An American Consul on Indian Wheat.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2453, 31 March 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

An American Consul on Indian Wheat.

Mr Bonham, tho United States ConsulGeneral in Calcutta, in a report on the trade of British India for tho past year, refers to the enormous increase in recent years of the import of Indian wheat to Great Britain, and observes that the

importance of the subject to American farmers bus led him t-a discuss it fully. Ho doty not ,'urreo witli some of his predecessors, wlio thought tli;it the United States hud nothing to four from India as a competitor in the production of wheat. He believes that India is to-day second only to the United" States in the quality produced. Nor docs hi; airrcc with some recent speakers in this country who have argued that, owinir to the habits of Indian agriculturists and their indisposition to move from the lands to which they are accustomed, it is milikely that the area of land under wheat cultivation will increase largely. Mrßonham thinks there is no doubt that wheat-grow-ing in India i.s yet in its infancy, and that its further dcvelopmeut depends principally upon the means of transportation to 1 lie sea.-b<iard. Twelve thousand miles of railway exist in India, and the average annual rate of construction during the past five years has been G(S'2 miles. 'The] Government of Great Britain is not content with being the great public carriers of the world, but she seems of late years to be possessed of a laudable ambition to produce her own breadstulls as well, and I fear, however unpleasant it may be to contemplate the fact, that, with tho cheap nativo labour of India,, and tho constantly growing facilities for transportation, we shall find her a formidable competitor as a producer of the "staff of life." Moreover, Indian surplus wheat is now brought to Europe in steamships through the Suez Canal in three or four weeks, instead of going, as formerly, in sailing vessels round the Cape, involving a voyaire of three or four months, and often material damage to the cargo from weevil. Mr Bonharn regards the competition from Indian wheat as likely to grow more severe, and the cultivation in Indian, as likely to increase considerably.