866 The Corn Markets in December. [jan. 



Eastern Counties. — There was generally some demand for extra 

 labourers in these counties on account of such work as threshing, 

 hedging, ditching, draining, and manure-carting," and employment on 

 the whole was fairly regular for these men. The supply of and demand 

 for extra labourers were about equal in most districts; an excess was 

 reported in the Ely (Cambridgeshire), Samford (Suffolk), and Brain- 

 tree (Essex) Rural Districts, while in the Welton (Lincolnshire) Rural 

 District there was a scarcity of such men. 



Southern and South-Western Counties. — Extra labourers lost a good 

 deal of time, particularly in the more western counties. They were 

 chiefly employed at hedging, ditching, draining, threshing, manure- 

 carting, and root-storing, but the demand for extra men to perform 

 such work was generally only moderate. A surplus in the supply of 

 extra men was reported from the following Rural Districts : — Holling- 

 bourne, Hoo, and West Ashford (Kent), Hartley Wintney and Havant 

 (Hampshire), Bradford-on-Avon, Westbury, and Devizes (Wiltshire), 

 Hereford (Herefordshire), and South Molton (Devon). Men . for . per- 

 manent situations were reported as scarce in the Godstone (Surrey), 

 Petworth (Sussex), Williton (Somerset), Newton Abbot (Devon), and 

 Camelford, Truro, and West Penwith (Cornwall) Rural Districts. 



THE CORN MARKETS IN DECEMBER. 

 C. Kains-Jackson. 



Wheat. — The average price of British grain for the first four months 

 of the cereal year was found on New Year's Day to have been 30s. 6d. 

 per qr., that for the like period of the previous cereal year having been 

 335. per qr. The sales showed about ten per cent, diminution, though 

 the quality and condition of the 19 10 (Sept. -Dec.) deliveries were 

 rather superior to the quality and condition of the 1909 deliveries in 

 the similar period of that year. Despite the smaller deliveries, stocks 

 of British wheat at the New Year were less than on January 1st, 1910, 

 for the total crop yield was materially less. Imported wheat in Decem- 

 ber sold very badly ; it was only in the three last days that sales reached 

 anything like a winter level. Not only did we have a Green Christmas, 

 but the weather leading up to it was wholly against a brisk demand, 

 either for bread or meal. The sorts which kept up best in price were 

 Canadian, American Spring, Argentine, and fine North Russian, a 

 medium position being occupied by American Winter, Australian, and 

 Indian. The sorts which were most difficult to place were ordinary 

 South Russian, soft New Zealand, and Californian, and the supplies 

 from S.E. Europe other than. Roumania, whence a small supply of 

 rather better quality than usual has come to hand. 



December shipments were 808,000 qrs. from North America, 525,000 

 from South America, 2.957,000 from Russia, 984,000 from Europe S.E., 

 397,000 from India, and 219,000 from Australia. These exports included 

 170,000 qrs. of new crop from Argentina, and 86,000 qrs. from 

 Australia. The supply on passage on December 31st was 1,995,000 qrs. 

 Prices ruling at Mark Lane as the year closed were 30s. to 345. 6d. per 

 504 lb. for English wheat, 345. to 385. per 480 lb. for Canadian, 355. 



