The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1878-05-31

steadily and largely declined, and about
that year had dwindled TO the small
amount Of pa, 400 bushels. From that
very time, however, q considerable in
crease set in, and In 1910 il had reached
over 19,O00,00O bushels, figure that
had never been approached before. The
real development Of the trade in foreign
breadstufls may be said to be wholly
within the last forty years. Before that
the consumption Of foreign food was
comparatively insignificant. A brief
notice Of the change, from being an ex-
porter Of wheat to becoming an import
cr to the extent of two-thirds Of the
whole bread supply, may be Of interest.
| In all the calculations, wheat, meal, and
| -four have been reduced TO an equivalent
| of bushels of wheat. That is the prac-
| tice Of the customs authorities. Where
reductionsof money have been made, the
pound sterling is considered equal IS
currency, the shilling to twenty five
cents, and the penny to two cents Of
| American money.
From 116O to l170, the United King
dom exported wheat and flour to the av-
erage quantity Of l, 10Y 900 bushels an
nually. In two years only of that de-
cade did the import exceed the export.
In the next decade, five years showed
an excess of export, and the other five
an excess of import. The whole decade
gave an average excess of import of
344. 800 bushels yearly. From 1850 to
1870, six years still showed balance of
exports of wheat and flour, but the re-
cord for the decade is again on the side
of the imports, and the average excess
Of import amounted to 1S6, 400 bushels
yearly. In the last decade of the centu-
~, only one year showed an excess OF
export, and for the entire decade the
average excess of imported wheat was
2,572, 800 bushels a year. Since the
year 1900, England has exported wheat
but one year on balance That one
lucky year was 1905. In the first ten
years Of the century the import was very
high, owing to the war. The war con-
tinued through part of the next period,
and the average import was now $685.
600 bushels. From 1920 to 1880 the
record is better, and the average import
reached but 2,945,000 bushels. A re-
markable decline in the wheat import
now set in, and in 1885 it was but 227,-
S64 bushels. The import Of the follow
ing year, though somewhat larger, was
still ridiculous,y small. The Britons
were then trying to keep out foreign
grain altogether by their Corn laws. 1t
really looked as if they meant to raise
all their own bread. An increased i'm
port soon began, however, and in 1888
no less than 14,s24, 900 bushels came
from abroad. From this time the av-
erage increase has been very rapid.
In the year following the repeal of
the Corn laws the import of wheat and
-four nearly doubled, and in 1S49 it was
81 ,254 900 bushels. Until 1860 this last
figure was rarely equaled. In 1862 the
import was unusually large, being over
93, 000, 600 bushels. In the next ten
years this was not equaled, the usual
import being about IS, 100000 bushels
yearly. But in 1873 the import Of 1862
was exceeded, and since that year
level has been permanently reached at
least 80, O0o, 600 bushels higher than in
previous years. In 1877 wheat and
wheat flour were imported to the guam
tity of 115,3O0,000 bushels, valued at
s203, 115,000 The wheat grain alone
amounted to 100, 100, 600 bushels, valued /
ut Sl69, 100000. The -four amounted to
over 4,234 600 barrels, valued at S3i,- \
D15,0OO. The import Of wheat and
Hour in 1877 exceeded that of the previ- ,
Dus year by more than 1900, 900 BUSH
els. give the import Of wheat, and
not of other grains, because, though inn
mense quantities Of corn and oats are
they are not here classed as
though large amounts of
both are, in fact, used as human food.
II the population of the United King
iom were increasing at like pace with
he consumption Of foreign bread, all
'hese figures would 60 for nothing. But
he population Is not so increasing. In
IS41 it was 20, 151 900, in 1877 it was es-
imated at 81, 444 900 by the usual rate
II increase. Each person consumes an
iually on an average about 500 pounds
If wheat or other bread grain. In the
irst l0years Of this century the average
annual import Of wheat was slightly
more than peck head. In the second
decade the import per head was rather
ess than six quarts; and in the third
decade not more than in the second.
from 1880 to 1910 the average import
Der head was again about peck, per-
laps very little more. In the year
$40 the import per head was AZ pounds
n large increase, and now more than
,ne-seyenth Of the quantity required by
'ach person. In 1912 the average was
2 pounds; in 1916, AZ pounds; in 1850,
was 81 pounds; in 1854, nearly 70
POUNDS; in 1860, 1t reached 10 pounds;
md in 1862, nearly 1S5 pounds. Then
: fell of for number Of years, sinking
q 1865 to 93 pounds per head, but usu-
lily being much more than that. In
S75 Il was 1877 pounds; in 1876, 167
pounds; and in 1877, more than 20e
pounds per head Of the whole nonrla-