The Washington herald., 1915-02-21
RISE IN wheat
PROBLEM Of j. 5.
Bread Prices on the Jump.
War Price" Proba-
bility.
FIGURES PROVE PLENTY
Nations Grain Supply Sufficient. Ac-
cording to Data-Washington
Man Big Factor.

! \ Man Big Factor.
! The rise in the price of wheat is lay
! ing tax on the people of the United
States which makes the war tax" OF
$1o0.000.o00 lock small The standard
| "0-cent loaf" has gone to and cents
in many cities; Washington is threat
cned with a rise. and predictions of a
Decent loaf are numerous in RESPONSE
bic quarters.
! What does this mean to, the Ameri-
can housewife?
George S. Ward. member of great
bread-makinG concern and one of the
owners OF the Brooklyn Federal
League baseball team, figures that
Americans consume on the average a
barrel of wheat hour year. From
each barrel 2I5 standard 5-cent loaves
! of bread can be baked. For each rise
! of 1 cent in the price OF the loaf. every
American must pay S2.75 year. The
Census Department figures that the
population of the United States pass
! ed the 100. 100000 mark some time in
January. So each 1-cent rise in the
/ price of the loaf means a tax on the
country of 32.5,000.000. A rise from
: to 10 cents will cost us N.$.5,Ooo.000.
! But this will not be the total cost.
! With the rise in the price OF wheat
! There Is al lnCTcdScu Quiet
/ cereals-barley. rye. oats and corn
and these rise in price. too. Then hogs
! are fed mostly on corn and if the farm
ers' corn il worth more. they will get
more for pork and meat prices will
rise in consequence. So we are in for
an era of high prices: what those who
were of mature age in ls61-lS65 will
remember as the war prices.
For the farmer il will be clover"
I Il IL -ka,
this year and q larger area will be
seeded next year. When wheat rises
from 81 to $3.50 the farmers of the
country get $445.500,000 more without
any extra effort and if prices rise 81,
the vast sum of Sse1.000.000 will drift
into the farmers stockings.
, The high prices for wheat are based
more on expectation of shortage than
actual shortage. Well-informed men
| speedily terminated it would take at
least two years for Europe to get on
its old wheat production basis. And
there appears no prospect of peace.
Figures Prove Plenty.
Here are the figures showing there
/ is no actual wheat shortage. Exports
at the present rate of 100000 bushels
a week can continue practically up to
the time of harvesting the 1915 crop
without depicting the adequate supply.
! The United States Department OF Ag-
riculture figures there is an increase of
: 100000 acres in the amount of win
, ter wheat planted for harvesting this
| year. Last years enormous yield of
nineteen bushels an acre probably will
he exceeded. Figuring conservatively on
a fifteen-bushel yield. however. 6l.5oo.o 90
additional bushels of winter wheat should
be harvested this year. Crop experts say
with average good fortune the spring
wheat yield should be increased 40.00v, 90
bushels. The total for 1911, should be one
billion bushels or 100000 more than
last years record crop. This Is enough
to supply America and furnish a surplus
Of about 4IS,OOo,No bushels for export.
Government computations show last
years crop was SOL OH 600 bushels: which
| with a surplus Of 100000 bushels from
| 1916 gives total available supply of 9Ss,-
03o.G0S bushels. It takes Ave bushels OF
wheat for barrel of flour. SO the con-
sumption is 5n.OoodO bushels. Then ST.
10000 bushels are needed for seed, max
Ing total requirements of 6S4.0Oo,OO
bushels. Thus this year We had 31S 0oo coo
bushels available for export.
II the United States chose to keep all
| her wheat for herself, prices would be
very low in this country, certainly below
81 at Chicago and quite probably 20 cents
or 50 cents, which would mean bank
ruptcy for the farmers. In many sec
tons Of the country, however, sentiment
is growing for an embargo act. There
is the precedent Of the war OF 1917 for
this.
barge is Mrs. Julian Heath, OF New York
City. president Of the Housewives
League, which represents 1.0O00 900 Ameri-
can women. Mrs. Heath says the House.
| wives League has realized for some time
that increased prices for bread We're in
evitable and has been sending notice to
its members to make no effort to at
tack the bakers. because they are forced
to charge more because their flour costs
them more.
The average housewife would do we'll
to learn more of the use of cornmeal"
says Mrs. Heath. THE price of corn
meal has not gone up much Yet and
even though il did go up il would re-
main a cheap and very nutritious food.
and il can be made 10 take the place
of part Of the weekly bread supply OF
the family"
Another measure OF relief which is
widely advocated is the closing of the
produce echanges. Many believe this
would end speculation and would cause
the price to rise much more slowly. Every
telegram from Chicago has a new tale of
fortunes made by the traders In wheat
Killings" uneQualled for many years are
reported. Joseph Letter. OF Washington
and Chicago. famous for his attempted
corner Of 1893. is again .'in the market"
and 10 said to have made 10000 already.
with pospects Of much more He bought
heavily when wheat was around H.N
May option. In Chicago. c. B. Liver
more, a New York stock trader, has
k,,r~ al To
great winnings. it is said. and c. W.
Partridge. a Chicago meSehant, has
amassed a fortune, and others have
profited exceedingly. These successful
traders have believed firmly from the
first that the great war meant high prices