The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-03-17
ADMITTING cANADI4N WHEAT.

Realizing that, before the American
politician who exploits the farmer
vote for living can be brought to ad-
nit wheat free of tariff taxes, there will
be prolonged delay and the necessity of
educational work, the Washburn- Crosby
Milling company, of Minneapolis, has de-
cided to fit out mill for the milling of
Canadian wheat in bond.
Millers, like other manufacturers are
at liberty to take advantage of the tariff
rebate system, by which 80 per cent of
the duty on imported materials is re-
turned in case the product is intended for
export, and the industry is conducted
under government bond.
The great difficulty with the milling in
bond is that the entire product must be
exported, and the offal ordinarily cannot
lie profitably exported owing to freight
rates. Present mill feed prices abroad
are quoted at 50 to $3.50 below profitable
export basis. But the company hopes to
take advantage of changing conditions as
to comparative mill feed prices at home
and abroad, and likewise watch favorable
rail and ocean freight changes, and there
fore has concluded to attempt the ex-
pertinent.
Mill &c, with a daily capacity of $500
barrels, has been set aside for the grind
ing of Canadian wheat, and the govern
ment treasury department has been ap-
piled to for a permit to establish q
bonded manufacturing warehouse, The
milling world will watch the experiment
with interest. II milling in bond is
found to be a success. there is little cues
uon that Minneapolis, Duluth, Superior,
Fargo, Grand Forks and other North
western towns will soon be grinding the
hard wheat of Manitoba. Assiniboia and
Saskatchewan for the European market.
1t is only a matter of time when con-
Sress will be compelled to drop the alb
surd and useless wheat tariff which
makes milling in bond necessary The
arguments employed against free wheat
are based on superficial understanding of
the facts InasmucE as the price of wheat
is fixed by a world market, of which Liv-
erpool is the center, the marketing of
Manitoba wheat via the mills Of Ninne-
sofa, cannot possibly hurt the market
value of the American product. AS the
world market is governed by the world
supply and demand, the Canadian
product, like the Argentine product is in
variakly taken into consideration as
supply factor in determining price, and
the fact whether the grain finds the con-
sumner through one commercial channel
or another makes 10 difference.
Politicians who are anxious for cam
Iaign thunder with which to bolster up a
campaign Of buncombe will doubtless de-
lay the cause Of free wheat, by drawing
On their imaginations for pictures of the
calamlties that are to come upon the
farmers of Minnesota and the Dakotas
from All inundatinn of Manitoba wheat
Meantime the cheap hard wheat of the
Canadian Northwest. to the extent Of
leo,oCo,00G bushels per annum, will con-
tinue to pour into the Liverpool market
for the upbuilding of foreign milling in
dustry with which to dispossess the
American miller of his European market
for -four, until the American wheat pro-
Queer will feel the brunt of the industrial
reaction. But in time the American
farmer himself will see the full fact of
the situation, and then the politician and
the tariff wall will come down together.