1910.] The Corn Markets in April. 



i 6 s 



otherwise agricultural employment in this group of counties was regular,, 

 and, except for a little surplus of day labourers in parts of Norfolk, 

 the supply of labourers was generally fully equalled by the demand. 

 Some scarcity of men for potato planting was reported in the Brigg 

 (Lincolnshire) Union, while there was also a scarcity of day labourers, 

 in the Mildenhall (Suffolk) Union. 



Southern and South-Western Counties. — Regularity of employment 

 was general, although in some districts a few day labourers lost a day 

 or two through rain. There was only a moderate demand for day 

 labourers in Kent and Sussex, but such work as spreading manure, 

 threshing, planting potatoes, and hoeing provided a fair amount of 

 work in other counties, and the supply of and demand for men of this 

 class were generally about equal. A scarcity of men for permanent 

 situations requiring Sunday work was reported in the Petworth (Sussex) 

 Union, and there was also some scarcity of permanent men in districts 

 of Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Devon, and Cornwall. 



THE CORN MARKETS IN APRIL. 

 C. Kains-Jackson. 



The decline in prices during April, 1910, has been in striking con- 

 trast with their advance in April of last year. The imports of bread- 

 stuffs for the first thirty-four weeks of last cereal year were below 

 requirements, whereas those of the like period in the present season 

 have exceeded retail demand. 



Wheat. — The average price of British wheat has not declined, but 

 the farmer has not been able to obtain that advance which the improved 

 condition of his deliveries would, in a month of stable values, have 

 enabled him to gain. The seasoned corn which has reached the April 

 markets has included, moreover, a fair proportion of high quality and 

 heavy grain ; this has been markedly so in Kent, where local averages 

 have frequently been is. 6d. to 25. above the mean for the entire 

 Kingdom. Low quality markets, like those of the far North, where 

 under thirty shillings has been repeatedly accepted, have improved in 

 position ; thus Berwick on the 23rd was able to quote an average of 

 325. 4^. per qr. 



Mark Lane has recorded quite fair sales of British produce, but 

 imported wheat has given way is. 6d. to 2s. in the period of five weeks 

 from Easter to the last day of April. In American wheat the decline 

 in futures has been 35. per qr., but 2s. is the extent of the fall in 

 U.S. and Canadian produce in granary. The new Indian crop has 

 come on sale at 395. or thereabouts. At the close of the month 40s* 

 was accepted for Australian new crop freshly to hand, 38s. 6d. for 

 Odessa Ghirka, and 385. for Durum. 



The quantity on passage increased by a quarter of a million on the 

 month; from 3,900,000 to 4,150,000 qrs., while shipments for April were 

 438,000 qrs. from North America, 1,197,000 qrs. from South America, 

 2,731,000 qrs. from Russia, 190,000 qrs. from Europe S.E., 504,000 

 qrs. from India, and 910,000 qrs. from Australasia. The Indian ship- 

 ments show a marked increase, and an early spring in Russia has 

 enabled that Empire to send off before April was over large quantities 

 of wheat which ordinarily do not reach the seaboard before May. 



