The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1891-07-24

ton of the lA,GO0,GD bushels yearly imported
by England alone. People talking about Egypt.
Australia, Argentine Republic, etc. as com
Dctitors with American wheat are either iI;Uo-
rant or lic for all these countries together
have not enough plus for export to E,c:opG
to feed 1t for three days. This inauSis.l;tian
has robbed the farmers of this country of &c.,
000,000 in the last three years.
From 1854 to 1887 the crops of Europe and
America We're in excess of the cnnSuin ton.
and a low price for wheat was quite material
but during the last three years the crops.
though very fair, were not equal to the re
quirements. which is proved by the stead: de-
crease of the reserves which st present are
practically nothing or hardly sufficient to reach
the new crops. With this deficiency in crops
thoroughly known, wheat should have brought
very fair prices during the last three years. ac-
cordng to the laws of supply and demand.
Now this year seems to bc cspcciali" f.rorahla
to our farming interest. Our wheat crop
promises to be good, the European crops are
worse than they ever have been and the re-
serves are exhausted. The crop failure has
been so extraordinary that nearly all European
governments are alarmed, and are now ia :ng
steps to ward Off famine. Europe never raises
as much wheat as it needs. and with fair crops
during the last three years it has used ~ its
reserves and all that America, and India could
| supply.
| Our exporting capacity has greatly decrri,s;ct!
| by the increase in population, and we would
| not be able to spare Europe from four good
crops what it will be short this year alone.
Under such circumstances it is certain that the
| true value Of wheat is greater than ever bcrUrG
| The way Of legislation is too slow to save this
crop from being sacrificed at ridculolsly io~
| prices. and it is not likely that another such
chance for the farmer will present itself ay.t;i
| in a lifetime.
There is, however, another remedy. simple
| effective and entirely within control. Resolve
| c,, H..
| the worlds crop minimum price of Sl.3i foi
| wheat in New York is moderate and consprvl-
| tive. and that members of your organization
| pledge themselves not to market their whcs,
at lower prices unless they are under contract,
| and that they will use their best efforts will
friends and neighbors outside of the orgalliza
!, ton also 10 att your resolutions.
Resolved. also. that the state Alliances Corn
| a committee. which shall keep itself pnStet
| about the state of the worlds markets. ant
from time to time notify the farmers q
changes taking place and atiVise them OF th'
minimum prices that they may reasonably III
sist upon. We W!'l give You our reason for ;,r.
irving at this figure. The prices of wheat ar,
really to be measured by the English market
| for that country is the largest buyer, namely
to the extent of l4i ,GN,D0O yearly average. TIL,
| prices for the last seven years were cntrel,
abnormal, as 1854 created an unwiediy surplus
| which was kept up and increased by scvcrl
extra good crops. This surplus being cntrcl.
| used up it is perfectly natural that ':Iel
| should return to the usual prices.
The average price of wheat in Eng dur
ing the twenty years preceding was Silt, PEI
bushel. There were only three years in th'
| whole period where the price did not eXceC'
Sl.45 per .bushel during some part of the year
| Several years it rose over two doiiars PEI
| bushel. In this year of crop failure tar WITS
than any that occurred during these twcni,
years, it cannot be extravagant To expect a
least the average price of that period. A ..c,
| of Sl.35 at New York corresponds with SIS il
| England. as tho expense of transferring ,
bushel of wheat to Liverpool or London is no
| more than ten cents. New York, Baltimore
Boston and Philadelph phia should have about ll,'
same price. Chicago about ten cents lower
say Sl.25; Minneapolis. Duluth aud st. !.oui+
S'.23; Toledo, Detroit and Cincinnati SIS
These prices would all be about in properties
to price of Si.i5 in Liverpool.
To get at the corresponding value Of a bushe
of wheat at your nearest railroad station yoi
deduct from the price Of wheat at the city /
which your wheat generally goes the cost o
transportation between your station and iha
city, and three cents more for commission ans
handling. For inst, nee il your wheat usual.
goes to ST. Louis, and you find that it cost
eight cents freight to get it there, deduct clever
cents for freight, commission, etc, from th
price of sl.o3, as given above, which leaves yo,
Sl.l2 at the stGtou
In regard to this communication, we want !
distinctly understood that we do not adyis
you to sell your wheat at above prices, whici
are based on average prices of the Euglisl
market only. We simply furnish you reliable
figures, wnich we think should suggest to yo
that it would be folly to sell your wheat TO
less than those prices. If a considerable nun
ber Of those who are in the habit of market
ing early hold back a little while the farmer:
deliveries would fall short of the requirement:
and the effect would be the same as If no whea
had been brought at all.
There is. however, little danger that an
considerable Lumber of farmers could be in
duced TO market their product in hot haste d
present prices, as resolutions adopted by th
state Alliances long ago show that they kno,
their enemies. The. people of the United State
will not begrndgesthe farmer good price fo