68 



FOREIGN OFFICE REPORTS. 



[June 189G. 



Britain. The exportation of pure butter from Holland to England 

 amounted to 191,000 cwts. in 1895 ; which shows an increase of 

 about 50,000 cwts. as compared with 1893. The export of 

 margarine, however, for the same year shows a decrease of nearly 

 30 per cent., the quantity being 879,000 cwts., against ] ,230,000 

 cwts. in 1893. The price of margarine averaged between \l. 18s. 

 and 21. per cwt. 



[Foreign Office Report, Annual Series, No. 1673. Price Id.] 



The Spanish Wheat Duties. 



According to a memorandum prepared by Sir G. Bonham, 

 Her Majesty's Secretary of Embassy at Madrid, the question 

 of duties on wheat, which is of considerable importance in 

 Spain, has been lately discussed at some length in a semi-official 

 newspaper, the " Eco de las Aduanas," from which the following 

 information is taken. 



The matter is regarded under three aspects, viz., from the 

 agricultural interest ; from the millowners' interest ; and from 

 the interests of the National Treasury. 



A year having now elapsed since the imposition of additional 

 duties on wheat, flour, and bran, and the duties now standing 

 at 2s. 4>d. per bushel for wheat and 7s. Id. per cwt. for flour, a 

 sufficiently exact judgment may be formed of the results of that 

 measure. 



The diminution in the imports of wheat has been accompanied 

 by a corresponding increase in the exports of flour, and that 

 this increased export of flour is not due to foreign wheat is shown 

 by the fact that of the 37,000 tons exported during 1895, more 

 than 25,000 were sent from Santander, a port which is stated to 

 be exclusively devoted to the export of home-grown wheat. 



The quantities of wheat imported and of flour exported during 

 the last three years have been as follows : — 





Year. 



Wheat imports. 



Flour exports. 





1893 - 



Tons. 

 419,000 



Tons. 

 900 





1894 - 



1895 - 



425,000 

 203,000 



13,000 

 37,000 





It is thus seen that in 1895, as compared with the preceding 

 year, there was a reduction of 222,000 tons of imported wheat, 

 but an increase of 24,000 tons of exported flour; and these 

 amounts are stated to represent an approximate gain for Spanish 

 agriculture of 49,000,000 pesetas (1,960,000k). 



The fact that foreign wheat continues to be imported at the 

 Mediterranean ports is stated to be due to the convenient 



