430 



Imports of Grain, 1907-8. 



[SEPT., 



The imports of barley were materially less than for some 

 years past, chiefly on account of diminished receipts from 

 Turkey and the United States. In the aggregate they 

 amounted to 17,465,000 cwts. compared with 19,469,000 cwts. 

 in 1906-7 and 20,314,000 cwts. in 1905-6. 



Oats, on the other hand, which fell to a somewhat low 

 figure in 1906-7, showed a recovery, owing to a larger supply 

 from Germany and some other countries which do not usually 

 figure in the returns to any important extent. The imports 

 from the United States and Canada were insignificant, being 

 only 227,000 cwts. compared with 6,654,000 cwts. two years 

 previously. The average price of oats was 6s. per cwt. 



Maize, which .was imported into this country in larger 

 quantities in 1906-7 than for five years previously, again 

 declined, and the receipts were less than in any year since 

 1894-5, when the imports only amounted to 24,000,000 cwts. 

 Russia, Roumania, and the United States all sent less, and the 

 deficiency was not made up by Argentina. 



The aggregate supplies of the principal cereals in each of the 

 past eleven 3/ears are given below :— 



Harvest Year. 



Millions of Cwts. 



Wheat. 



Wheat-flour. 



Barley. 



Oats. 



Maize. 



1907-8 



91 -6 



I3H 



I7'5 



I3'2 



39'5 



1906-7 



94'7 



13-2 



19*5 



10*9 



5i'7 



1905-6 



94-6 



14-4 



20-3 



16*0 



47' 1 



1904-5 



105-1 



io - 9 



21 -o 



17-2 



42'3 



I903-4 



93'i 



19-1 



3i*9 



15*2 



47-6 



1902-3 



85-1 



I9'2 



25-7 



16-6 



41 '6 



1901-2 



74'7 



19-1 



23-1 



16-7 



47-2 



1 900- 1 



71*2 



23*3 



i8- 7 



22 - I 



55-8 



1899-1900 ... 



65*0 



21-6 



15-2 



19-8 



57'7 



1898-9 



67-0 



22*9 



22-9 



14-9 



57'5 



1897-8 



66-4 



20'0 



20-3 



15*4 



55-6 



It is interesting to notice that it is only in the case of wheat 

 that any marked increase in the supply can be observed, in fact 

 in several instances the average for the last five years is less 

 than that of the preceding period. 



