The daily silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1903-1907, 1903-09-02
ASIA ONLY HOPE OF
AMERICAN FARMERS
By JAMES J. HILL

In the first place, what we would
send to the Orient would go from the
Pacific coast. The grain of that coast
is handled at present in a en-
tirely different from that which pre-
walls east of the Rocky Mountains.
must be carried in sacks to prevent
heating, and not bulk in the hull of
the ship. as on the Great Lakes OF
the Atlantic. The grain Is practically
all bought by three concerns, two Of
them located in Liverpool and also in
terested in a line Of steamers, so that
they can furnish their own shipping.
1.-THE wheat is sent to England and sold
for what 1t will brfing. 1t acts as a
damper-a wet blanket-on the entire
ports. There the buyer must send over
is four months long, and by the time
the first cargoes are reaching port the
last are leaving, sc that it is all afioat
at the same time. The buyer in Europe
knows what is afioat. Thus, the man
| ltcE III WBiCu tic ClOp 10 uduhlt
breaks the market down more than
twice the same amount from Atlanti
ports. There he buyer must send over
and place his order in advance OF ship
ment. With the Pacific Coast grain It
must sell for what it will bring. The
ship cannot be delayed and the grain
cannot he stored in sacks
We can never get away from the
practical proposition that we are IL
competition with every wheat raiser
in every countryside peasants on
the setppes of Russia, the ryots of
India, and the Argentina farmer. most
! of whom went from Italy. We are
III competition with them on an even
whifltree. We always will be SO long
as we have to sell outside of u W
country and that our own country eve.
will onsum our entire product no
Intelligent man will believe at least
for half a century.
Our farmers can do nothing in the
way of getting a market. l a do very
little. The price of transportation has
come down, but the price of wheat has
come down with it. Compare the cost
OF carrying a ton of wheat to Liver
pool or Antwerp twenty years ago and
now, and it will be found that the
fail in the price of wheat from year
to year is just about the difference in
this rate. 1t has made wheat cheaper
for the other fellow. He Is not COM
PEELED to take your wheat. He can
where else. We must find new Gus
toners by charging our commercial
relations, by expanding u markets.
The country has always expanded and
always will. If it is to go on and in
crease we must have some place, some
people, where we can get rid of the
stuff we raise.
Suppose the trade with these Asiatic
peoples to amount to / cent per cap
ita for each day in the year, that
would amount with China alone to $4,-
600, 900 a day-nearly 81, SOC, 000, 900 a
year. We could not begin to furnish
it to them. We have not the surplus.
The European nations have the
Mediterranean Sea and two oceans 10
cross in reaching these peoples. We
have to cross but one ocean. 1t might
do us some good if we had any ships
to use it. OF the carrying trade going
to China in 1898 we carried three
fourths of n per cent. Yet We call
. ourselves a commercial nation and are
ambitious to be a maritime nation.
!, Ii we carry grain at these rates
from the Pacific Coast to China and
Japan we would o ship one bushel
of wheat from the Pacific Coast TO
Europe. And with a chance to bring
every car back loaded with Pacific
Coast lumber, We would carry millions
!, of bushels from Minnesota and the
Dakotas. Empty cars one way means
double mileage. 1t would not only help
taking the Pacific Coast wheat out OF
compeition, but it would carry away
their own crops at times. Either l
know absolutely nothing or l know
absolutely that these formers would be
GREATLY benefited. The entire wheat
crops of the northwest last veal might
have gone to the Pacific Coast, If the.e
had been ships to take it when it got
there.
Bearded ~ Omen.