The morning call., 1892-06-23
THE FLOUR QUESTION.

A morning contemporary. in a generally
well-considered article on flour shipments,
alludes to the prospect that California may
some day ship her whole wheat crop in the
shape of flour as visionary" Our cOntem-
porary appears 10 belong to the class of
people who want everything done in 20
minutes, and who believe that if thing
cannot be done in 20 minutes it cannot be
done at all.
Considering the efforts which all nations
have naturally made to import their bread
sluffs as grain and to reserve 10 their own
people the profit on milling them, the growth
of the shipments of American flour has been
quite striking, and amply jusliies expecta-
tons of its future extension. Seventy years
ago the whole United States exported in
round figures 100000 barrels of -four,
which went chiefly to the West Indies and
TO the tropical and semi-trOpical countries
of America. Our flour exports to Europe
did not assume large figures till the Irish
famine, when we sent abroad, in 1847, $780,
1873, 611 worth of -four From this figure cur
exports fell back TO an average of about
SO, 900 and So, 000,0 COO say 100000
10 100000 barrels. In 1856 they again
sDurted to 100000 or 100000 barrels;
twenty years later they rose to 100000 to
5000, GOO; in The eighties they reached
10 O0O,0CO; IN 1890 they footed up IL, 2C0.000
and in the current year they are expected to
reach 1900, eco. This progress is so steady
and so rapid that it does seem as though
hopes might be entertained of the export OF
the bulk of our wheat in the shape OF Hour.
The case lies in a nutshell. The English
and French milers want to mill all the
-four consumed in their espective countries,
and the French tariff is so adjusted that
foreign flour pays a higher duty proper
tionately than foreign wheat But, from
some other reason or other, the art OF mill
ing has reached higher degree Of perfec-
ti0n in this country than in Europe. The
European miller is less progressive and
more welded 10 old fashioned methods than
the American miller. His product is there
fore less priced than our flour at the bakers.
Thus, in spite of the efforts Of Governments
and of the struggles of the native milleTs to
keep the business in their own hands the
amount Of American flour consumed in Eng
land and France increases year by year;
not by leaps and Rounds, but slowly, Gradu-
ally and increasingly. And il is impossible
to say where the increase will stop, unless
it should befsll that European millers came
to this country, learned their business and
took their knowledge back home with them.
The increase in the flour shipments from
this coast to Japan, China and Central
America is just as marked as the increase
on the Atlantic, but il does not show in our
local trade returns, because a large prCp0r-
ton OF the -four export trade has been
diverted from this port TO Portland, Ia
coma and Victoria. Vessels sailing from
these ports to China load up with -four at
any cost in preference TO sailing in ballast;
and latterly two lines OF steamers have
been laid on, which carry little else besides
-four. OF course the effect of these ship
ments is to cause an apparent halt in the
-four movement from this port. But in
fact the consumption Of -four in Japan,
China and Central America is on the in
crease, aud it viii soon exhaust the capacity
OF the northern centers of supply. If ever
the Chinese take to eating wheaton flour.
million tons a year viii not begin to satisfy
them.
The change is not going to come in a day
or in a year; it may possibly be too slow
for our rapid contemporary. o. all the peo-
Piles of the globe. the Chinese are the most
closely welded TO old habits. 1t will take
long exl erience to convince them that rice is
not the ideal food of man. But in nation
Of four hundred millions Of souls there
must be many sorts and conditions of men.
and there must be some who can afford to eat
the bestfood, when they become satisfied that
it is the best. Our knowledge Of China is
confined to a few seaports; but we know
from travellers that in the interior, and in
such cities as Canton and Tientsin. there is
a wealthy class which INDUCES in the lux
ures II the table. 1t must be that sooner
or later this class will realize how much
more nutritious ana raatable wheaton
bread is than rice bread when it does. tie
question will not be 10 find a market for
our -four, but TO find land on which we can
extend cur wheat acreage.