6o2 Freight Charges on United States Wheat. [jan., 



miles, was less than 2d. (3-8 cents) per bushel, or \d. (i-6 

 cents) less than it cost a farmer to transport it 9 J miles from 

 his farm to a neighbouring railway station. The cost of ship- 

 ment in chartered vessels from Baltimore was nearly \d» 

 (7 -8 cents) per bushel, and by regular lines from New Orleans 

 it was about ^\d. (6-8 cents), but it is considered that the 

 average rates from Baltimore, New Orleans, and New York, 

 not including costs of transfer, may be put at 2\&. (4-8 cents) 

 per bushel. 



The Pacific Coast wheat trade is distinct from the trade east 

 of the Rocky Mountains, and the grain is carried almost entirely 

 in sailing vessels. The rate quoted from San Francisco, Port- 

 land, Tacoma and Seattle to the United Kingdom was about 

 &\d. (16 -8 cents) per bushel, and the railway charge from local 

 stations to these ports was just over $d. (10-2 cents), so that 

 the total transportation cost was is. i\d. (27 cents) per bushel. 



From these figures it may be inferred that the average cost 

 of the carriage of wheat from farms in Illinois and Nebraska 

 via Chicago to Liverpool was about is. i\d. (26-9 cents) per 

 bushel, made up as follows : Carriage from farm, 4-2 cents ; 

 average railway rate from local stations to Chicago, 9 -6 cents ; 

 average rate, Chicago to New York, 7-8 cents; freight to 

 Liverpool, 3-8 cents ; and minor costs of sale and shipment „ 

 1 • 5 cents. 



Wheat sent from Kansas through the Gulf ports would cost 

 rather less, viz., carriage from farm, 3-6 cents ; railway rate 

 to Gulf ports, io-8 cents; ocean freight, 6-8 cents; and 

 minor costs, 1 -5 cents ; making in all 22 -7 cents, or \\\d. per 

 bushel. On the whole the average cost, excluding the Pacific 

 Coast, is probably slightly over is. a bushel. 



The charge for ocean transport, though small, is an important 

 item in the wheat trade of the United Kingdom. As stated 

 above, the rate from the Atlantic and Gulf ports of 

 the United States, averaged about 2\d. per bushel in 1905-6, 

 but from most other countries, except Canada, it was more. 

 Thus, from Russian Black Sea ports and Roumania the freight 

 averaged 3^., from India 4^., from Argentina $\d. and from 

 Australia yd. The highest rate from any country of importance 

 is that of 81 d. charged from the Pacific ports of the United 

 States. 



