The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1917-09-13
DISSATISFIED
OVER PRICE
WHEAT DOES NOT BRING $500
A BUSHEL-MANY HOLDING
BACK THEIR WHEAT.


Kansas Farmers are not Getting the
Price Guaranteed
Them.
There is the proverbial African in
the woodpile somewhere in connec-
tion with the law for SO wheat, says
a staff correspondent of the Kansas
City Times writing from Hutchinson.
There is widespread dissatisfac-
tion of a serious nature among the
wheat growers in this part of Kan
sas, sufficient to threaten the wheat
acreage for next years crop unless
the trouble is adjusted, particularly
if the same conditions prevail every
where that exist here.
Contrary to the general belief, the
farmers are not dissatisfied over
having the price of wheat fixed at
". They are dissatisfied because
they are not getting So for their
wheat. They declare that by some
fhocus-pocus law that was inteded
to fix minimum price of So, and
< encourage bigger yield fwheat,
has been changed into law that
fixes the maximum price at So and
has brought about a discouraging
outlook for bigger yield.
No one seems to be able to put his
finger on the loose screw, but every
body admits there is one, and it is
agreed that it is somewhere in the.
provision the govrnmnt has made for
new laws and new regulations in re-
gard to wheat grading.
Under the old system every boy
on the farm knew that wheat which
weighed fifty-nine pounds per bus
hel and was free from weeds, chaff
and dirt and comparatively free from
rye was No. wheat.
Wheat that weighed fifty-eight
pounds was No. 8 wheat, that which
weighed fifty-seven or fifty-six was
No. 4 and that there always was a
cents difference in the price of each
decreasing with the grade.
Under the old law the difference
in price made up for all the dockage.
But now the entire system of grad
ing has been changed. No. 2 wheat
must still weigh fifty-nine pounds
and it must be free from all dirt,
weeds and chaff. It must be free, al
so, from rye, which is the principal
change in the provision.
But now the wheat is scrupulous-
w separated from the haff. The
buyers declare that the government
is 30 strict in the grading that they
are rigidly docked for any substance
in the wheat. Upon the technical
ruling hinges the tale of dissatisfac-
tion and also the joker in the wheat
deck, if there is a joker.
Go into any grain buyers shop in
the city of Hutchinson and he will
tell you that the price of No. 2 wheat
is So. But go into the country and
try to find farmer that is getting
50 abushel for his wheat and you
have hard job on your hands. A
reporter for the Star today found
only one or two out of great many
interviewed that had sold wheat.
In one elevator in the county to-
day reporter asked the superinten-
dent if he would object to reading a
list of twenty purchases that had been
made at his elevator, and the prices
that had been paid for each. Here
is the list.
September 5-$1.S5, $1.S8, $1.95,
$1.S4, $1.92, $1.92, $1.7O, $1.sO,
$1.80, $1.65, $1.65.
September 6 = $1.70, $1.70
$1.7O, $1.76, $1.S0, $3.50, $3.50,
$1.92.
There is a list of twenty loads of
wheat bought on two different days.
Find load of So wheat in the list
and you will know about the num-
ber Of sales being made in the coun-
ty at So a bushel. The average of
the twenty sales is $1.78 bushel.
The grain men have an explana-
ton for this. They say that this
particular elevator is located in a
section Of the county where the
wheat is very poor.
"But," the reporter asked the
superintendent, "it seems that out of
the twenty loads there should have
been at least one good load of wheat"
"Well, you see," he replied, 1--WE
did not get orders to pay 81 a bus
hel until last Friday or Saturday. We
were then paying only $1.96 a bushel
for the best No. 2 wheat.
The law for So wheat had been in
effect all the time, but the elevator
had been paying only $1.96 for the
best. In all the list of twenty loads
there is not single sale that amounts
to as much as DR.. H. J. Waters, the
Kansas wheat agent for the govern
ment, says should be paid for No. 8
wheat. Doctor Waters has written a
letter which was received this morn
ing giving the prices the farmers
should receiveN for wheat. No. 2, at
Hutchinson, $2.O3 per bushel; No. 3,
at Hutchinson, $2.00
George Gano of the Rock Mill and \
Elevator Company, freely admits !
that conditions are not satisfactory. |
Mr. Gano says it will take time to ad- /
just the country to the new grading
laws.
>. aWe could pay, at best" Mr..
Gano says, "but $204 bushel for
wheat. We are not allowed to ex-
ceed the government price in Kansas
City, with the freight rates substract- /
ed. The freight rate to Kansas City is {
eight cents bushel and the price in
Kansas City is fixed at S2.12. TAX
ing the freight rate from the top
price, would leave Just $2.04.
But we must charge at least four
cents bushel for handling the grain
tr,c, m b