Mr. Queuille authorizes the importation of Argentine cattle

A piece of good news that Mr. Queuille was kind enough to communicate to me yesterday evening: we will soon receive South American cattle. The Minister of Agriculture has, in fact, prepared the decree that regulates the importation of this cattle into our country, and this document will appear, at the beginning of the week, in the Official Journal. This is a measure whose importance it is unnecessary to emphasize. Readers of the Œuvre know what campaign has been conducted here for three years to demand, as a measure of public safety, an importation that must result in the lowering of the frightening prices of meat, the consumption of which has increased considerably over the last ten years. Without going into the details that will regulate the entry into France of Argentine or Brazilian cattle, we can already say that the cattle and sheep that will arrive from these distant countries will have to be slaughtered in the ports of arrival, so as to avoid the dangers of contagion, that of cattle plague, for example, which is always possible. Entries will be made in contingent quantities and can only take place by virtue of a special authorization issued to French traders who have requested it.
In exchange for the outlet thus offered to this exotic cattle, the French government will ask importers to undertake to buy breeding animals in France, by reciprocity.

A second measure, this one internal, will have, for its part, happy consequences on the lowering of meat prices. When the bill to regulate and reorganize the Villette market comes up for discussion, the government will take the necessary measures to ensure that the prices recorded on the provincial markets cannot be suddenly increased in Paris, at the time when the butchers come to stock up. This will avoid, we must at least hope, the scandalous capital gains noted in the retail sale prices of meat, compared to wholesale prices.

Let us congratulate Mr. Queuille on the two measures we have just announced. It was necessary, in fact, for South American cattle to be able to enter France. Until now, the additional funds that we have received from abroad have been purely illusory. The cattle, which have been able to enter France freely for some time now, must come from Canada, Denmark, Switzerland, Central Europe and our protectorate countries; but, with the tension in exchange rates, in truth only a tiny quantity of cattle could be sent to us. Likewise, for sheep from these same countries, to which we must add Spain. But Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, nations with particularly abundant production, were removed from the list. In short, we could receive livestock from all countries, except those where there is some. This ban, taken by Mr. Chéron, under cover of the advice of the famous Advisory Committee on Epizootic Diseases, had the effect of consolidating the high cost of living, by raising meat prices which, it cannot be repeated enough, constitute a real crime. And, when the representatives of the Parisian food industry implored Mr. Chéron to open the border to Argentine cattle, the Minister of Agriculture of the National Bloc could only find this incredible response, the authenticity of which I guarantee: "Never in my life! What would my compatriots say, in fact? When the opposition accuses the current government of doing nothing to combat the cost of living, it does not only give the measure of its bad faith. She forgets too much that it is her economic policy personified by Mr. Chéron that has brought us meat at the price we see it at today.

HENRI GÉROULE