The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1917-08-30
Grain Gamblers in
Fight to Keep the
Wheat Prices Down

st. Paul, Mimi, Aug. 24-Thesrep-
resentatives Of the farmers of North
Dakota who have been laboring in
Washington to obtain fair price for
the 1917 wheat crop have found them
selves opposed at every step by the
influence of the grain gamblers of the
Minneapolis chamber of commerce
and the board of trade.
This is the, statement of William
Lemke of Fargo, who with former
congressman c. A. Lindbergh of Min.
nesota, reached St. Paul today after
nearly two weeks spent in the national
capital. Since early last week Messrs.
Lemke- and Lindbergh, acting on be-.
half Of the Nonpartisan league have
been working with the members of the
congressional delegation in the effort
to obtain justice for the farmers. They
were joined last Friday by President
y. f. Laid of North Dakota Agricul-
tural college, who is a member of the
prlce-fxing committee.
Find Hostile Influences
I'VE found" said Mr.. Lemke. "that
influences hostile to the farmers had
been at work in the food administra-
ton and that at the very start of the
price commissions deliberations thew
| exercised their power toward cutting
the price of wheat to starvation level
! ana THUS confiscating the earnings of
! the farmers.
THE grain gamblers had entrenched
themselves in "a position of great
power. They and the millers had been
to Washington and given their views
about wheat prices and what the
farmers should receive. When Mr.
Hoover's appointments we're made
public it developed that julius Barnes
or the Duluth board of trade was to he
supreme in the wheat corporation and
tnat other chamber of commerce men
mad been given places.
Barnes for Low Price
mr. Barnes appeared before the
wheat price committee and argued for
law price. He told them that he
knew where five hundred million bush.
els of wheat could be had at a dollar
a bushel When pressed to tell where
thls wheat was he said it was Argen-
llne wheat. Every effort has been
made by the representatives of the
board of trade to have wheat prices
under two dollars fixed. ~@
I'VE appeared before members of
the price commission and endeayored
to show them that such price would
be ruinous to the farmers of the
northwest. We told them that moth
ing less than three dollars a bushel
for number one northern ought to be
considered, as this would mean price
very much less than that for the aver
age grade.
.y<as Hopes for the Best
I'VE are hopeful that an impression
favorable to the farmers have been
made. Representatives of the food
administration who were at first quot
ing the chamber of commerce view
that the price ought to be under a
dollar and a half are now willing to
concede that nothing under two dollars
would be fair. That is a slight gain
but not justice by any means.
"A powerful influence has been the
kilograms which have been pouring
: IN on the members of the congress.
slonal delegation since the league
farmers were notified last week of the
need of advising the price fixing COM
mission of their costs of production.
These kilograms all show costs higher
than $3.50 without allowance for pro-
fit. -
$3.50 Price Too Low
Il, myself, am inclined to think that
this price is too low. have care
fully checked figures which show av-
,, erage costs under this years condi-
tons of three dollars a bushel. Ger
tainly no price under three dollars
will be fair to the farmer, to say moth
ing of being the geenrous price which
Mr.. Hoover weeks ago promised.
Congressman John M. Baer has Civ
en- almost his whole attention for the
last week to the wheat price situation,
I said Mr.. Lemke. He is continuing to
cooperate with President Laid to get
justice for the farmers.
E. r. Fairbanks left Sunday