The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-05-06
rue room QUESTION IN ENGLAND.



LONDON, April 23-For ut least hundred
years bread has not at any time boon cheap in
England In recent wears. facilities for the
transportation of grain have been 80 numerous
and 50 good that tie prize Of wheat has not
been so much in excess Of continental prices a.
formerly. but in the earlier part Of the century
the Germans and French often paid 10 more
than ono third the prices then prevailing in
England.
The resent enormous development Of the i'm
portation OF foreign grain has given some
alarm 10 statesmen and economists. and they
nrc beginning to ask when this womb rfui
growth IL to stop. A worry little over hundred
years ago Great Britain WAS mn exporter of
wheat. Now. instead 81 sending bread ia other
nations she imports moro than tWo-thirds OF
the bread Of her own people. Many economic
writer's insist that a nation cannot safely buy
from other nations any considerable part OF H.
food. A. late as 1896. British economist
wrote: An inconsidcrablc State or colony may.
IL is true. without much danger or inconvcn-
ience exist under circumstances which ollige il
to be hHbitually dependent upon H." soil OF
other countries Tor the food Of its inhtbi ants
but Il very little inquiry ana a very simple cal
culation would suffice to convinc" us that this
can never be the clse with Il numerous leople.
This dangerous condition has now come To- p's
in this country IN Il very r.narkumr u'srrr'
for the United Kingdom to-day buys fuzzy one
hall liz entire food supply from other nations.
forty-two years ago, when that book was
written. such Il state of affairs seemed no way
iNely To- occur. III the cary wears % ihis eyu'
tury the war with Napoleon had made the I'M
port Of brcadstuiIs unusually large From the
close 81 that war To- 1856 the import OF wheat
sundy ahI Tsiy ~ IT, sn,n a "nl of 3i
400 bushels. From that very time. however, Y
cons idcrablc Increase set IN. ana ia $50 It iai
reached over 19O0o.Uu0 buSrls, "a .n-nrc that
had never boon approached before. The real
development Of the trade in foreign hr.hdstlils
may be said to be- wholly within tlc lust forty
years. Before that. the consumptiun ~ foreign
food was comparatively iIlsigniilraut brel
notice Of the change. from being IN exporter u
wheat TO becoming an importer ~ the cNttut 81
two-thirds OF the whole broad supply. may be of
interest. Ia al the c9icugtions. wheat. meal,
and flour have hcen reduced To- nm cquiVlcnt Of
bushels Of wheat. That h the practice 81 the
customs authorities Where relurtI,hs OF
money have been tradc. the pound steriiug is
cons dcred equal 10 - currency. the shiiin- To-
20 cents. and the penny to two cents OF Ameri-
From 100 to 100. the United Kingdom ex-
port"d wheat and hour To- the aveyHg" quantity
81 l. l0700O bushels annually. In two years
export. In the next d"nic, i've years showed
am excess of export. and the other five an cN
cess oi import. T.s whole. decade gave an
ysSry From i7so 10 i7Sd. SIS o' years
SUI showed a bnlan"o OF eNpor,s Of
the decade II again on the side OF IN" i'm
ed to $50 400 bushels vcarlv. In the last decade
of the century. only one year showed an rAcess
no t,.ncs ~ ,,,,,,.,,.d ,,hn,t ,,ns i75 : M
hushrls % year. Since the v"nr1 $500, Eng md has
exported wheat but one year on balance. In1t
Que lucky year WA lSlS. In the lr.t tn years
~ tn" century the import was very high. owing
lothc war. The average import was 4.5T 900
bushels yearly. The war continued ihrVu-h "A
palt of The next period, and tx av Iag import
was now sls93.0to bushels. From is2o 20 $3.50
tho record f. hotter. and the average import
reached but 2.945nu0 hushrls y r.markiDie
| decline IN the " .gM import now set IN. ami ia
| 1895 II WIS but 22T SD bushels. The import OF
| the following year. though eomowhat larger.
| was still rldicuIousiy small. The Britons wrr,
then trying to keep out foreign grain altogether
| ley th"Ir Corn laws. II really looked us II they
| intended 90 again raise all their own broad. An
increased import soon logan. however. ana In
1888 no less than ll.s24 600 bushels came from
| abroad. from this time the average increase
In the year following tn repeal Of the Corn
Iw7 ne lwR +, ss 3i wnc a. Us no4r nearly
| Until ls60 this Inst figure was rarely equulled.
| In 1862 thp imroIt WAS unusually large. being
| over 93Wo.VoO bushels. In the n"Nt tn years
about G5 oon .odi bushels ycarIy. Bmt in "a
| the import of SGD was exceeded and since that
cae't s6oGG 90 bush tan IN ,''y iaus
years. In 1877 wheat ana wh.ii hour w"rc IN
ya arcd at 3 s 1 5 "dn The w6 'an gs oon
| amounted to lmloU 600 bushels. valued nj
sl69luUuYo. The hour amounted 70 oyer
import Of wheat and -four in 1877 exceeded That
1.-THE previous year 10y more than lsGOoon
| other gihin- because, though immense pnnntl-
tics Of corn aud oats are inir1ried they ar" not
| amounts OF both ARE, IN TACT. used as human
| food.
Ifthc population u tn United Kingdom wero
| increasing AZ Ike pace with ihe consumption Of
| foreign broad. all these figure, would Z, for
nothing bat lhe J. Iglnii"n, -,in-i - IN r'as,-
mated ~ tl.lil 0lOhythoti-ual rate of iu reuse.
| Each person consumes annually on an average
about ,np pounds ol whyut "r at "r broad grain.
4Nfaf "a
annual import y wheat WITS Slightly more Than
q peck head. H. tn second decade the import
| per head was raiA ~ loss than az quarts and
e. Ne t1jri d,,cai not NOR tlan VA ~ -, nj;
/ II IN 1891 To- $50 the average iiui orr per h"ad
was again nooH' lrck. porl'nis worry liuir
! " pounds a lursr increase, ANA NOW rurc Than
ohc--'Ntmh 81 ne quantity unit'd 10y CA h
1916. IS pounds in 1850 il WIS - pouede: in
lN1i, nearly - bounds: IN $500, ijr'n'h"A 40
E,t"iid-i and IN ls'2 "a ily 10 J. qpI>. Th'n
rggei a4n hat, In 1873 it ", ld7 uoii T. ; n
pounds l'rr head Of the vi No. lniUI uiouui iho
KIN u, m. iwlilh"s"cnt tattl' foril.q Dr.a l-
sun now usr'l are n'1fe than Two n rds OF the
Even q liuudr.d years ago. when wages w re
| low ana money had mu h hisner pulr chasing
! power iadn nov, the pr!'' o.! wi cat Was y l.y
~ lish. nom lunlly. 90, nov r-d yil must htse
boon much higher. From llGIto l7J0t az
| Graz WllplesAlr Fri 'e Of wheat Na- SIP a
busAel. In thn last ten years If tint ,ci4'-Irr
the prlc" was S1,7j. who'll sale TOO. In the ilrtt
twenty years OF TINS crn'uiy, WILL" iu' war
| Win Napoleon was Ia Irogr, -, ia average
price was fully - IS IA hushrl. IN TIA, lrr,OL
however. England had badly der r,ciat 4 cur
hayr been much nlovr ~ a buehel. Snce lsai
t55' price hPs rarely been lower than sl.5o. and
in 1871 the tric" sank To- si2i-aiHnys wh"!"-
| sai"-which Is very low iur wheat in IuEhlud.
IN me asi ten years tAe average price las bccn
Br.ad in England is usually sold aud rated