The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-06-07
Cheerful for the Farmer.

Tariff reform has seen the light of
day in the shape of draft of a new
bill prepared by the tariff committee of
the Reform Club. This committee pro-
poses to make provisions free of duty.
breadstuffs are mostly to be made free,
while potatoes are left subject to duty
of ten per cent. 1t is of interest to look
into this proposal from the farmers
standpoint. A very exhaustive report
has just been published by the depart
ment of agriculture, dealing with the
principal agricultural products of the
world. From this official source il APP
pears that wheat, in seasons of average
crops, is imported to any extent only by
the United Kingdom, Belgium, France,
Germany and Italy, and practically the
wheat markets of the world, for which
all producing countries are striving, are
limited to the United Kingdom and
Belgium, whose aggregate net imports
did not exceed 125, 100000 bushels of
wheat annually over period of ten
years. Excluding these two countries,
the report shows that Europe is prac.
tically self-supporting, the excess in the
Eastern countries being sufficient TO
meet the deficiencies in the Western
nations" In order to supply the Eu-
ropean deficiency of 1875 100000 bushels
of wheat, the fields of India, Australia,
New Zealand, the Argentine, Canada,
Chill, and the United States are drawn
upon. Last year the crop of the United
States alone was $4,000, 900 bushels,
while our requirements for consump-
ton and seed are given in the March
report of the department of agriculture
at 35S 100000 bushels, thus leaving a
surplus of 15S,000,000 bushels alone
from our last years crop, which would
more than supply the European demand
of 10000, 900 bushels, without calling
upon the surplus of India, Canada,
South America or Australasia. Hith.
erto our farmers have been protected
against the surplus wheat crops of other
countries, but if the Reform Club COM
mittee's idea of making breadstuffs free
be applied TO wheat, then our farmers
must compete with the cheap labor sur
plus from India and elsewhere, which
exceeds 50,000,000 bushels, besides our
own surplus, for all of which there is
no market available in seasons of ordi-
nary good crops. Evidently American
farmers will have to turn their attention
to some other crop than wheat. The
farmers out West were tired of protec-
ton and wanted a change. They will
get it. Take the case of potatoes, which,
we learn, are to be subject to duty of
ten per cent, the present duty being
twenty-five cents per bushel. Our pro-
duction of potatoes is comparatively
small when the European potato crop is
considered. The United States grows
on an average 40 100000 bushels of
potatoes yearly, while that of all Europe
is about 2,700,000, 900 bushels, Germany
alone growing 100000, 900 bushels in
good seasons. Every year we import
more or less potatoes from Europe, and
this season we have been very heavy
importers, although the duty is twenty
five cents per bushel. WIFI ten per
cent duty, equal to five cents per bushel,
when potatoes are worth only fifty
cents, it is easy to imagine how our
markets would be flooded with Euro.
pean and Canadian potatoes. They
are now worth a dollar in open market,
and at this price the European shippers
net fifty cents after deducting freight,
duty and other charges. What har-
vest they wonld have with a duty of
five cents per bushel. The market
would be in the hands of the foreigners
in such seasons as our last one, the con-
sumner would have TO pay dollar just
the same, the European shippers would
net seventy cents instead of fifty cents,
our revenue would be lessened by
twenty cents on each bushel, and the
European potato-growers and shippers
would wax fat at the expense of Amer
lean consumers. Potato culture would
flourish abroad, as the European far
mers would receive the amount that is
now given to American farmers by q
protective tariff. -Anlerican Economist.