Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1903-06-12
ASIA THE HOPE OF
THE AMERICAN FARMER
Enormous Possibilities, Presented in the Development of the
Orient for the American People, Says j. j. Hill.

The following exceedingly inter
esting and instructive article from the
brain of James J. Hill, appears in
the Seattle Times of May Gath:
James j. Hill believes that the
hope of the American farmer lies in
! an Asiatic market. !
Suppose" he said to a representa-
tive of The Times, "cur wheat trade
with China alone to amount to 1 cent
per capita for each day in the year,
that would amount to 81, 600, 900 a day
nearly 81, 500, 900, 900. a year."
Mr.. Hill believes that an Asiatic
market can be secured for the Ameri-
can farmers wheat. He bases this
belief on the fact that wherever IL
wheat has been introduced to any
race, with the single exception of the
black race, they are ready to consume
it from that time on He believes
this SO firmly that he is building the
FIVE largest steamers that the world
has ever seen to carry wheat from
Seattle to China, Japan, the Straights
Settlements and other Oriental lands.
In short, his scheme is to make
wheat scarce by opening new markets,
thus advance it's price at home and
abroad, and thus put more money in
the pockets of the man who has been
called the nations backbone-the
farmer.
Mr.. Hills views on an Asiatic mar
ket for America, in view of the pres
ent International concern over the
"open door in the east, are exceed
iugly timely. He says:
1.-THE question of a market is next
in importance to the question OF
raising the commodities we have tc
sell. We have extended the area:
from which our agricultural product!
are raised, until we nave practically
created a supply that is in excess 0
the demand for a large portion Of the
time.
. The population of this couEtr.
doubles about every thirty years. II
the year 1903 we shall have a popu
= lation Of from $50, 600, 600 to 100. 900,
: 900. All the people must be occupied
. If the population continues to in
crease in the ratio indicated, wi Ell
are we to put them all and what al,
they to do?
"Our country is expanding in pop
,,1ofinr, What hoe han,, 1o,,n fc o~
y pand our markets? What intelligen
work has been done since the Civi
War-and that is as far back as mos
of us remember or need to go-to adj
to our foreign market?
Z 81 have given the subject some at
t~ention and am free to say that
have failed to find a single intelligen
. sentence, written or spoken by an.
one, in an endeavor to improve oul
market for agricultural products.
. with our great growth of poprla
: ton we must consider how the peopl'
must be employed, 50 that they ma,
be intelligent and happy. We sci
. 60 or 70 per cent of our entire pro
ducts to one country-Great Britain
If for any reason that country were
not able to buy from US, II people
would realize very quickly the situa
: tion they are in. Where can we sci
+ our wheat crop? In France, Italy
Austria or Germany we are met will
! hostile legislation. We are not wei
! come. To take our wheat to Russia
. would be like carrying coal to New
castle. That country has a surplus
. to sell.
"If only one-third of the people Of
the world are wheat eaters and the
+ other two-thirds live on rice or maize
+ or rye, we must find our markets
with people who are not now con
+ sume1s Of our crop. I believe that
T wherever wheaton -four has been in
+ troduced to any race, with the single
+ exception of the black race, they are
ready to consume it from that time
+ on. The Asiatic rice eaters are as
fond Of -four as the white race and as
ready to eat it if they can get it at
= a fair price.
1.-The question may arise, how can
people who work for wages Of from
10 to Is cents a day, and have lived
: for centuries on just such wages, buy
-four which must be carried across
" the Pacific Ocean? If they did buy
= -four, even at the rate Of one bushel
per capita, we in this country would
have to go eating corr pone. We
simply could not sell it to them. If
: we could sell them one bushel per
capita it would take As, 600. 900
bushels to supply China and Japan
alone, to say nothing Of the Straits
Settlements and other countries hay
ing large populations.
x I'm the north and west parts of