The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-08-26
IF Hard Wheat Should Be Scarce.

. When dollar wheat dropped into Min
neapolis for about minute week or TWO
ago, some of the opponents of reciprocity
with Canada thought they saw chance
to contend that the tariff Of % cents a
bushel on Canadian wheat Is really pro-
lection to the northwestern farmer. Ihey
cited the temporary scarcity OF nara
wheat and the high price offered for 1t as
proof that the milling demand has now
surpassed the production, and that the
American raisers of hard wheat will, I'M
less Canadian hard wheat Is allowed to
enter free Of duty, be able to command
fancy prices for their product.
The events Of a few days sufficed to
answer this argument. ..s,
Not a single farmer got a dollar for
dollar wheat.
The mills shut down to a large extent,
the millers refused to buy and soon wheat
slumped IN price. The millers found that
they could not pay more than certain
difference between the hard wheat they
wanted and the soft wheat their spring
wheat competitors use. When that diff
ference was passed by the market price
they simply quit buying. Which proves
that so long as the United States pro-
duces a great surplus of wheat, hard or
soft, the tariff is Of no avail.
But, it is said, the millers must have
hard wheat or go out of business. Ex-
actly, and they did temporarily go out Of
business when they couldn't get the
hot he chr in, 10
supply of American hard wheat should be
a permanent factor? To a certain degree
the mills would shut, down permanently,
that is, they would reduce their scale Of
production. If they had to pay much
more for hard wheat than their Canadian
or English competitors they would lose
their entire export trade. To regain it
they would have to open mills in Canada.
The loss of the export trade would mean,
unless offset by an increased domestic
demand, that the Minneapolis mills alone
would take 20, 100000 bushels Of wheat
less than now. That of itself would soon
give a surplus of hard wheat again. to
say nothing of other hard wheat milling
centers. Moreover, if the price of hard
wheat Temporal ily rose behind the tariff
barrier, the hard wheat millers would soon
find their. sales eaten into by the soft
wheat mllers; their market at home be-
ing smaller, they would consume less
wheat in supplying it, in addition to the
loss of consumption following exclusion
from the foreign market.
The net result would be that the north
western farmers would get no better price
for their wheat than at present and could
find a market for much less, for there is
no likelihood that the European market
for unground American hard wheat will
ever be much larger than at present
Moreover, the hard wheat milling industry
would dwindle in Importance in this coun
try and wax great in Canada and in sc
far as these great mills, with their thou
sands of employees, contribute to local o.
sectional prosperity the northwest woult
be injured industrially.
Not until the United States ceases Il
produce surplus Of wheat will the pro
tective tariff wheat be of any value
to the farmer. That time may come il
fifty or a hundred years or it NAV neve,
come at ALL mere improvement of ou1
farming methods would double the presen
production on the same acreage.