The Columbus journal., 1909-05-05
DOLLAR WHEAT HAS
COME TO STAY

| : Is 4 q
~ LESS THAN FIVE VEARs CEN
TRIAL CANADA WILL BE CALLED
UPON TO SUPPLY THE
UNITED STATES
A couple ~ years ago. when the an.
noancement was made in these col.
um1s- that dollar wheat had come To
stay. and that the time was not far
distant when the central provinces Of
Canada-Manit0ba. SaskatcheUan and
Aberta-would be called upon 10 SUP.
ply q large part Of the wheat con-
sumption in the United StateA there
were many who laughed ut the predic-
tons and ridiculed the idea az wheat
reaching the dollar point and staying
there. Both Of these predictions have
come to pass. Dollar wheat Il here
and 1t Is not only here. but Il here to
stay: and at the same time. whatever
unpleasant sensations il may arouse
IN the super-sensitive American. Cen
6al Canada is already being called
upon to help keep up the bread sup
ply, and within the next five years
will. as James J. Hin says. literally
become the bread-basket Of our in
creasing millions"
There are few men in the United
States better acquainted with the
wheat situation than MIR. Hin and
there are few men, il any. who are in
clined to be more conservative in
their expressed views. Yet il was this
greatest Of the worlds railroad men
who said few days ago that the
price Of wheat will never be substan-
TALLY lower than it is t0day'-and
when 1t Is taken into consideration
that at that time wheat had scared to
$1.2O, well above the dollar mark, the
statement IL peculiarly significant.
and doubly significant IL the fact that
In this country the population ID in
creased at the ratio Of g. par cent.
while the yield Of wheat and other
products IL 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
ever hope to equal those provinces as
wheat producers, and that no other
country can produce as hard or as
good wheat. Said q great grain man
If United States wheat main
tains the dollar mark, Canada wheat
will be well above q dollar a bushei.
for In every way II is superior to our
homegrown grain"
With these facts steadily impinging
their truth upon our rapidly growing
population. it 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
or commercial line, she
must very soon acknowledge. and with
as much grace as she can. that she is
bound to be beaten as grain pro
Queer. 1t must be conceded that
great deal of the actual truth about
the richness of Canada's grain produc-
ing area has been kept out of sight.
as Mr.. Hill says. by the strenuous eff
forts of our newspapers and maya
zines to stem the exodus Of our best
American farmers into those regions.
It is a fact thar up to the present
lime, although Canada has already
achieved the front rank in the worlds
grain producers, the fertile prairies
If Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Al
,erta have as yet scarcely been
Millions, of acres. free for
he taking. still await our American
and when these millions are
zone there are other millions in re-
,ions not yet opened up to immigra-
ion. A few years ago the writer, who
las been through those wheat prov
noes several times. laughed with orn-
rs of our people at the broad
tatement that Canada was bound to
ecome John Bulls Bread Basket"
low, after last trip land though he
) a stanch American) he frankly be-
ewes that not only will Canada be-
ONE John Bulls bread-baSket, but it
ill within the next decade at least
'ECOME THE BREADBASKET OF
HE UNITED STATES. Perhaps this
lay be hard truth for Americans to
wallOw, but it is truth, neverthe-
eSS. And it is at least q partial com-
ensatiOn to know that hundreds OF
thousands of our farmers are profit
lg by the fact by becoming producers
d this new country.
The papers of this country have nat
rally made the most of the brief Pc
iod of depression which swept over
anada. but now there is not a sign OF
left from Winnipeg to the coast.
lever have the three great wheat rails
lg provinces been more prosperous.
apital is coming into the country
'om all quarters. taking the form OF
ash for investment, industrial con-
erns seeking locations, and. best OF
II. substantial and sturdy immigrants
ome to help populate the prairies.
owns are booming; scores Of new
evators are springing up: railroads
re sending out their branch lines i'm
i directions; thousands OF prosper
IS farmers are leaving their prairie
,elters for new and modern homes