Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-17
BANNER YEAR FOR MELtERS
Exports of Flour Reach the Highest Point in
Our History.
Chief Development Dates From 1875
Growth in Shipments to
the Orient.

The millers of the United States, like its
manufacturers generally, have made their
banner record IN the fiscal year 1899. While
wheat, corn oats, corn meal, oatmeal. rye
and in fact all lines of breadstuffs show a.
reduction in expectation by reason of the
decreased demand abroad, flour alone
shows an increase, and not only an in
crease, but reaches the highest point in the
history Of flour expectation. For the fiscal
year the total expectation of flour is over
1s,000,000 barrels. representing over 80
100000 bushels of wheat. while no preced-
ing year in the history of our expectation
shows as great an expectation of -four.
While flour is not included with manufac-
lures in the general classification of the
treasury bureau of statistics, being retain
ed under the general term "breadstuffs,
the fact that American labor and the re-
suits of American enterprise enter into its
transition from wheat to flour, and thus
prove advantageous to labor and business
enterprise, adds to the satisfaction with
which Americans will note the steady
growth in the expectation of -four, even in
the face of the reduced demand abroad for
breadStuffs
Effect of Good and Bad Crops.
The shortage in breadstuffs IN other parts
of the world in 1897 and 1898 caused, as is
well known, a general advance in prices.
ohN htAS bSAtSA CUPS VI Inc tdI just past
resulted in lower prices and less demand
for our breadstuffs. This fact accounts
for the reduction in our expectation In
other lines of breadstuffs, and that flour
exports should have continued to increase
in the face of the reduction in other lines
is especially gratifying to those interested
in seeing American labor participate as
largely possible in the profits of Ameri-
can expectations.
The average price per bushel of wheat
tod
74.71 cents, and the average price per
bushel for the wheat exported in the form
of flour was S161 cents, calculating that
az bushels of wheat are utilized in the
production of a barrel of flour. This adds
1913 cents to the amount of money receiv
ed for each bushel of wheat sent abroad in
this form. thus bringing to American in
dustry over Sl0,000000 during the year as
a compensation to the enterprise which
transformed the SO 600 600 bushels of grain
into the $4,000 900 barrels of flour eX-
ported.
Development of Expectation.
The expectation of -four from the United
States has made its chief development
since 1879 Prior to that date, American
mlllers followed the old process of 1900 in
the manufacture of flour, while European
millers were experimenting with and bring
ing to success the modern roller mill meth
DDS AS a result, the foreign flour trade of
the United States met with serious reverSeS
during the period from 1850 to 1919, Euro
pean consumers preferring to buy the
wheat and themselves transform 1t into
flour by their new process which the mill
ers of the United States had not then
adopted.
Writing of this period of depression in
the export trade of American flour, Mr..
Charles A PilSbury says that while our
millers in 1854 sent $4,000 barrels of flour
to Great Britain alone, they sent in 1865
only 100000 barrels to all Europe" and
that while during the five years ending
with 1880 over 80 per cent OF the value OF
wheat and -four exports was flour, in the
five years 1S70-75 only 2I.S per cent of
wheat and flour exports was in -four
In 1878 the expectations of wheat -four
were 1913, lbs barrels; in 1880, COL, 419 bar
reIs; in 1885, 10, 64S, 49, in $780, u 231 III; in
1895, 15,26S, S92, and in 1899, Will be about
1S.3O0.O00 barrels, the exact figures having
not yet been completed by the treasury bu-
reau of statistics.
Shipments to the Orient.
While there is a gratifying increase in
the expectation of flour in every direction,
the most strongly marked growth is toward
the orient: The expectations of -four to
Hong Kong in the year 1899 will consider
ably exceed 100000 barrels. while in 1889
the number was but 37s,634.
Flour for Hong Kong goes mostly to
China, though considerable quantities are
shipped direct from Hong Kong to Japan,
the PhllpplneS anu various ISLANDS or
Oceaniea. To Japan direct, our exports of
flour have grown from 1857 barrels in 1889
to about 225 600 in 1890; to all Asia, from
41S,353 barrels in 1889 to about 1,750,000
barrels in 1884
/. To South America the growth has been
less rapid the total for 1889 being LOGS, 1877
barrels while that for 1899 will be but
little more than the figure of decade
ago.
!. Germany, to- which we sent but 1909
barrels of -four in 1889, takes in 1899 nearly
600 barrels, this being a large increase
over last year. Netherlands, to which We