The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-18
PRICE OF FLOUR IS
 AGAIN INCREASED Patten Says Duty Off Wheat
 Will Not Help CHICAGO L0AVES SMALLER Wheat King Declares That He Is Not Responsible for the Rise, But
 That Supply Is Not Equal
 to the Demand.
CHICAGO LOAvES SMALLER

Chicago, April Special With James A. Patten defying the govern ment to take the duty off wheat and declaring such action would have no influence on his bull campaign, the ef- feet of the market manipulation began to tighten about the ultimate con sumers' today when further increase of 20 cents barrel on flour was an- nounced by the biggest of the milling concerns.
 For pest patents the wholesale price was marked up from $7 to $7.20 per barrel. This figure contrasts with the price prevailing a year ago which was $5.70.
 City Sealer Kjellander, after a tour of dozens of stores in Chicago today, declared the average weight of loaves now sold in Chicago for a nickel is 13 ounces. Only one of the large whole sale bakeries he found Is maintaining It's loaves at the standard Is ounces. Millers and wholesale bakeries at once fell in with the suggestion of MT. Pat ten that Congress remove import duty of 25 cents a bushel on wheat Quick
 
 tariff framers at Washington to mako the change in the new Payne bill.
 Tt would be very good thing 10 admit wheat free" said F. D. Barn. heisel, president of H. H. Kohlsaat & Go. That would have a tendency to banish this corner nuisance"
 In the exchange of lefthanded com pliments between James A. Patten and Secretary of Agriculture James Wilson with reference to the governments es- innate of 14s,O00.0 900 bushels of re- serve wheat on American farms on March 1. the wheat king today cried "Enoughi'
 This controversy is getting to be a nuisance,' said Mir. Patten after Mir. Wilson's latest broadside calling him by inference gambler" was read to him. Earlier in the day he had been nettled by the Secretary's statement that he was engaged in scheme to rob the consumer"
 Tt is a nusance.' repeated Mir. aPt- ten, land I will say nothing more in reply to MT. Wilson. As an American cit izen have the right to differ with him and I will continue to exercise that right. Time will tell whether he or I am right in the estimate of reserve wheat I say lil6 OH tHo ldf1nS IS practically exhausted"
 Do you suppose Wall street is respon- sible for the talk of a government in- vestigation of your deal?" was asked. T supposed all along that the shorts in wheat were in Wall street. The pop ular opinion Is that Wall street has some influence in Washington Would prices collapse if the duty was taken off wheatr
 'If the duty was removed tomorrow it would not affect the price of wheat one cent" he said.
 MT. Patten said he did not buy or sell a single bushel for future delivery today.
 New York Bread Goes Up. New York, April 17-Joseph Book. pres- ident of the East Side Brokers asso- ciation, said tonight that the 355 mem- bers of his association had agreed to in- crease the price of loaf of bread from 5 cents to 6 cents. Flour in New York today was quoted at S7.40 a barrel, the highest price yet reached. Bread Higher In Cleveland.
 Cleveland, Ohio, April 17.-Jewish bakers throughout the city raised 4-cent loaves to cents and 1s-cent loaves to 20 cents The siEe of Scent loaves was de-