COMMERCIAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 78, 26 December 1907, Page 8

COMMERCIAL.

S:;:>WS| ''INDIA AS A; FOOD PRODUCER. 4V-V>?V'ia".'view of tho frequency with which the' ?.'.'. word: "famine 1, has an application :iii .regard :'>.;.,;to'lndia, it seems paradoxical ; to state that' ■'.i ';'■:'that; connti'r is, with the possible .exception fti >;:■■: pf ''China, tho greatest ■ food ■ producer, in the .world. But, unlike most: other ."countries whero •fS^tly;.Energies of thopeoplo are demoted mainly -'*;'' • 'to'- ; tiUis industry, : the >/surplus ;,'available for VViv'dispp)2al abroad is pftdn. comparatively ih'sig'i;', Wlibatycrop^thoiighjenormous, ■•■;'"'is'nttvortholess smaller.thanjotber.staple crops V : 'as,''-i'or instance, rice,•millet, \ and pulse, and "-■''■''. '"these latter have an,interestr'for >us in Aus: J", :^; --'itraliW, only.'in so relative abunV.ii' /-'danco'-or scarcity ;>v«.Uof .wheat:; Thus ; p; ly'tion" regarding had a .*'•"•■.::"':"strengthening influenced pn-rthtS-'werld's" wheat I ; :'..'-^iposition, not becauseilndia-:. would-'necessarily ':" : ■:"'''■. produce less .wheat.-'but'-be'eause^th? , . shortage ;.r. ; {:'in :her other more wheat t.'''.'will, bo wanted at'i.'Home.-v.Tho' wheat crop

i"''.'itself, however, is a , .most unreliable 0ne.,,. In V'l'v'v: 1901: tho total exp-iit.'was only 12,500 quarters, iJ' ie-.'.-while - nearly .3M ,\. ; quartors were imported, l r W'this unusual"' of' affairs!;bi)iiig thoToutcome. v .;J"- the : -ser iunine"?in years', '■ ■ ; ;.'later. the l--i aV esce"bdeH:'.lo,ooo;oOOU.quarters,j . v '''.'aSvery appreciable ..addition to the world's' ?.'r.; , 'supply., : But'of the total; area jlovotcd in : A,'-India to the ■prOductioTf'orfbba 'grains, which *';■>: - the latest .official estimate places at 185,000,000 it is'- seldom," remarks the "Econo-> V -Wist" in a recent' issue,') "that more thanr 10,000,OUU' acres can bo reckoned upon to con-f-tribute. to export, trade, and this is not sub- : ject to either: rapid or, material'-" expansion." C ■* '£: SALMON SEASON ON THE PACIFIC w.- :-■/: •::»•'■,: COAST..". , ;.- ' ■■.I^!:" i~-t■ ■;.; ! A "Washington, correspondent ; of the London i'■ -■:•:■" Times," writing. under, date. .October' 7, says '(vvX.the salmon pack of the'Pacifio. Coast; of Noi'th [■-■■.-/ 'America for. 1907 is tho/ smallest :kn'own since. V, ;,; ,W!8, when-, the total.', was 2,400,000. .cases., The ' i-ack this year is' , less 'than,"3,000,000 cases-^-; ihe exact totals,ha&- yet to bo computed. .'Tho ''sockeye" catch, is .the lowest ■ in..the history if the industry,- reaching-only a.-little; more;han- 300,000 cnses,,or.| about-.haJf as imuch^as. ;ho sockeye pack of last , year/:No moro ppsi- , :ivo' : proof of the rapid disappearance of:''the. ?acific Ocean's greatest, food .fish could be ■--,■.,... -jiveri than ■ this,. notwithstanding that 1907 ; is.' f ■£■*:■. Midway between the • four-year "big' of !-U; •:'W1905 and that; due in , 1909.., Year after -iyeav ■ V':'.; -the;hopes' of, cannerymen, fishermen, and/Gov'f that the propagation of; sockeje; hy_ [/ : y'' , ';'v'liatcnerios' will counteract the ' alarming de-t;--.i»" crease of this' fish are shattered. Every year catch dwindles, and' if-natural^propagation-i;; -Snails it will, soon be incumbent on .the.fisher.:, ':;:'"vVmen.to desist from the , pursuit.of the sock-. !■:';■)'•;; eye, .otherwise only "a few- year's, will pass be-, i-'>.' ■'•fore 'this fishjis practically extinct; Of.'tins' i¥ : i .sockeye pack almost two-thirds origins ; :' : ;i :!ates in-. Northern British Columbia., -. ■ Botlj. on. '■-'." : •'the Fraser .River and Paget Sound the pack' .'v' '/'.was a:dismal failure. The Praser Eiv.er can-;V-:*;rieries packed about ,50,000 leases, and on Paget' : ; : : ; ; ;'jSound the pack was 75,000 'or;Bo,ooo,\according )('::'k?Xo (.estimatos of various broker's.and.'the Pa'cii/,':: 'Sfic , fishermen.' It'is-plain, therefore, that few jij' '■'.'••socieye aro reaching the,Praser River spawn-. kV-': : -;iE.g,grounds. '■ Next year is -hardly likely to i".-, %"produce any better- results; and, it-is-proposed--':'pin'.some quarters .that, fishing-for sockeye be is. 1908- by law or ..by common. i '.agreement. ' ~■■>' '; ■',■.''■.'■"'-' : .':' ; ||V:'- :/';:,.■ Australian -markets.,;-.,.'.' "■':■ , /■■ft, OT-TEtEQEiPH—^TBESS■,ASSOoiATIbKr- i CO?TEiGHT.;, :?..{'■''■".: (Rec. pec.'25,10.40 a.m.).' " : '' ; ■ '".-■-.>" •'■'■:■■• . ' •! ..;'"' -.'■■: Sybnut,. December.2s. r: 4d.f flour, d£llj.oats, white, 3s. 3d. i- to 3s. '4&.; Algerian, -3s. Id. to 35.-'4 d.; maize, r is: 9d. to 4sV, 10d. '.Pptatoes;:,Tasmarfian,,,6ld;'~£3; local, new, to i£9; onions,' Victorian, :i£s to JE6. Butter, 965. to 985.; cheese, 6d. to ,'-•>!.'.. Bacon, Sid.-'to 10id.."-' / ' ■:••■•.' ; .

A :'■■. ■■■■"•■"■"■ , , :: / MELBOUBNBi/Ilefiember..23. ;. : o' Wheat, 4s. 3d.;.' flour,. .£lO ss.;"oats, feeding, '; 2s'.-M.;..Alfforiari, milling, 35.; barley, Cape, ■ ,;-prime, ,45.; Engtysh, malting, ss. 3d. to ss. ,Cd.; '■■':maize,.' 4s. 4d.;<" bran and pollard, Is. Id. .'V Potatoes,. £3 155.., to. M; onions, £5. !rr^ ;■';; ■~,- i \ ■ ■■' '■', ; '. . ..'..1 ,:, Adelaide,.. December 25.. '/ > Wheat, 35.:11jd.; flour, .£10; bran and pol- • :l»rd, Is.;. .-'. ' -.'.■. '•■ V;■ ■- ; "- ', ;r-%vii .-:;u\ n\ "