The evening times., 1911-04-24
CONGRESSMAN HANNA
ON RECIPROCITY
BY H. E. c. Bryant.

BY H. E. c. Bryant.
Washington, April 24.-Representa-
tive Hanna of North Dakota spoke
for thirty minutes against the Cana
dian reciprocity bill Wednesday.
Among other things he said:
The state of North Dakota, which l
have the honor Of representing in
part here in congress, is purely an
agricultural state. The three hun
dred and fifty miles of its northern
boundary is bounded by the southern
boundaries of the greet Canadian
provinces of Manitoba and Saskatch-
evan.
Within the last three months I
have received from farmers and busi-
ness men of my state, signed protests
exceeding thirty-five hundred in num-
Der, protesting against the ratifica-
tion of this proposed treaty. The
great majority of these protests have
been signed by farmers themselves
and / have only had five communica-
uons from my state asking or sug-
costing that should support this
proposed treaty. The farmers in
North Dakota know from actual per-
sonal experience the difference be-
tween prices which they receive for
their grain upon the American side
and the prices which the Canadian
farmers receive upon the Canadian
side of the line. stated last Feb
ruary that at the town of Portal, on
Dec. 81, 1910, land that was before
there was any talk of Canadian reci-
procity), wheat was worth there that
day sc cents a bushel; across the
street in North Portal, which is in
Canada, wheat that same day was
worth Is cents bushel. Barley
that day at Portal was worth 63 cents
and at North Portal it was worth 35
cents. Flax that day was worth in
Portal $2.S3 and at North Portal, it
was worth $1.s9. CThese figures
were furnished by the American Gus
toms house off1cer.) The wheat that
Is raised upon both the Canadian and
American sides of the line is exactly
the same kind OF wheat The grades
run the same and the freight rates
to Minneapolis, Duluth, Fort Williams
and Winnipeg are the same. The tar
iff and the tariff alone gives the
American farmer the larger price.
There is no argument that can be ad-
vanced by any man upon the floor of
this house that will convince the
farmer living in the border states,
and who knows the differences in the
prices Of his products upon this side
OF the line and the prices for pro-
ducts upon the Canadian side Of the
Zine, that this Canadian reciprocity
agreement is good thing for him.
There has been much said as to
the price of wheat in Chicago, Mime
apolis and Winnipeg. The wheat that
Is marketed in Chicago Is not the
kind Of wheat that is raised in the
Canadian provinces OF Saskatchewan,
Alberta and Manitoba and the states
Of North Dakota, South Dakota, Mon
tana, and Minnesota. The quotations
on Chicago wheat are entirely for
what is known as soft winter wheat.
NO. 2 red is. l believe, the contract
grade. The only states that produce
spring wheat, from which the patent
flour is made, in any quantity, are
the spring wheat states of Alinneso-
ia, North Dakota, South Dakota, and
Montana; and the wheat that is rails
ed In the Canadian provinces of Al
berta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan is
the identical same kind of wheat.
This spring wheat is a very hard,
fiinty wheat and makes the very best
flour and naturally brings a some
what higher price than the soft win
ter wheat and in fact, quote a large
quantity of this spring wheat is used
for the purpose of mixing with the
winter wheat and thereby raising the
quality of the -four made from winter
wheat. There is practically no spring
wheat exported from this country.
but it is almost all used here in the
United States.
Six years ago the province of sas-
katchewan produced 100000 bushels
OF Wheat-now they produce over
10000, 900 bushels; the production of
oats has increased from 1,5O0, 900
bushels to over 60,000,O00 bushels;
barley increased from less than 300
600 bushels to nearly 100000 BUSH
els; flax increased from nothing to
over 100000 bushels; and the pro-
dyction of wheat, oats, barley and
flax In Manitoba and Alberta is go
ing up by leaps and bounds.
In the summer in the Canadian
northwest the days are extremely
long and the same is true to some
what less extent in Minnesota and
the Dakotas. In the city Of Fargo.
In which ! live. in the summer time
a person can see to read out of doors
at 9 o'clock in. the evening. The day
light and twilight continues even
longer as we go farther north. The
consequence is that the isothermal
line extends long way to the north
and 1t is possible to mature grain in
this northern country in a very short
time; wheat sown in April is harvest
ed in August; oats sown in Nav ara
harvested at the same time: barley
sown ip May is harvested the last of
July; fax soWn the first of .Iuna K