March 1895.] EXTRACTS FROM DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR 343 



REPORTS. 



whilst, to crown the general misfortunes, three bad harvest 

 seasons occurred consecutively. 



Another factor in the cereal question in Portugal has been the 

 taste of the consumer. With the influx of foreign wheat came 

 the installation of steam mills, the result of both being a fine 

 white flour, pleasing to the eye, made chiefly from American 

 wheat, easily ground and bought on credit, thus enabling the 

 miller to sell on credit to the baker. The native wheats are 

 very nutritious, but dark in colour ; they are hard to grind, and 

 the small farmer can only aflTord to sell for cash. 



Native wheat was thus limited to the consumption of the 

 rural districts, and would speedily have gone to unremunerative 

 prices but for the special legislation which imposes restrictions 

 upon the im^portation of foreign wheat for so long as it can be 

 shown that a stock of native wheat is available for the miller. 



[Foreign Office Report, No. 1483, Annual Bevies. Price ^^d.] 



Swedish Import Duties on Wheat and Flour. 



The Board of Agriculture have received from the Foreign 

 Office copies of despatches, transmitted by Her Majesty's Minister 

 at Stockholm, relating to the proposed increase in the Swedish 

 duties on imports of wheat and flour. It seems that ever since 

 the policy of protection on native manufactures gained favour in 

 Sweden, the landed classes generally have urged the necessity of 

 aflfording them equal protection to that granted to the manu- 

 facturers. Whether it was an unwillingness to encounter the 

 unpopularity of raising the price of bread or not, years passed 

 without anything being done. Last autumn, however, persistent 

 efforts were made to induce the Ministers to raise the duties by 

 Royal decree, and the support given to this movement was so 

 great, that the corn-importing houses took alarm, and hastened 

 the arrival of extensive supplies from the neighbouring countries, 

 principally from Russia. 



The Swedish Government have, however, lately taken action 

 and issued a decree, which raises the duties about 150 per cent. 

 As a measure of immediate help to the agricultural classes it is 

 not likely to have much effect, as the large supplies already 

 introduced will meet the wants of at least the present year. 



The announcement was made in the "Post och Turikes 

 Tidning" of the 7th of January last to the effect that the 

 Swedish Government had resolved upon a considerable increase 

 in the existing import duties on corn, malt, and flour, and that- 

 the new duties were to come into force from that date. - 



The following statement shows the new Swedish import duties ; 

 on corn, malt, and flour compared with those previously in 

 force : — 



