The Dickinson press., 1917-09-08
WHEAT: CROP
TO MOVE AT
UNDER $500
ESTABLISHED STANDARD AT
CHICAGO AT $2.2O
PER BUSHEL,
Will Mean Many Growers in North
west Will Not Break Even on
This Years Crop.

lhls Years Crop.
The price fixing commission rea ched
an agreement on the price Of wheat
last Friday which is a compromise be-
tween farmers representatives. and
the low wheat advocates. A price Of
$40 per bushel was fixed for the
1917 crop, the basis to be No. /
Northern delivered at Chicago.
Two dollar and twcnty-cent wheat
in Chicago will mean that the bulk
Of North Dakota's GO,OOO,OO0- -bushel
wheat crop will move at less than 81
to the producer, says James A. Little,
rate expert with the North Dakota
railway commission.
Fargo No. l wheat will sell for
5000, freight off, aid probably $2.O1
with farmers elevator and terminal
profits and commissions deducted.
The same No. l wheat at Dickinson
will net the grower probably S1.96.
The freight rate per bushel on
wheat from Dickinson to Chicago is
II cents, making the price of wheat
on I: $2.2O basis S2.03 freight paid at
Dickinson. The government has pro-
posed to handle wheat for commits
sion Of one per cent, which would in
'llcatc that % cents per bushel is the
minimum commission which growers
may expect to pay for the handling
Of thei wheat. This would bring the
price down to s2.01, with terminal or
farmers elevator commissions and
charges for elevation, grading and
handling still to be paid. A reason
able, charge for this service is five
to six cents the bushel and the Dick
lnson farmer who delivers load of
wheat grading No. l will be fortunate
if he gets $1.9G for it.
Very little North Dakota wheat If
sold by grade will sell as No. 1. The
federal grades make it practically i'm
possible for any North Dakota Wheat
to grade No. l because of the pres
cnce of very small percentage Of in
separable weed seed. If the farmers
take the advice of Chief Deputy In
| spcctor j. A. McGovern and sell bv
| sample they probably will do a little
better than they will if they sell en-
tircly by grade.
Price Differentials.
The price differentials worked out
by the food administration last Fri
day are:
No. 1 dark hard winter, 1924.
No. hard winter, basic, 1920.
No. l red winter, basic, $22O.
no. | yellow hard winter, S216.
No. 1 soft red winter, $2.1S.
NO. l dark northern spring, $2.24.
NO. l northern spring. basic, $2.2O-
No. l red spring, S2.1S.
No. 1 humpback, $2.1O.
No. l amber du1um, 1924.
No. ! durum, basic, $2.2O.
No. red durum, $2.13.
No. 1 red Walla Walla, $2.13.
No. l hard white, basic, 1920.
No. ! soft white, $2.18.
No. white club, $21G.
No. of each grade is three cents
less; No. 3, six cents less; No. 4, 10
cents less.
Relative market basis:
Chicago, Galveston and New Or
leans, the basic price; Kansas City
and Omaha, five cents less than basic;
Duluth and Minneapolis, three cents
less; St. Louis, two cents less; New
York, 10 cents more than basic; Bal
timore and Philadelphia, nine cents
more; Buffalo, five cents more.
| The basic grades are Nus. hard
winter, red winter and northern
spring.
Decision Last Thursday.
A price Of 1920 a bushel was fixed
for the 1917 crop of wheat by P.esi-
dent Wilson on the recommendation
of the wheat price committee headed
by DR.. II. A. Garfield. The basis will
be No. 1 northern spring wheat de-
livered at Chicago.
| The committee finally agreed
after several days of voting. At one
time it looked as.if it would be unable
to come to a conclusion, but just be-
fore 6 o'clock a compromise was
reached and the last vote was unani-
nous.
Representatives of the producers
began by voting for a price of $3.50
and labor's representatives for $1.S4.
The two extremes eventually mar
rowed down until the votes were only
a few cents apart and most of Thurs
days voting showed only slight diff
ference. Both factions appeared m-.
compromising at the start.
New Price Conference.
All wheat growing states will be
invited to a price conference at st.
Paul within two weeks as result Of
the government price of $2.20 set by
COluiil1CtCc dt W. dSSI-
ington.
Farmers believe the price too low
and will try to reopen the question
and obtain a higher figure. The Ma
tional Nonpartisan league issued
call for the conference last Saturday
to protest against the maximum price
of $2.20, and to see whether the food
administration can not be, induced to
iamend IT'S n1an of enforcinSr tbic r,,.so<,
as maximum. 6
! Every farmer and Commercial Club.
'of all wheat growing interests. menu
J bers of congress and the Garfield
,price-fixjng commission will be invited
to the three-day meeting. Public of
i ficials and labor officials will attend.
The meeting will be preceded BY a
one-day mass meeting at Fargo, for
/, North Dakota and Montana farmers.
/! A special train will carry these FARM
ers to St Paul.