1908.] 



Imports of Grain, 1907-8. 



429 



The Argentine Republic again occupied the position of 

 principal exporter to this country and furnished on this 

 occasion a larger quantity than in any previous year. The 

 second place was taken by the United States and the third by 

 Canada. The larger receipts from these three countries 

 compensated to a considerable extent for the shortage from 

 Russia, and prevented any material dearth in the supply — 

 a contingency which was at one time considered not improbable. 

 The possibility, however, of a demand greater than the supply 

 had a material effect on prices, which began to rise in May, 1907, 

 and were maintained on the whole at a higher level than in any 

 year since 1897-8. 



The average price of imported wheat was 36s. per qr. 

 in 1907-8 compared with 30s. $d. in 1906-7 and with 

 36s. 31^. in 1897-8. Home-grown wheat participated in the 

 general rise, as will be seen from the following table, which 

 shows the average prices of British wheat, barley and oats per 

 quarter, computed from the weekly averages of corn returns 

 during each of the harvest years ending 31st August, 1898 to 

 1908. The quantities given in the table are the quantities 

 returned as sold from which the averages are calculated. 







Prices. 







Quantities. 





Harvest 













Years. 

















Wheat. 



Barley. 



Oats. 



Wheat. 



Barley. 



Oats. 





s. d. 



s. d. 



S; d. 



Quarters. 



Quarters. 







Quarters. 



1897-98 ... 



36 2 



26 11 



18 3 



2,534,224 



3,339,842 



599,666 



1898-99 



26 0 



26 1 



17 3 



3,498,515 



3,629,760 



777,676 



1899-1900 ... 



26 4 



25 2 



17 4 



3,255,654 



3,355,241 



722,859 



1900-01 



27 1 



25 0 



18 1 



2,463,341 



3,109,149 



684,956 



1901-02 



j 28 4 



25 11 



20 4 



2,451,275 



3,176,599 



698,840 



1902-03 



26 5 



23 4 



17 8 



2,386,017 



3,151,337 



1,104,660 



1903-04 ... 



27 2 



21 10 



16 4 



2,129,448 



2,780.473 



1,132,086 



1904-05 



30 7 



24 6 



17 0 



1,746,927 



3,141,058 



1,178,154 



1905-06 



28 9 



24 2 



18 5 



2,940,263 



3,202,613 



940,015 



1906-07 



28 1 



24 5 



18 4 



2,830,991 



3,376,6i5 



1,219,419 



1907-08 



; 32 9 



25 8 



18 2 



2,944,256 



3,564,908 



1,530,848 



The United States is the principal exporter of wheat flour 

 to this country, 10,124,000 cwts. being received from this 

 source during the past twelve months. Canada sent 1,542,000 

 cwts., but the importation from France and Austria-Hungary 

 fell off. The average price was 10s. 11^. per cwt., against 

 9s. 6d. last year. 



L ' 



