The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1915-02-19
PROHIBITING WHEAT EXPORTS

SSSAA " oo SuO tCpAC VI SoVot0l COu1uIL'
tees of more or less authority. 1t is al
most humorous to think that solemn
statesmen will 60 soberly into this sort
of grave inquiry. Ordinarily the price
Of wheat is made by the laws of supply
and demand. The spectators. i. Q.
gamblers, of the boards of trade can and
do manipulate prices, to some degree,
hut even in their case they use the true
or false ideas of scarcity or plenty as the
levers with which to make the prices
rise and fall.
During the last six months we have
had another f1ucutating feature added to
these usually on hand, that of the de.
mand made BY warning nations, and the
fact that the usual supply from Russia
has been isolated.
But conditions in Europe point Ger.
tainIy to at least shortage IN next
years crop. while at present there is a
shortage of over 100000 bushels in the
visible supply over the ordinary year at
this time.
Now comes a committee in New York
city. and says that the wheat exports
should be prohibited because the present
high price Of bread and presumed
shortage Of next years crop.-and that
the present shortage and increase Of
prices is caused by the farmers holding
their crops back for higa price.
These economic statesmen may be
men Of high ability in some directions
but if they had taken q little trip
through the wheat raising states and
looked into the farm granarles, they
might have modified their views as to
the farmers holding crops.
That committee while investigating
bread might also have spent little time
Is to the high prices of clothing, mach
inery. horses, cattle, shoes, lumber and
other things which the wheat
farmer must buy-and pay for with his
wheat.
The farmer must pay higher prices for
everything,-but according to the Luxow
committee he ought not to get any more
for his wheat.
1t 10 a law of commerce that all com.
modities have regular exchange value.
That is if it takes three bushels to buy a
pair of shoes in any one year that that
ratio will be held at other years, no
matter what the price of wheat may be
quoted in dollars.
According to this standard wheat is
not higher at this time than are most
other articles of exchange in the markets
of the world. 1t is not the dollar value
but barter value that counts.
AS to the farmer holding his wheat
this year, the southern wheat states had
their harvest in July last. they got about
seventy cents bushel, our harvest was
in August, and since that time wheat
has advanced to nearly dollar and a
half. But farmers as body do not, and
cannot hold their wheat. Most of the
farmers in this county sold their wheat
at prices about the dollar mark. and
we're glad to get that much.
The farmer has to pay his bills in the
fall, no matter what the price of wheat.
The few that can hold financially, are
not speculators, they hold mostly be-
cause Of conveniences in home storage
and winter hauling.
When wheat went to over the dollar,
most these hurried IN their wheat. they
had at home. consequently the higher
prices of the last month has brought out
but very little wheat from the farmers.
There are mighty few farmers in this
county but what would sell at sl.25, no
matter If they thought that perhaps the
price would go to the dollar and a half.
Wheat is high for the reasons:
That all other goods are high.
That the supply is limited and the de-