The sun., 1916-09-03
BRITAIN PREPARES
FOR HIGHER BREAD
Price Of Loaf Advancing and
Wheat Imports viii
Be Small.
NAY FORCE WAGE RISE
United States and Canada Will
Not BE Able to Fill
Requirements.
FORCE WAGE RISE
Special CorYssSon6sacs to TINS Sos.


LONDON. Aug. l5.%Never perhaps in
the worlds history has a forthcoming
harvest been 30 eagerly and anxiously
looked forward to. Though an abundant
crop can make no such material differ
cncc to Britain's prospects ae 10 the ease
In Germany. a bountiful crop would Ger.
tainly ease the situation. for the nrice Of
bread may mean the difference between
peace and war in tie labor world.
bearer bread brings with It demands
for higher wagcs, and a. soon as wages
are raised prices all around begin to 80
w. The price Of bread At the present
time Ia IS cents the quarter loaf. This Is
not quite the highest point which bread
has reached In this country since war be-
gan. For a brief spell last year It
touched 20 cents n since then II has
been a. low rs Is cents.
At present instead OF falling the price
OF the loaf il rising. and the question
now IL whether. In view Of the probable
supplies Of wheat available. there IL any
likelihood Of q fall this year. or whether
prices will rise still higher.
Higher Prices Indicated.
Some experts consider that the price is
likely to rise. One Of the leading grain
dealers in the country. pointing to this
conclusion, said: what must be borne
In mind lie that. 20 far ~ Great Britain.
France. Italy and Spain are concerned.
the wheat crops Of Germany, Austria
Hungary and Russia do not count during
the war. They are on the map. So long
as tho D~arianelles are closed We cannot
Import wheat from Russia. We have
thus to consider. from our own point OF
View. not the worlds wheat crop. but the
crop available for this country and for
the other importing countries OF Europe.
The outlook does not appear 70 me to be
very satisfactory. am inclined. on the
contrary. TO regard 1t as serious.
Americas Crep IL Small.
Last year there was All unusually
large wheat crop In the United States.
which compensated US for the lack of
wheat supplies from Russia. But this
year the American crop Is not abnormal
II is estimated at about 655. 900 900
bushels. compared with about i,000.-
900 900 bushels last year. We need as
muvi, wheat as ;a.; year indeed. We
need more. Without an unusually large
crop In the United States we have moth
ing to compensate for the absence OF
wheat from Russia.
Not only Is the United states crop
one-third less this year. but less whea
n bCNl kioWu III THkitIus " t4Np
certain. ] think. that less wheat has been
grown this year in France. I believe
that Spain has grown enough to satisfy
her requirements. but italy will have TO
import.
NO one can tell what the Argentine
and Australia will yield. for the simple
reason that the crops have only recently
been planted. Moreover. as there Is a
shortage Of ships. and as il taxes twice
as long TO bring a ship from the Argen-
tine as from the United States and three
times as long TO bring one from Aus
tralia, ships are being devoted more to
American and Canadian wheat and less
to Argentine and Australian.
Export surplus Small.
W must look, therefore. chiefly to
the United States and Canada for the
th~ree-Quarters OF our wheat supplies
which We have to import every year.
The latest reports from these countries
are not very satisfactory
The United States needs for its own
consumption abou, 100000 quarters
Of wheat 1892. 000. 900 bushels). and |
should personally put its crop this year
at about 100000 quarters t624,000.-
600 bushels. That does not leave a
very large surplus for export. although,
" course. the amount exported depends
a good deal On the price offered. Taking
into account all the wheat that Canada
and the United States will he able to
supply this year. 7 do not think that
there will be enough to satisfy the de-
mands Of Great Britain, France and
Italy. and the conclusion I come 20 Is
that the price OF wheat and. therefore.
~ l,naI xv,' Up bfhhar"