Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-06-12

last seven years.
The eomposlte condition Of all
crops on June was So per cent
below their ten year average on
that date.
Washington, D. c., June 1.-THE
second administration food control bill
granting broad powers to the president
was agreed to by the house agricultur
al committee today by vote Of IL tc
was authorized. Chairman Lever ex
poets It to pass with less than two
weeks debate.
The first bill, now pending, is tc
stimulate production Of food; the sec
ond Is to control distribution and
price.
NO MAXIMUM PRICE RULE.
The bill provides guaranteed min.
imum price to producers of non-perish.
able agricultural products under regu
lations to be prescribed by the presi.
dent. The committee dropped the plan
for maximum price fixing on the
ground that it was unnecessary A
good deal Of opposition was expressed
to It,
Iowas delegation In congress will be
practically unanimous in support OF
the bill.
This fact was established today
afer 1t was agreed mat the maximum
price feature OF the bill would be elm
mated.
Hoover issued q statement In which
he declared that the maximum price
clause was aimed only at breaking cor
ners in foodstuffs, and that this same
end could be accomplished under the
anti-hoarding provision Of the bill.
Indeed. the use Of this latter clause
would compel the owners OF boarded
goods to sacrifice them regardless Of
market conditions, II they insisted up
on seeking to defeat the purpose Of
the government IN creating q reason.
able level Of prices.
There remain two important powers
IN the Lever bill, which can and Will
be used to prevent extortion by the
food gamblers The first Is the power
Of purchase by the food administrator.
Not only win he be authorized by the
government to buy all OF the foodstufs
necessary to supply our armed forces.
and not only will he be authorized by
the British. French and italian govern
ments to buy foodstuffs for them In
this country, but he will be authorized
to buy all OF the rest Of the food crops
of tbs entire United States, II neces-
Bary. az a means OF controlling the
HAS WIDE POWERS.
That is, he can step in at any time
and become the sole buyer Of the
sugar, the wheat. the potatoes or any
other crop, or number Of crops. When
there Is but one buyer, there is no
The government. after
due Investigation into the cost of pro-
iuction and the degree OF fair profit
FOR all concerned. simply will hx the
price to he paid.
OF course It is understood. and en-
phasixed by Hoover In all his talks
with press correspondents. that this
power Of monopoly buying will never
be used except in case OF real emer
yency. It Is probable that the price set
BY the government in its vast pur-
,hases for the allies and for itself will
become the current price for domestic
.rade.
That Is the more likely IN view OF
he second Of the two chief powers in
his bill. The second power Is that Of
partial embargo. or regulation Of the
AMOUNT and direction Of exports.
There is abundant food In the United
States. II all exports would stop.
Hoover says, food prices would at
,nce be demoralized. 30 great is the
excess OF our production over our abil.
ty to consume.
EXPORTS TOO GREAT.
Yet we have been exporting too
much food In proportion to what We
Produced last season. Hence a scienti-
,c regulation OF the amount of food
II each kind which may be exported
With special care that no undue
mount shall be sent to certain neu-
raj countries-will prevent a slut of |
he domestic market on the one hand |
md a condition which would permit |
he continuance Of famine prices on
he other.
There will be no famine in sugar |
md wish 10 protest at repetition OF
,ast discussions in private confer !!
'nces to the wholly unnecessary alarm i
Il consumers"
This is Herbert C. Hoover's state
nent denying reports that he had pre- |
licted sugar famine.
The publication Of Mr. Hoover's al |
eyed prediction affected the sugar |
market. putting the price up at onet
knAA nearly n can't n ncund