The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-02-08

1HS supplies ABOUT ~
per cent OF what the world supplies. Now,
what II our great nation doing to get con-
troll Of our proportion OF that trader Re-
member that our surplus which we sell
abroad makes the price for all we sell at
home. II we are compelled to send our
surplus to Europe, surely we cannot ex-
pect the people Of Europe to pay any
more than the lowest price at which they
can buy elsewhere II we expect anything
else we will be disappointed.
II our government would spend In place
Of the $50 600, 600 or 10000 900 now directed
under our legislation to the Improvement
of rivers and harbors, say one-half OF that
amOunt-I will go further and say, II we
should spend the small proportion of So. OOO,
600 annually in the way Of bounties to our
shipping interests In the Pacific, it would
advance in my opinion the price Of wheat
in the United States cents per bushel
annually; and this cents per bushel an
nually would apply to 100000 bushels OF
our product.
The country Is very prosperous taken
4 whole; but where does this balance OF
trade come from? Who furnishes the pro-
duct thus sold? The farmers, the agricul-
tural people Of the world, furnish 1t. (Ap-
plause.) That Is, they furnish the bulk OF
it. We might examine our exports and find
that our steel and iron Is increasing and
it is good thing for us to be able TO in
crease the value Of our iron product in
Minnesota. A few years ago when they
sold at Sc and $3.50 per ton in Cleveland.
Now 1t sells at $3.50 per ton; and this rate,
together with the high quality of the ore,
has enabled the producers to go on and be-
come the
GREAT STEEL PRODUCERS
Of the world All this gives you larger
home market and employees a greater num-
Der Of people to consume your beef, your
wheat your butter. your mutton. your
eggs and other home products But this
10 Iron In Ia considered n
connection with the feeding of hundreds
Of millions Of people in Asia, opposite to
our Western shores.
The grain shipments from California. Ore
gOn and Washington amount annually TO
about 100000 or 100000 bushels. or ap-
proximately one-third Of the entire ship
ments to Europe; and the grain carried as
1t Is required to be carried. constantly
serves to break the price Of your grain here
in the Northwest in the foreign markets.
The reason for this is the grain has to be
shipped during the winter season; 1t Is
obliged to cross the equator twice and II 10
loaded in sacks. They cannot carry out the
process Of shipping wheat from Cahfor-
MIA, Portland Seattle, Tacoma and other
Pacific ports until after 1t has gone through
the sweating process. Consequently the
wheat that Is shipped In November from
these ports does not reach Its destination
In the European ports until! March; AMI
the last of the shipments OF the crop des-
tined for Europe does not arrive in the
English ports until the new crop Is making
its way into our market. The result Is that
practically all this volume of wheat -
afioat at one time, and Is SO regarded IN
all markets. 1t is counted as wheat afloat
and to arrive 1t does not matter where
this shall find portage, whether in Odes-
sa or Buda Pesth or Liverpool or Havre. 1t
is counted as much wheat af1oat and in
that degree It influences the price Of your
product at home.
If we should undertake to give ,ne-ffth
the average amount Of wheat consumed per
capita in the United States to the people
of Japan alone it would require 100000
bushels, and in the case Of China 1t would
take 400. 00,oOO bushels, and for China and
Japan together it would take about all
THAT WE COULD RAISE.
including that which we cat In this coun-
try. There Is no immediate danger OF an
overproduction in that section QauShteC;
there Is no danger OF the market oeins
overstocked (renowed laughter) the question
is have these people the money to Jay Csr
What do they Live on now? Most OF them
live on rice. I sent man over there and
ne spent q year trying to find out whether
II we should drive their rice out of their
consumption where would 1t go to; would
the rice finally be reduced in price to the
extent that they would go back to 1t and
abandon our grain? But found that II we
gave them enough to make pie crust and
crackers 1t would take all that we could
spare from the Pacific coast, to say MOTH
ing about tho points further East. Japan
alone raises only 200. 100000 bushels o6 rice
annually.
Suppose the government would give U
1900. coo to allow 81 per ton az q bounty 10
the ships that would carry the products Of
this country into the markets Of Asia. The
traffic would amount to about $4,000, o00
Take larger steamer that would caxrI