The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1914-03-03
Minneapolis Biggest Of
Wheat or Flour Centres
Big Production of Flour Helps To Cut
High Cost of Living

For thirty years the cost of living
mounted upward, and the people came
at last to murmur as the beefsteak
and the soupbone were alike inflated;
but the Minneapolis -four mills ground
hard spring wheat into the staff of
life, and the price of bread was get
ting cheaper all the time. This is one
of the things John G. McHugh Of the
Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce
discovered when he made up the an
nual report of the chamber for the
year 1913, the first copy of which
came off the press last week.
The whole great question of what
Minneapolis may show in the future,
in the event that the Canadian par
lament finally yields to west Cana
dian pressure and takes off the coun-
tervailing duty on wheat which would
let Canadian wheat come across the
line without duty, arises from a
study of the statistical tables in the
report Duty paid, 1900 bushels of
Canadian wheat came over the line
in 1913 to Minneapolis, and 1,311 900
bushels of oats and $4,000 bushels
of barley. Inconsequential as these
quantities are, relative to the bust
ness of Minneapolis as whole, they
are suggestive.
Cheapest Food Produced Here
Whatever the remainder of the
world has done to make it cost more
for the people to live, this is not true
of Minneapolis as food purchaser,
In 1878 a barrel of good Minnea-
polls first patent flour cost from 81
to $3.50, and this was about the
range in 1879 and 1880, when it touch
ed as high as $3.50 for a period. In
1913 the price was S4.45. In COM
modify the value of which necessarily
changes not only by years but by
weeks and months, as raw material
prices vary, there are reactions noted
at times, but in the long table that
begins in 1883, in which all flour
prices for each year are averaged, the
trend is shown to be steadily down
ward. Against the average of $6.75
for first patents and S. for first clears
in 1883, the 1913 averages were
S4.591s and $3.35h. ~
Mr. McHugh discovered by these
comparisons that the family that ate
more than the average quantity of
bread and less than the average guam
tity of meat throughout was far ahead
on living expense. 81
New Distinction for Minneapolis
Also he discovered new honors for
Minneapolis. Wheat has ever been the
great cash article in the Minneapolis
grain market, and all the world know,
soon after the close of the last crop
year, that lbs 100000 bushels of that
grain had been received and that IT,
$4,000 barrels of -four had been
shipped, making new records. So in
the annual report these things ap-
pear, as do the great figures for the
It's 100000 total of bushels of all
kinds of grain that came into Min
neapolis.
But Minneapolis never has boosted
much of its prominence as an oats
market. 1t was little surprising,
therefore, to find that while Mime
apolis was the sixth primary market
in the county in oats receipts in 1911,
and fifth in 1912, it was third in 1913.
In 1911 there was total of IL ABS, 900
bushels received here, which had risen
to 15,SO4,000 in 1912 and to 24,562,-
900 in 1913. The 1913 figures includ-
ed 1,311,0OO bushels of Canadian oats
on which 6 cents bushel import duty
had to be paid.
First in Barley and Rye
But when it comes to barley Minnie
apolis stands in first place in the Uni
ted States. The 1918 receipts made
$3.50 900 bushels, including $4,000
bushels of Canadian barley. Only
Chicago, with 81 900, 900 bushels of
barley received, was anywhere near
Minneapolis.
Likewise in rye Minneapolis ran far
ahead of every competitor. The total
of $3.50, 900 bushels was received. Mil
waukee, the next nearest competitor,
got 3,Os1 900 bushels, and Chicago,
3, OTIS, 900 bushels.