90 



Graii\ Freights. 



Kingdom, but the quantity of grain thus brought to this country 

 is apparently small. 



The rate in 1902 from Odessa to London, Havre, Antwerp, or 

 Rouen was 8s. 46. per ton, the next lowest rate to that from New 

 York. From Bombay it was 12s. iojd., and in 1902 the imports 

 from India exceeded those from either Argentina or Russia. 

 From the River Plate it was us. 5d. from "down river" ports, 

 such as Buenos Ayres, and 13s. 9d. for " up river " ports, such as 

 Rosario, while from San Francisco the rate was 22s. 8d. per ton, 

 compared with 36s. iod. in the preceding year, a reduction which 

 seems to be reflected in the increased quantities of wheat 

 received from the Pacific coast of the United States. 



In addition, however, to ocean transport, the bulk of the grain 

 coming to this country has to bear considerable charges for 

 movement to the port of shipment. In the case of the United 

 States, information is given in the Statistical Abstract of the 

 United States as to the average cost of transport from Chicago 

 and St. Louis to New York and to ports in the United 

 Kingdom. Complete figures are not yet available for 1902, but 

 for 1 90 1 the through rates were appreciably lower than in any 

 preceding year, and it is believed that there was a further decline 

 in 1902. 



From Chicago to Liverpool the average rate in 190 1, according 

 to the Chicago Board of Trade, was 21.47 cents per 100 lb., or 

 slightly over £1 per ton, compared with 27s. 6d. in the preceding 

 year, a fall no doubt largely due to the decline in ocean freights, 

 while from St. Louis, which is now nearer the centre of the wheat 

 belt than Chicago, the rate is put at about 21s. iod. per ton 

 compared with 28s. 7d. in the preceding year (1900), which had 

 up to then been the lowest recorded figure. 



The general reduction in railway rates in the United States 

 since 1880 is well known, but it may be pointed out that there 

 seems to have been a decided decline in the past few years, 

 which, combined with low ocean freights, has largely diminished 

 the cost of transporting grain from the interior of the United 

 States to Liverpool or London, compared, for instance, with a 

 year as recent as 1893. 



The charges in the two years are reported to have been as 

 follows : — 



