WHEAT AND WOOL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1376, 10 November 1884, Page 2

WHEAT AND WOOL.

To the Editor.

Sir —lt will doubtless be interesting to a portion of your readers, if I supplement my last letter with a few observations relative to some of the more prominent wheat-producing countries of the world. TheJArgentine States of South America have supplied the European markets, not only with wheat, but frozen mutton. With the grand water carriage, afforded by the Bio de la Plata, and its tributaries, intersecting the interior in all directions, together with a not unimportant railway system, it is but reasonable to expect that larger quantities than ever before of wheat, wqol, and frozen meat will find a way to the markets of Europe from that country, The present population is about 20,000,000, with an area of say, 900,000 square miles, more than seven times the size of Britain.

During the past thirty years about 12,000 miles of rails have been laid for the iron horse in India, and in a country where labor can readily be procured at about threepence per day, and where ex-

cellent wheat can be grown upon the elevated table lands, it ia only natural that large quantities of the cereal should find ita way to Europe at paying prices. The opening of the Suez Canal brought the great po 't of shipment for Indian wheat to within about ona-half the distance of the rout i formerly taken round the Cape of Good Hope. The distance from Bombay to London will not be more than about one-half that from New Zealand, and much greater reliance can be placed upon the seasons. With a largely extended railway system now being carried out by the Indian Government, the probability is that her export of wheat will steadily increase for years to come. To show the enormous development which the growth of wheat has undergone in India since the opening of the Suez Canal, I quote the following from a weekly journal “ The export of Indian wheat rose from L 167,000 in 1873 to L 8,869,000 in 1882, and' probably L 10,000,000 in 1883 more than oue-third going to France. The wheat is excellent, and the only drawback is the cost of transit, which even by rail is double what it is in America.”

Aconsiderablequantityof bothwheatand flour has found a way to England annually for some years from the Republic. Chili has an area somewhat less than that of Britain, with a very large extent of coast line, so that the cost of carriage from the interior to her seaports is »raall. Adelaide, Australia, has been noted as an exporter of wheat and flour for many years, and a ith steamers on the’ Murray and Darling Rivers, and a railway system extending from Port Augusta far into the interior, it is more than probable that she will continue to be a rea» wheat producing country. Victoria has for some years been an >mportant exporter of wheat and flour, and with her large railway system, it is more than oroba le that her exports of wheat will largely increase. New South Wales has for some years been actively extending her railway system, even to her very borders on the north, south, and west, and is beginning to export both wheat and flour largely. I am etc., J. B. Williams. Mount Somers.

GREY STREET. To THB EDITOR. Sir, — Some time ago you congratulated the reaideuto of Grey street upon certain improvements having been undertaken by the Borough Council in Chat neighborhood. If you will re-viait the luo.Uty just now, I think you will admit that the residents have little more than the notoriety given by your notice to be grateful for. Before they sought tLe paternal oaie of the Council they had the rough but cleanly tussock to their door, but now this is improved off the face of the earth and mud of the very muddiest description substituted. The point where Grey street abuts on East street is literally dangerous, and if the sun and nor’-westers of summer do not uncover the remains of some victim to progress engulfed at that crossing, they will at least give up a number of boots and hand barrows which can be ill-spared during the interval —I am, etc, Mud Lass.