, 1890-04-10
Spokane Falls, April 3.
DECLINE IN wnEAr.anowISo
Mr.. Piiisbury's Statements Horne
out by Facts.

Chicago Inter Ocean.
The general statement by the
great miller, Pillsbury, of Minneap-
oils, that the production of wheat II
not Increasing, seems to be fully
borne out by the exact facts. The
available stock of wheat in this
country east OF the Rocky noun
tains, Is falling Off Mt n starillngly
rapid rate. Two years ago ii was
85, IA 900 and now II is only A.
362, 900, u falling of of over 2O,OOO,O 900
of bushels, or, In two years, rather
more than one-third. II it were not
for the depression of fictitious wheat
sales our farmers would now be get
ting good prices for their surplus,
instead Of starvation prices, and the
volume of production would gradu-
ally increase.
The total wheat stocks, European
and American, on the LIST of this
month, Were A1,sil ,a1l, as against
100, 72i 900 the year before. The de
clue in this country east of the
Rookie M shown In the preceding
paragraph, Il at the rate Of about
10000, 900 bushels year, and In the
two continents the decline Of last
year alone was about li,O0O, 900.
Under the operation of legitimate
trading, the decrease in quantity
would work an increase In price,
and that in its turn would stimulate
production, Thus the market
would gradually regulate itself, and
neither the producer nor the con
sumner would he at the mercy OF the
other; but the sales of fc-
titious wheat are depressing pricesall
the time, aud that depression is re-
ducing the supply. II is true that
the poor man gets his flour at very
low rate, which IL "a good thing in
its way, but this falling otI'of II ,O0O,- =
O0O bushels of wheat In one year
none the less means an enormous
falling of in the food supply of the
two continents, and that IA great
many poor people do not have
enough to eat, II Is impossible to
have such II falling of'in brcadst II lis
without lumentuble falling oil In
bread. Distributed evenly, IL might
not be felt, but considering what n
very small per cent. of the pop
ulution has to stand the burden of
scarcity 1t must be admitted that
the increase in hardship incident TO
to this decline in the supply of
wheat must be enormous. II fol-
lows that from the standpoint of
consumption, as well ms production,
this steady depression of prices,
with Its corresponding decrease in
supplies, Is deplorablc. No mathe-
matics can calculate how much
starvation II decline Of fourteen
million bushels in the wheat OF
Europe and America represents,
but surely In the aggregate IL stands
for a vast amount of hunger.
The whole people, then, the con-
sumers Of bread no less than the
producers of brcadstulit, ought to
join hands I'm IA determined effort to
crush out gambling In grain,
whether on the board of trade or I'm
bucket shops. There Is no more
urgent need of the DAY than this,
and in the line uf economics nothing
else which could be brought in issue
at all compares with 1t In point of
practical importance. Every
farmers alliance should give special
prominence to the matter. Ii is IA
striking case of burning the candle
ut both ends. The supply ls falling
OIL and the price is declining in just
about the same ratio, instead of go-
ing up In the same ratio, us would
be the case We're it not for this gigan-
tic evil Of gambling In wheat.