472 Imports of Grain in the Cereal Year, [sept., 



28,429,000 quarters. The quantity of imported wheat meal 

 and flour was, however, less in the year just ended, and only 

 amounted to 10,969,000 cwts., as against 13,389,000 cwts. If 

 these figures are converted into the weight of grain which the 

 flour may be supposed to represent and added to the above 

 totals, it will be found that the total quantity of wheat avail- 

 able for home consumption, including seed, but exclusive of 

 stocks carried over, was 32,023,000 quarters, as compared with 

 32,768,000 quarters in 1907-8. The figures for the past six 

 years are compared in the following table : — 



Quarters. 



1903- 4 34,030,000 



1904- 5 32,796,000 



1905- 6 34,283,000 



1906- 7 ... 33,966,000 



1907- 8 32,768,000 



1908- 9 ... .. ... ... 32,023,000 



It will be seen that, notwithstanding the increase in the 

 population, the supply during the past year fell below that of 

 any of the preceding five years. 



With regard to the countries contributing to the supply, 

 the receipts from each of the principal sources are given 

 below : — 



Country of Export. 



Thousands of Cwts. 



1 908-09 



1907-08. 



1906-07. 



1905-06. 



India 



10,904 



10,480 



14,613 



n,743 



Russia 



9,470 



4,455 



12,843 



i8,377 



Argentina 



24,542 



28,128 



22, 179 



22,890 



United States ... 



19,299 



25,273 



20,319 



I7,9i7 



Canada ... 



15,118 



13,578 



11,085 



11,177 



Australia... 



9.5«7 



6,264 



7,769 



7,488 



The Argentine Republic was the principal exporter to this 

 country, the United States taking second place, and Canada 

 the third. Australia sent a larger amount than had been the 

 case for several years. Roumania, which in some years con- 

 tributes a few million cwts., sent a very small supply, and 

 the only country other than those mentioned in the above 

 table which furnished more than one million cwts. was 

 Chile. 



As regards flour, the United States contributed 6,997,000 



