Washington telegraph., 1909-05-07
DOLLAR WHEAT HAS
COME TO STAY
~
IN LESS THAN FIVE YEARS CEN
TRIAL CANADA WILL BE CALLED
UPON TO SUPPLY TIE
UNITED STATES.

A couple Of years ago, when the an
nouncement was made in these col
umns that dollar wheat" had come to
stay. and that the time was not far
distant VIXEN the central provinces of
Canada-Manitoba. Saskatchewan and
Alberta-would be called upon to sup
ply large part OF the wheat con-
sumption in the United States, there
were many who laughed at the predic-
tions and ridiculed the idea of wheat
reaching the dollar point and staying
there. Both of these predictions have
come to pass. Dollar wheat is here
and 1t Is not only here, but is here to
stay; and at the same time, whatever
unpleasant sensations 1t may arouse
In the super-sensitive American, Cen
trail Canada Is already being called
upon to help keep up the bread sup
ply, and within the next five years
will. as James J. Hill says. literally
become the bread-basket of our In
crsasing miiiioas.'
There are few men In the United
States better acquainted with the
wheat situation than Mr.. Hill, and
clined to be more conservative In
their expressed views. Yet it was this
greatest of the worlds railroad men
who said a few days ago that "the
price Of wheat will never be substan-
TALLY lower than 1t is today"-and
when 1t is taken into consideration
that at that time wheat had scared to
$1.20, we'll above the dollar mark. the
statement is peculiarly significant.
and doubly significant is the fact that
In this country the population Is in
creased at the ratio of 65 per cent.
while the yield of wheat and other
products Is increasing at the rate of
only 25 per cent. For several, years
past the cost of living has been stead
lily increasing In the United States,
and this wide difference In production
and consumption Is the reason.
/ This difference must be supplied by
the vast and fertile grain regions Of
Manitoba. Saskatchewan and Alberta.
There Is now absolutely no doubt of
this. Even the press of the country
comedies the fact. Results have shown
that no other country in the world can
sysga aRoRes ta equal those & &groyiness sis as
country can produce as hard or as
good wheat. Said great grain man
recently, 'If United States wheat main
tains the dollar mark, Canada wheat
, will be well above dollar a bushel,
for in every way 1t Is superior to our
homegrown grain"
With these facts steadily impingng
their truth upon our rapidly growing
= population, 1t is interesting to note
Just what possibilities as wheat
grower" our Northern neighbor pos
!, sesses. While the United States will
never surrender her prestige in any
manufacturing or commercial line, she
u must very soon acknowledge, and with
as much grace as she can, that she Is
bound to be beaten as grain pro
ducer. 1t must be conceded that a
: great deal of the actual truth about
: the richness of Canadas grain produc
~ Ing area has been kept out of sight,
as Mr.. Hill says, by the strenuous eff
forts of our newspapers and maga
d zines to stem the exodus of our best
o American farmers into those regions
: 1t Is fact that up to the present
% time, although Canada has already
l. achieved the front rank in the worlds
grain producers, the fertile prairies
of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and AL
berta have as yet scarcely been
IL scratched. Millions of acres. free fol
e the taking, still await our American
J. farmers; and when these millions are
gone there are other millions in re
gions not yet opened up to immigra
Il tlon. A few years ago the writer, who
has been through those wheat prov
- inces several times, laughed with 9th
ers of our people at the broat
- statement that Canada was bound t.
IS become John Bulls Bread Basket.
n NOW, after last trip land though h,
Is stanch American) he frankly be
y lieyes that not only will Canada be
II come John Bulls bread-basket, but /
IL will within the next decade at leas
IS BECOME THE BREAD-BASKET OF
IL IL y a Aho' TerHdpS Lnl
- may be hard truth for Aemricans t,
n swallow, but it is a truth, neverthe
less. And 1t Is at least partial com
\ pensation to know that hundreds O
thousands of our farmers are profit
J. ing by the fact by becoming producer
n in this new country.
is The papers of this country have mai
f. urally made the most of the brief DC
- riod OF depression which swept owe
~ Canada, but now there is not a sign O
L II left from Winnipeg to the coast
u Never have the three great wheat rails