The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-02-10
A REMARKABLE YEAR.

The December summary of domestic
trade movements of staple commodities.
as made by the treasury bureau of sta e
tistics, closes one of the most remark
able years in the history of the eco
nomic development of this country. The
monthly summary of internal COM
merce, issued by the bureau of statiss
tics, shows that there have been extra
ordinary gains and losses in a few, but
on the whole conspicuous gains over
the preceding year.
The four leading spring wheat mar
kets for the first five months received,
for instance. 122, 1874. 597 bushels, in con-
trast with S7,743,974 bushels for the cor
responding period of the preceding
year. At four winter wheat markets
the receipts were So. 147, 9S2 bushels, COM
pared with 81. 1859 bushels during six
months of the crop year of 1900. The
winter wheat section has furnished less
than half the quantity shipped in the
first six months of 1900. The combined
arrivals at the four spring wheat and
the four winter wheat markets, how
ever, show a gain of q, 662, 533 bushels.
or 1876 per cent. in 1901.
Taking Minneapolis as the chief CEN
ter of the production of flour, it is
shown that the average output per
week during 1901 was 315, lob barrels
compared with 2S6,S11 barrels in 1900
and 274.4 $50 barrels in 1899 Average
weekly shipments for these respective
years were 292. 211 barrels, 2S4, 73s bar
rels, and 265,900 barrels. Average week
" shipments destined for export for
these years were 1920 barrels, 81, 463
barrels and 1859 barrels-the decrease
for 1901 being charged by the milling in
teFests TO the relatively unfavorable
rate on -four as compared with wheat
Taking the five leading cereals as a
basis of comparison, the volume of
trade at Chicago is representative of the
entire group of centerS of accumulation
of grain During 1901 this market is re-
ported as receiving PAS. 207. 653 bushels
while in 1900 the receipts We're 307, 726-
135 bushels, a decrease of 2O3 per cent
Shipn ents from that market show a
decrease of us per cent. The trunk
line movement of flour from Chicago
and points eastward averaged 49,. O6i
barrels per week, the grain shipments
2.025.557 bushels per week, and the pro-
vision traffic 25.4 55 tons per week Com
pairing the trunk line movement with
the total shipments from Chicago. the
trunk line movement amounts to So
Per cent of shipments from Chicago.
Inc I'VE STOCK trade OF the interior
was extraordinary in several respects.
The feeding sections of the southwest.
owing Jointly to the decrease in the
corn yield and the high prices for stock.
precipitated unusually large quantities
of live stock. especially hogs, upon the
packing markets in the last quarter OF
the calendar year. The decline in aver
age weights serves to measure the in
tensity of this influence upon CONNER
cial conditions At Chicago the aver
age weight of hogs fell from 23S pounds
in Decenbe 1900. to 202 pounds in De-
cember. 1901. At Omaha the decline
was from z52 pounds to PIP pounds. and
at st. Joseph from 235 pounds to 1872
pounds. The substitution of wheat for
corn in the feeding sections has mean
while been going on extensively
throughout Kansas and Nebraska, the
Nebraska Grain Dealers association es-