South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-02-19
INCREASED PRICE
FOR BREAD WOULD
COST j. s. BILLION
Figures Compiled by Statistic
ianS Show That Farmer as
Well as City Man Would
Share in Great Cost.

The rise in the price of wheat i:
laying a tax on the people of the
Unlted states wnlch makes the wal
TAX" OF S1OU,U0U,UUU look small. Inc
standard '-nve cent loaf mas gone Uc
six ana even seven cents IN many
cues and predictions OF 10 cent
LOAF are numerous in responsible
! quarters.
W nat does this mean to the Ameri-
can housewife?
George :. ward member of a great
DIeaduiakIng concern and one Oh the
owners OIL the brooklyn ederdl leag u1
.aseDan team, ngures that Americans
\ consume on the average barrel OF
wheat flour a year. IRON each par
eel 20 sLanuald five cent IoaVes OF
\ OIeau can DC baked. FOR eacn rise
OF one cent IN me price of the LOAF
, every American must pay $40 .
\ , ear. Inc census depdI lmenJ ngufes
\ mat the population OF the United
/, otaCes passed the l0V,OOO,OU0 mark
/ some TIME in January. 80 each one
f. cent rise IN the price or the loaf
! means a tax on the country OF 500
/ VUV,UUUi A rise nom nNe TO ~ cents
Vii cost Us ST. o,VVU,OVO!
Vii NOl be All.
! But this WIn not be the total cost.
\ Win the rise in the price Oh wheat,
I tneIe is an Increased demand for
/ OIner cereaIs-bariey, rye, oats ana
cOTn-aAd lnese rise Ia prIce, TOO. \
4urtneT tax as Ialu on me consumers
vi rye bread, VINO are the very poor,
ana IL cOs.s more To eat com pOne'
= also. 1uen nOgs are FED mostly on
! com ana ii the farmers corn Is worth
more, Lney viii get more Tor poi k
Ina meat piIces VIII rise III conse-
quence. 30 we are IN Tor an era OF
n4sn prices; what those VINO were OF
mature age IN IoOl-1oO5 viii remeh-
Eel aS ,ne war prlcese."
! For the farmer IL will be clover"
/ We raised 6SI,VOO,UUU bushels OF
wheat TINS year ana a larger area VIII
De seeded next year. nen wheat
uses from 81 10 500 the farmers vi
.ne country get $44o,oOV,UOO more
without any extra eIOrt anu IL Prices
use sI, the vast sum OF l,OUV,OUO
H4u d4I1t into the farmer : STOCKINGS.
IN addition, the farmer is getting
most gratifying prices for com, oats
ana Darley-Iu 1acJ almost every InhIg
except apples, winch are plentiful
and cneap. ms $445, 100000 which
a 50 cent meat rise brings, VIII Duy
more tnan nIlIIon SUBSTANTIAL auto
mobiles. No wonder the agHcuIJurlst
|DreatneS an atmosphere of gasoline.
"
more OH expectation OF shortage tnan
actual shortage. We'll informed men
say that II the European war Wei e
speedily terminated IL would taxi al
Ioast two years Tor Europe 10 get on
ITS old wheat prooucuon basis. Ana
lhere appears no prospect OF peace. |
Snow Wheat Shortage.
Here are the figures showing there |
is no actual wheat shortage. Exports
IL
sneIs week can continue practically |
up TO the time of harvesting the 1910 |
cop wIthouC depicting the adequate !
supply of wheat IN THIS country. Inc |
United states department OF agricuI- |
Iure figures there Is an increase OF |
100000 acres in the amount of WIN
ter wheat painted tor harvesting TINS
year. The weather has been goOu
Ior winter wheat and last year enor-
NOUS yield OF 19 bushels an acre may
will be exceeded Figuring conSerV-
atively on a L . bushel yield, however,
6I5OO,OUO additional bushels of win
ter wheat alone should be harvested
this year. Crop experts say that with
average good fortune the spring
wheat yield should be increased 49,
OOO, zoo bushels. The total for 1910
should be one billion bushels. or 100,-
10000 more than last years record
crop. This is enough to supply
America and furnish a surplus OF
about 41S,000,OOO bushels for eporxt.
Crop Was Large.
Government computations show
last years crop was S91, OH, 600 bu-
shells; which, with a surplus OF H.
OOO. 600 bushels from 1913 gives us
total available supply of 96S,00O,000
bushels. 1t takes five bushels of
wheat for a barrel of flour, so the
consumption is 5OO,OOO,OOO bushels.
Then S4,OOO,O0O bushels are needed
for seed making total requirements
of 54S. 600, 600 bushels. Thus this
year we had $4,000, 600 bushels
available for export.
since July 1, 1914, at the end of
which month the war started. the
United States had exported 208,00O,-
600 bushels of wheat up to Feb. L.
Thus 10S,O00,0 600 bushels are left for
Europe. Some statisticians make the
amount 144,0OO,O00. Taking the lower
figure, if we export at the rate of
5000, 600 bushels a week, the surplus
will not be exhausted until some time
in May.
This computation is very interesting
and is used by many persons as basis
for an argument that the prices of
wheat are fictitious and based on some
sort of a conspiracy. But il is to be
remembered that the whole idea of
produce exchanges is TO anticipate
future shortages and a world shortage
seems probable, desr tie the bright
prospects this holds o.. for the United
States farmers.
Italy Buys at Chicago.
The Italian government has been
buying heavily at Chicago. il is
known, and many believe other Euro
pean states are directly responsible
for much OF the spectacular rise. The
French and English fleets have not
yet been able TO force the Dardanelles
and $50, 10000 bushels OF Russian
wheat stay tied up in Black Sea ports.
Russia is unable TO ship this food 10
her allies OF the west, France and
Great Britain.
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 unite Drob-