The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-09-03
GRAIN EXPIRATION.

There seems To bc no ground Tor the appre
tensions which have begun to find expression
Of late in certain financial quarters, that shor,
crops in this country and cood crops in Eu
| rope must soon cause such a check on our
grain exports as must turn the current Of gold
which has been toward this country into the
opposite direction, and thus cause scarcity OF
money, light times, SO. In the first place, 1t Is
doubtful whether our country is any better of
on account OF the continued importation Of
gold, though that IS IA problem we shall not
now stop Ia consider; hut secondly, 1t is not
true that The crops IN Europe are 30 good, or
III this county ~ short, that our expectation
If grain i'll he materially interfcred with.
While Nj. Euenne, the eminent Partisan Stats
tlcian, concludes, after survey Of Europe, that
None OF the crops are very bad and none
very good" The dispatches from England dur.
ing The past week show that throughout Great
Britain at least, where the prospect looked SO
favorable u few weeks ago, the crop prospects
arc iudispuably bad. And notwithstanding
the reported good crops" in the rest of Eu-
rope, such 10 the effect of this threatened
scarcity in England alone, that wheat ON Mon.
day sold In Liverpool at sis 10 pence per
quarter against AS Id. per quarter at the same
date last year. Thus while the alleged short
crop IN Europe last year had no effect to raise,
the alleged good crop in Europe this year has
no effect to keep down the price Of wheat in
England or on the Continent, nor to lessen the
necessity to import from the United States.
Nor IL 1t trua that the wheat crop in this
country is so short that the exports will be ma
terially lessened. While undoubtedly in some
Of the wheat growing states, like Illinois and
Iowa. The crop this year was materially short
eaed, Nebraska, Dacotah, Minnesota aud some
OF the Eastern and Southern states show an
increase. so that 1T the worst our surplus, on
an annual production of $50 ,OOO 900 bushels,
will no. be shortened over %, 100000 to SO OOO,.
600 bushels, and In an expectation of $4,000
900, our aggregate last year, the enhanced
prices now offered will go far to make up the
deficiency IN quantity.
The extensive expectation Of grain from
this country IL of comparatively recent growth.
1t had its oripin.in the rapid expansion of rail-
road construction and creation of cheap trans.
portation, by which the illlmitable wheat fields
OF the great west are brought within market
ing distance of Europe, and in such deadly
competition with the wheatfelds of the older
European countries, notably England, France,
Ireland and Scotland, that they are driven of
the course and the demand on this country, In.
stead of, as formerly, being attul and only to
supply occasional home Deficiencies, has be-
come unavoidable and permanent In short
the dcmundpn this country for wheat has be.
come worldwide. Cheap Bread" as an intel.
lIgent statistic'an remarks, rs the main ele,
ment of cheap living, such as especially pre-.
walls IN Europe" There 49, then, with the
great advantages which we possess, no present
indication that there will DO any decline IN
the foreign demand for our wheat for years to
come, or any probable speedy interference with
the gold supply Of this country,