Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1830-11-04

oil cotton, sugar, tOoacco ana rice.
The people OF the United States consume,
each I 10. OF flour a day, or ITS equlyale : IN
other vegetable food-tbis Is less than the a.
mount given to decently fed slaves, a peck
Of corn 40 ibs.) a week being allowed per
head, with other vegetable food. The annu-
ii supply, Tor II millions, is then, q 10000
000lbs.-or ~ millions lbs. of flour. Ii IS no
. mater Of what this food consists. Ii OF
wheat flour, the average cost will net exceed
two cents for each person per day; which we
think is a pretty moderate rate OF living, aud
suppose that DR.. Cooper and Mr.. McDutiie
must admit it
The greatest export Of -four was in 1917
-I,176, 1873 barrels, because OF the cry short
crops in Europe-but in 1919, only D $3.50;
showing a decrease Of one half in two years,
and the destructive uncertainty Of the for
eign market. In 1928 the export was SEQ,
800 bbls.- Iii 1929, 537 sos; and Of which
latter, 2l0,334 sent 30 England on q specu-
latioR of short crops, but was nearly all re-
shipped to the British West Indies, or else
where, or retained until it became sour, be-
cause that the duty required upon 1t could
not be paid for British food.
We shall here explain what this duty is.
1t falls IS the price Of grain rises.--Ihus--
when British wheat is at sos. the quarter of 8
bushels, of 70lbs. each. Tor about $50 cents
for the American bushel Of 60 lbs) the duty
is ADS Sd per quarter, equal to 50 % on a
barrel OF Flour ! when at Cos the quarter,
equal to more than 81 so the American
bBshel,) the duty is AS Sd the quarter, CIR,
IS 80 on a barrel Of lloar, when at las dhe
starvation point is only Is the quarter or Is
cents on a barrel Of -four. There is a grade
Of duty for every shilling of the value Of q
? ,y.nrfa. # ..lza Ia. -fL.. .w.N r -
to sos At the first, the duty isnominai, but
as the price declines, i. becomes heavy, and
soon runs into prohibition 1t is thus that
England watches her agriculture. There
has been another little bubble about short
crops in England; but, at the last advices,
the duty on u barrel of our -four was nearly
$50 none had been sod for consumption
But there had been a few days Of sunshine
and as the price of wheat was declining, the
duty was about 10 advance. This is a chief
part OF the British ''iree trade system" so
much spoken Of, and held up for our imita-
ton! Britain excludes oar flour, though wc
must furnish IT at a much less price than her
own costs her people, even when she has a
fair and full crop--but we ought to purchase
British c~alicoes, though we can make them
ourselves, and as cheaply as she will, as
shall be sho wa below.
The American consumption requires the
equivalent Of % millions OF barrels Of -four
The foreign demand takes of less than
900 900. The domestic demand is settled
the foreign, small as it is, unsteady. 10 1917,
the value OF all the vegetable food exported
was Ss2,594 ,O00-in 1879, only 9,079 ,762 -
liie much complained of fluctuations in the
value OF cotton, present nothing like this. =
l he ioreIsn hour trade cannet, at any time,
hn Iannngtnd m Y
than 100000 barrels to Cuba and Iiayti in
one year, and not a barrel as il were. in
the ensuing one. To this wretched unccr-
tainty, with our continual gaping at things
abroad, instead Of attending to things at home.
we are indebted for three fourths Of the ner-
pleNtles, or embarrassments, which the farm
crs oil the United States have suffered, as
must appear manifest to every rejecting
ln'nd' As 1t regards foreign trade, we are
Pleased with . rat ie-,ickled with a straw
Now as to meats Of all sorts The CON
sumption and waste exceeds Alb. for each per-
son a day. The gross quantity required is
then 100000, 600 lbs. equal TO III millions
Of barrels Of beef or pork The greatest
export that we>ever made of beef or pork
was in i9o5,-240,0 900 barrels. In 1929, on.
" lio,00O-or % millions Of pounds, just an
"oif"icu'h Pdit INC uOIleStN consumption
h thus appears that the vegetable food of
the United States, reported, is about a TWEEN
ty fourth part Of what the home demand re-
~qulres-and of meats only a hundredth part.
1t IS then the home market that should main
ly occupy the thoughts Of a republican states
man.
This great market is best encouraged by
divisions Of labor. If all were farmers raising
their own bread and meat, there would be
no home market; and flour for the foreign
one would not sell for more than two dollars
a barrei-if for so much. delivered at our
sea ports -1he English could hardly take a
gut OF 1t. because ofthe duty, unless in times
Of scarcity, though delivered free ofcost for
freight But were all farmers, we should have
no cities. How would the account stand
then? New York, alone consumes the eoui-
valent of one third Of all of our exports of
hour-Baltlmore 10000 barrels-or three
t'ths OF all that %as sent to the West Indies
last year-aud much more than was EXPORT
ed direct to the British West Intlies, when
the ports were open Baltimore andher adj
lacent factories, also consumed the e0uiva-
lent OF $4,000 barrels of beef or pork-or a.
bout three fourths Of the Whele EXPORT of last
year. Yet we have heard 3 se~nseless farmer
wish that Baltimore Qis markct) was sunk
inthe oasm!"-fte might almost as well have
wished that the mills which prepared his
grain for bread were destroyed. The people
oil the cities of Boston, New York, Philadel.
pima and Baltimore, employ twice as many
men as farmers. gTazicrs, gardeners. &c. as