The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1883-01-12
PRICE OF WHEAT
Albany. Or. Jan. G. 1888.


Albany, Or, Jan. G, 1883.
Editors Democrat
A great deal has been said about the
low price Of wheat and lis cause. Last
year when shipping charters were high,
we were informed that that was the
cause Of tho low price Of wheat. This
year charters are nearly one-half lever
but tho price Of wheat remains much
the same. Farmers are anxiously In
quiring the cause. With wheat at its
present price no ordinary farmer can
more than make living II out Of debt.
IL in debt, he cannot do that much. /
desire to give some reasons why be-
lievo that wheat continues low.
In tho first place, the present system
Of storage In large warehouses IL ruin
ous TO the farmer. Anyone can see
that where the wheat IL concen tratsd
into large bulks, the effect will DO TO
give the advantage 10 tho buyer. Sup.
pose the retail merchants of this city
should place their goods In tho hands Of
tae buyers all over the country, and
then ask what will you give for the
goods. Such course would be idiotic.
How do wo farmers operate. We raise
the wheat, haul II 10 town when wheat
Ia low, and place II In the hands Of the
buyer or his agents. After hs gets the
wheat and uses large portion Of IL for
tho purpose of speculation, wo 20 TO
him and ask him what he will give for
the wheat on which he has already
made greater profit than tho man who
raised II. Can anything be more ruin
Gus 7 What is the remedy Keep
your wheat In your own barns until you
want TO sell. II you have no room,
build granaries. The cost Of storage
Tor one year will build granaries large
enough 70 store your wheat. But some
will say that the roads are 10 bad that
hauling cannot DO done in tho winter
time. In the first place that is not al
together true. In the second place, II
il 10 true, the hauling can be done the
next spring. The roads can be repair.
vi il they were worked as they should
be. But II wheat cannot 10 conveyed
70 market In the winter time, which /
do not admit, Il can be stored in grana-
riea and mortgaged for tho money which
tho owner may DO compelled 70 have.
The mortgage can be made safe by In
suring the wheat. Take two thousand
bushels Of wheat, place in a granAry,
insure IL for $500. Borrow S700 at
10 per cent. per anum. The interest
would amount TO s35 in six months.
If you sold at 20 cents per bushel in the
fall, you would realize 500 on tho
wheat. But, SupPsss by holding the
wheat six months you can get 80 csnts
per bushsl, you would realize 5000.
Tho difference would be, lsss $50 inter
est paid, $1,000 on 1000 bushels Of
wheat. The gain would be greater on
larger amounts, because the same pro-
portions would suffice with but little
more cost for large AZ for small amounts.
The farmers Of Oregon, must break
up this syatsn Of placing their proper
" in the hands Of Portland shippers,
and il can DO done by concert Of action.
One man acting on this principle would
not change the situation much. New
is the time 10 begin. Build your gran
aries now, 10 that when harvest comes
you can place your grain in il without
going 70 the expense Of Immediately
hauling ii 10 town TO be placed in the
hands OF spectators, who will, for the
Dext six months, make n greater profit
than you have made, even before you
have sold il. The evil, hero spoken Of,
has been one cause Of 10 much poverty
among the farmers in years past. II q
man had herd Of cattle. hogs or sheep
70 sell, would il be wise ia him to drive
them 70 Portland, and place them in the
hands Of butcher allow him 10 kill
them and then ask him what he will
givei Is not this the principle on
which every farmer Ia Oregon acts who
places his wheat in warehouse con-
trolled with tho money Of wheat sPccu-
latoisi Let us not blind our eyes 10
our own interests. Tne present sys-
tenn enables tho wheat spectators of
Portland, 10 dictate what per cent. Of
predt the man shall have who faces the
storms Cf winter in order TO till the soil.
FARMER.