Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-04-20
A Food Scare Market.

A few days ago we published, edi-
,toriaIly, the words of Maine whole
sale dealer who declared that for those
who have ready money to stock up
nov largely in advance of their needs,
means added hardship for the poorer
classes who are finding it increasingly
difficult to provide for present necessi-
ties. Now comes a letter from the
ioffice Of a big firm of merchant millers
lin Illinois, which we are giving in
part:
The grain trade was jolted in
cessantly this Uast week, prices ad-
'vancine every day in big jumps. 1t is
very strange how proposed measures
TO conserve and prevent prices control
brings about what the Government
tries to avoid. The articles published
in all the papers about a food COM
mission, crop shortage, etc, have
started all the housewives in the
country on a buying movement at the
wrong time of the year. simply bring
ing about and aggravating a condition
which, if every householder would have
kept on in the usual way, would not
have occurred.
Small and large merchants through
out the land are flooding the whole
salers with hurry orders for -four,
sugar, condensed milk and similar
staples because the consuming public
lis stocking up for four or five months
ahead. We don't know what effect
this has on the sugar and milk fac
tories, as we are not in that business,
but we know what it is doing to the
wheat market. At this season of the
year millers gradually reduce their
stocks to prepare for the new crop and
to avoid a decline in prices. They
work along on q loafing schedule of
about half time.
Now all of a sudden comes the big
gest demand of the season; it doesn't
take long for the reserves to be sold
tout, still the orders come. more urgent
from day to day. The miller is simply
forced to go to the terminal market
where there are q few cars coming in
from day to day. When he gets there,
he finds every miller in the territory
in the same fix, the result is that they
have to outbid each other for it, just
as it is done at an auction sale. The
rank and file think it is the specula-
tor, they call them hard names and all
that sort of thing, but look at the
price of May wheat and then look at
the price paid for spot wheat, that
tells the story.
The consumer the everyday house
wife this time is the real Spectator,
fearing that flour is going to SIS per
barrel, perhaps still higher, sugar to
s12 or SIS per hundred or the small
size pet" milk to 10c a can. If this
demand had come after the new
crops had been raised, it could have
been supplied with only slight ad-
vances. but coming at the tail end of
the crop, the effect is phenomenal as
it came unexpected. We expected
higher prices and stated months ago
that actual conditions made wheat
worth 81, but this stampede has al
ready put CSC a bushel on it and it
will keep on advancing until the price
prevents further stocking up or the
government food commission actually
flxes a maximum price, which now
looks doubtful before new crop comes
in.
Recent rains have. improved the crop
prospects in sections where that is
possible. though in western Kansas 1t
is claimed that many acres never came
up We are having frosts every night
which doesn't promote growth. but the
plant is stooling nicely so that when
growing weather does come. it should
develop rapidly.
This explanation appears reasonable
-nillers bidding against each other
because an unreasonable demand-a
scare demand-forces them to secure
wheat at any price, and the consum-
er's fear obliges him to paw now what
he was afraid he might have to pay
later. The real hardship is on the
householder who can buy for only
few days needs. Flour by the bagsor in
smaller lots when the price is $12 to
SIS a barrel is a heavy burden for the
small wage Garner.
This is a time of national sacrifice
for a great and worthy cause. We can
show our patriotism in other ways
than by shouldering a gun. We can
restrain our own selfish desires for the
sake of those around us who are suf-
fering greater hardships than we are.
True patriotism causes men to offer
their own lives for their comrades; to
share a scant ration with tent-mate.
All around us are comrades whom our
patriotism should tell us to aid.