The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-29
8 PREDICTION THAT INDIA WILL
SOON CEASE TO EXPORT WHEAT.
To the Editor Of the Eagle.

| DUN LEASE TO EAFOH1 WdEAI.
| To the Editor OF the Eagle.
The following communication appear.
ed the ''Engiisnman, which is one OF
the leading papers of Calcutta, and the
editor of which vouches for the CORES
pendent as being recognized authority
on the subject matter OF the communica.
/ ton.
send you copy of this communica.
ton that our people may get an Indian
| view of the wheat situation in that coun-
| try and to show that even in India there
are thoughtful persons who look forward
to the cessation of Indian exports at an
early day, and for very much the same
reasons which l have assigned for the
belief that American exports would soon
cease; that is, the increase of domestic
consumption. This writer refers to Ben
gal as being the only province in India
where the rural population is not under
| fed, and it may be well to state that Ben
gal is the only province where the Brit
| ish government does not own the land
and take, as land tax, ''all the traffic
| will bear"
The production of wheat in India, as
well as Indian expectation, is matter
| in which we shall be interested as long
as we export wheat; hence such inform
alton and conclusions as this writer sets
forth cannot fail to interest your readers.
C. WOOD DAVIS.
To the Editor of the Englishman-
SIR: The article in your esteemed pa
per of yesterday on the formation of
wheat rings in the Punjaub, as well as
the article about wheat in today's issue,
are undoubtedly written under the pop
ular and prevailing opinion with regard
to the immensely of the wheat produe-
ton of India. As it is the fashion to
talk about fallacies, | am afraid that the
greatest fallacy about Indian wheat pre-
walls among great number of people in
India and England.
Now, is it possible with the extensive
railway communications and with the
conditions of trade in this country, rings
could be formed to keep the wheat at a
high rate in special place or town, if
the stocks of wheat were not reduced to
the lowest minimum possible all over the
country?
Any one who is at all acquainted with
the trade knows what a keen competi-
ton exists between the traders, and he
is aware Of the fact that for the paltry
profit of s. rupees on every 100 tons,
any marwaria, or any other trader, will
bring any amount of wheat, or other
produce, from one end of the country to
the other.
The plain fact is that the stocks of
cereals, especially wheat, have been and
are, of late, running in this country to
dangerous minimum and that people
have not realized the fact that all the
wheat which India produces is required
for the consumption of the country, and
this fact will not be realized until seri-
GUS disaster occurs.
This season, with the prospects of good
crops, as undoubtedly they seem to be,
large contracts have been entered into
for wheat, and the MarwariS and other
traders have sold very largely; the con-
sequence, if they carry out all their con-
tracts, will probably be a loss TO them of
four or five lakhs of rupees, and the buy
ers will not probably be better off with
their freight engagements.
Without overhauling the statistics, I
believe that few plain facts ought to
be sufficient to demonstrate how erron-
eous the idea about the wheat supply of
India is. The total production of wheat
in India is roughly estimated at s, 200, 900
tons. The total exports are, on an aver
age. S75, 600 tons, or about II per cent of
the whole; consequently the SO per cent
of the production is consumed in the
country, and no stock remains at the end
of the season.
1t is, l believe, self-evident that
slight expansion in consumption, par
tial failure in the crops of other food
grains like kessari, baira, ETC., is suffi-
Gent to absorb the per centage exported.
Besides we have a steady increase of con-
sumption in consequence of the natural
growth of the population of India.
1t is, believe. fact that the great
mass of the rural population, with the
exception of that of Bengal, is underfed,
and it is natural that the first thing that
people should do when their condition
improves is TO eat more if previously
stinted.
1t is not very likely generally known
that while the export of wheat from
Calcutta of late years did not exceed
100000 tons, the local consumption of
Calcutta is over 100000 yearly, and the
-four mills of the town do not supply any
extensive area of country; and l believe
the reason why the town of Calcutta and
it's suburbs consume such large guam
tity of wheat is because they contain
q comparatively well to do population of
all classes.
l have held for some years past the
opinion, and do so more strongly now,
that, comparatively speaking, in few
years India will cease to export wheat,
and soon after will become an importing
country. +. c. P.
Calcutta, April 16, 1891.