Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-04-28
Ios,Nc HIS MARKETS.

CnlcagO; Z25 Flftn Ave, NJ" oA'>
City; Gumbel Bldg. Kansas City. Mo.
LOSING HIS MARKETS.
Under the Wilson administration
and the democratic tariff law the
American farmer is losing his markets.
The complete loss to western corn
growers of the entire New England
market for their products is made Ger
tain by the action of the New YORK
New Haven & Hartford railroad IN
reducing It's rates on grain hauled from
the sea to interior points.
BEGINNING May /. the entire New
England territory will be opened up as
a market for Argentine corn, a new
tariff for grain and grain products on
the New Haven system going into ef-
feet on that date.
There is greater significance in this
than the mere publication of a new
tariff, for it really means that the east
ern railroads have realized the neces-
sity of adjusting themselves to the
new situation which the Wilson tarln
created. Most of the roads showed
a willingness to make west bouno
rate on corn that would be on work
able basis. although the New Haven
proved a stumbling block; but a salts
factory, agreement has at last been
reached.
The New Haven has heretofore in
sisted on billing corn through from
New York on local tariff and charg-
ing three cents additional for lighter
age. The result has been that almost
the whole New England territory was
cut of from the benefits OF the cheap
or Argentine corn. The disposition at
first was to regard the importatlons
as of only q temporary character, but
the New Haven officials have nnally
come to believe that they are perman-
ent. and, furthermore, are impressed
by the immense business now In slgnt
by reason of the huge crop Argentina
has just raised. >,
According to an official report, the
new Argentine corn crop amounts 10
34s.00O, 900 bushels, which will leave
an exportable surplus of 235.O00Ooo
bushels, the greatest ever raised IN
the history of that country, or some
1900 900 bushels more than the rec
ord crop of last year. Already heavy
engagements of this new corn nave
been made for shipment to the United
States, and the first of it has actually
hean received at Galveston, although
A. will not really begin to arrive IN
large quantities in New York until
after May 1, when the new freight
rates go into effect
heretofore the farmers of the corn
growing states have supplied New
england with corn. Hereafter, Argen'
tina will supply New England with
corn heretofore the trunk lines have
hauled corn to New England, dis
lance of 1000 to 1900 miles and have
found it a large and profitable traf.
ac. Hereafter a single New England
railroad will take Argentine corn into
its cars at tidewater and do all the
hauling to interior points in New Eng
land. Argentina's surplus this year
will he 235, 900, 900 bushels and practlc-
alIv the whole of it will be shipped to
the United States. If imports OF less
than 10000 900 bushels of Argentine
corn in the last three months OF 1913
and The first three months OF 1914
could break the price 10 to 15 cents
q hushel on the short American crop
~ last wear. what will be the effect OF
the addition of 35,OOO,000 bushels to
the normal home supply of 1914?
What will then be the gross shrink
age of prices received by American
corn farmers? On the basis OF 7OO,'
900 900 bushels not fed by farmers
and available for the market the loss
"a our farmers this year in corn alone
viii be somewhere from $7o,ooo,ooo to
$100,OO0,OO0.
This is the sum to be charged
against an unrestricted competition
~, ohaanar land and labor in for.
aign countries. This Is the bill of ex-
pense which the democratic tariff bill
must answer for. But that mere item
Of 500, 100000 is only a part OF the
bin Of expense against the democrats.
An enormous increase OF importation
~ foodstuffs has followed free trade
In farm products. The sum total for
The current year and for the remain
Ing years of free trade will run up high
into billions of dollars worth OF mar
kets taken away from American Tar.
mers and given over to the farmers OF
foreign countries.