The Flour Price Plunge
Washington millers slash prices as the local wheat market faces blockade-related distribution issues.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The market for agricultural produce has undergone some changes during the past week that are of considerable importance to farmers. The long depression in the wheat market is relieved by a firmer feeling, and prices have advanced to 50 cents per bushel for export purposes. The movement of the crop has been badly interfered with by the blockade on the Great Northern road. The price of flour has been reduced; nearly all brands of Washington patent flour have declined from 15 to 25 cents per barrel, and straight grades have been marked off 25 cents. Flour is now cheaper than ever before known, and its low price is frequently commented upon by dealers and others.
“Flour is now cheaper than ever before known, and its low price is frequently commented upon by dealers and others.”
In 1893, Seattle was wrestling with the volatility of a rail-dependent commodity market. Today, the 'blockade' is less about rail infrastructure and more about global supply chains, but the anxiety of local producers seeing their prices fluctuate due to external logistics remains a permanent fixture of the city's economic life.
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