England's Wheat Supply.

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4284, 23 September 1882, Page 2

England's Wheat Supply.

The British Trade Journal has (says a Home paper) issued a chart showing the imporfcß into Great Britain and the price of wheat during each since 1830. Throughout that period the lowest importation in any one year was in 1835, when the amount was 289,000cwt. In 1842 the quantity reached 13,187,000cwt; but the next year there was a falling off to 4,619,0C0cwt. From 1842- there was i a steady increase, and twenty years ago the total imports were 50,042;0C3cwt — about 6,ooo,COOcwt coming. from Russia, 22,000,000 cwt from', the United States, and 8,000,000 cwt from India, Canada, and the colonies. The heaviest importations in the period embraced are credited to 1879, when the total was 73,002,000 cwfc,. 8,100,000 . cwt coming from Russia, 45,000,030 cwfc from the United States and 9,000,000. cwt from British possessions. Since 1873 we have always drawn our chief supply of wheat from the United States ; but for several years preceding Eussia was our leading provider. The British possessions only at rare intervals head the list, which is n«t at all to be wondered at considering the comparative infancy of not a few of them. In 1880-1881 we received from our dependencies, principally India, largely increased supplies; but there was no falling off in either of these years of the shipments from the States. We proved a worse custo^ mer for Eussia, however, by several million cwt The figures of - 1843 and those of 1861 are very striking. The total imports in the former year were 4,619,0C0cwt, and the latter 71,000,000cwt. Of,the four-million odd cwts received in 1843 our colonißS only gave us about 6C0.030 cwt, and Eussia and the United Stated combined not more than one million cwts. Of the 7.C00.000 cwt received in 1881 fully 45.0C0.000 cwt from the States, and 10.250.0C0 cwt from British possessions. In the second quarter ol 1847. wheat was selling^at 302s 5d per quarter, having steadily "risen from 45s Id, at which it stocd a year before. The highest point tonched since then was in 1854, towards t!.£ close of which year it was quoted at BLo Id. In 1868 ifc was 74s 7d, but in the interval it had repeatedly'broken to 40s. Throughout the past half century .. th« average price has never been lower than 35s 6d, where it stood for a brief season in the closing quarter of 1851. ~^T