The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1917-09-06
$2.20 A BUSHEL
PRICE OF WHEAT
LONG FIGHT RESULTED IN COM.
PROMISE WITH CON-
MITTEE,

Washington, Aug. 30.-A price Of
$2.20 bushel was fixed for the 1917
crop Of wheat by President Wilson to-
night on the recommendation of the
wheat price committee, headed by DR..
H. A. Garfield. The basis will be
No. northern spring wheat delivered
at Chicago.
The committee agreed late this aft
ernoon after several days Of voting.
At one time today it looked as if it
would be unable to come to conclu-
sion, but just before 6 o'clock a COM
promise was reached and the last vote
was unanimous.
Representatives of the producers be-
gan by voting for price Of $3.50 and
labor's representatives for $1.84.1 The
two extremes eventually narrowed
down until the votes were only few
cents apart and most of today's vot-
ing showed only slight difference.
Both factions appeared uncompromis-
ing at the start.
On the basis of 1920 at Chicago the
administration worked out tonight
differentials for various grades and
classes and for the several terminals.
The price fixed tonight is 20 cents
higher than that named for the 1918
crop by congress in the food control
bill. The 81 price set by congress was
taken into consideration by the COM
mittee in considering fair valuation
for this years crop.
In statement accompanying the
announcement Of price, President
Wilson declares it is the hope Of the
food administration, and his own as
we'll, that the fixing Of price will
stabilize the market and keep prices
within moderate bounds for all trans
actions during the current year.
The price of flour and bread, too,
the President declares, will be kept
down.
The committee in it's report to the
president gave as it's three chief con-
siderations that entered into it's delib-
erations the following. The fact that
the United States is at war; the need
of encouraging the producer and the
necessity of reducing the cost Of living
to the consumer. All members
agreed in their discussions that the
price fixed will permit of a 14-ounce
loaf of bread for s cents, allowing
fair profit both to the flour manu-
facturer and the baker.
Although the prices are fixed on
government purchases only, the food
administration, through it's wheat
corporation recently organized, ex-
poets to control the market without
difficulty. The corporation will make
all government allied purchases and
has under consideration plans to buy
for millers. If it serves as broker be-
tween the terminal and the flour mills
the corporation will become purchaser
of virtually all Of the country's wheat
crop.
. Ask Farmers to Be Loyal.
Members of the committee said to-
night they expected a great deal OF
criticism from the farming classes,
but that they felt that every farmer
should consider himself part of the
war machinery Of the government and
willingly relinquish part of his
profits in the interests of the COM
mon good.
Great pressure was brought to bear
on the committee from many quarters
to set the price at higher figure
than that named, but the final decis-
ion, members of the committee de-
clared represented majority opinion
of what is fairest to all the interests
of the country.