
| 2nd quality | 3s. 7d. | 4s. 6d. | 3s. 6d. |
§ The figures given for 1896 and 1900 are compiled from the prices quoted weekly in the Meat Trades Journal; those for 1905 and 1907 from the Board of Agriculture's Weekly Return of Market Prices.