The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1877-07-19


FLOUR CoNsUMPTIoN.-The amount
of flour consumed in this county we
cannot state, but estimating that there
are five thousand families in the county,
and that each family uses five barrels
of flour per annum, the amount would
be 25, 900 barrels. For the past two or
three years the price of flour has
averaged $l1 barrel, and before that
as much as $13. Until the present time
all the flour, or very nearly all of it,
that has been used IN this county and
this section of the State, has been
brought here from Missouri, Kansas
and Northern Texas, so that we can
safely estimate that heretofore we have
been sending abroad 1915, 900 in cash
annually for the flour that has been
consumed. Perhaps as much more
flour has been brought here y Austin
merchants for shipment up country,
which swells the amount of money
drained from this county. and city for
-four to $3.50, 600 annually. No wonder,
then, that the complaint is so general
about the scarcity of money. But this
is not all. Vast sums of money have
always been sent and are still being
sent abroad for bacon, hams, lard, salt,
leather, cotton and wooden goods, and
many other things which could and
should be raised here, and the money
thus drained from among us might be
kept in circulation at home. Just how
long the people of this city, this coun-
ty and this section OF the State will
continue to throttle home industry and
rara'yze business remains to be seen.
Perhaps heretofore they have been
powerless to stop such asuicidal policy,
or at least they were not SO well
prepared to stop it as they are at the
present time. So far as sending abroad
half a million dollars annually for flour
and as much more for bacon, hams and
lard is concerned, that can be stopped
with a suddenness that would cause an
instantaneous futter among the bust
ness men of st. Louis and New Orleans,
if the people of Western Texas, one
and ell, would but make up their minds
to do 1t. And if our merchants here
and in the Interior would but do their
duty this important event could be &C
complished at once. Never has there
been such crops of wheat raised in
Western Texas as the present season,
and the quality is equal to the best
raised further north. We have mills
in this city and adjoining counties with
capacity sufficient to grind all the flour
necessary for home consumption. Now,
why should we send abroad for the
flour We need, thereby paying tribute
to producers and dealers in distant
States and to wealthy railroad corpora
tions for bringing the flour to US, when
we have it here at home, raised on our
own lands, and ground 10y our own
citizens2 Why, the STATESMAN asks,
do our merchants continue to deal in,
and our own people continue to use, st.
Louis flour at So to $3.50 per hundred,
when they can get an excellent article
Of the home product at 81 TO So Is it
not contrary to good sense and all
reason that the people should pay more
than is necessary for the flour they use,
and that our merchants should con-
tinue to drain the country OF funds,
thereby paralyzing business by sending
abroad for flour2 Frem whence springs
this follyl It must be because our
people have not stopped to reason. A
meeting Of merchants IN this city, and
the passage of few resolutions ON the
subject, would be a very good way of
bringing about q revolution regarding
the suicidal policy of importing flour.
Let the board of trade talk the matter
over.
And about sending abroad for bacon,
lard and hams. What are our. farmers
going to do with the forty, fifty and
sixty bushels of corn TO this acre they
have made this years Would it be
wise in them to haul it to town to Gil
mesgre demand at twenty to twenty
ave cents bushei, or let it rot where