The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-07-11
Farmer and Consumer Suffer While Congress
 Delays the Food Bill
Continued from Page one)

tCOnttnued from Page One) ing into one hand in order that they might relieve the burden of speculation from their own consumers and as the re- stricted exports to neutrals are but a
 minor item, the export price, if not con- trolled, is subject to the will of the al-
 American producer is left to that buyer judgment and Is without voice.
 MILLS MUST RUN
 1 A. With great reduction in the con sumption of wheat bread now fortu- rately in progress, the employment of OUT mills must be greatly diminished and With the reduction of domestic flour production and our daily feed from
 wheat residues will be greatly curtailed. Therefore we must induce foreign buy CTS to accept flour instead of wheat. 5. In order to do justice to the pro-
 ducers who have shown great patriotism In special effort to increase production In 1917, and to further stimulate the ef- forts of 1913, it is absolutely vital that
 we shall protect the farmer from slump in prices this year due to glue or
 from the uncontrolled decisions of any
 one buyer. I am informed that most of the allied countries have fixed the
 price of wheat to the farmer at $1s0 per
 lieve that as allies 1t is our duty to fur
 nish wheat at a price which delivered
 to them will not exceed their domestic price; in ether words, about S1.50 per bushel, Chicago.
 hoi ell nffiCarS l hold this view, because I consider that the stimulation to production, If no other reason, is in the long run in the interest of the allies. There Is, however. a limit to price which so trespasses
 upon the rights of the consumer as to defeat its own object through strikes,
 rises m wages, and social disturbances in the country. Is is with the view to finding solution to these problems.
 filled with tho greatest dangers to both our producers and consumers. that leg islation has been proposed and pressed for speedy enactment.
 THREE FACTS STAND OUT
 's The proposed food administration has conferred with many hundred pa triotic men engaged in production and distribution and has investigated the
 condition of the consumers in many cen ters as we'll Many plans have been l tentatively put forward and abandoned and others have been developed, but in any case, none has or can be settled un- | til legislation has been completed. Three facts stand out plainly enough from our l investigations:
 1 First. that in this situation, the l farmer will need protection as to the l price of wheat; and, second, that large
 masses of people in the consuming
 centers are being actually undernour- ished today due to the exorbitant cost l of living; and these conditions unless some remedy be found. are likely to | repeat themselves in even more vicious form at this time next year; third, l the speculator. legitimate or vicious, l has taken a large part of the money
 now being paid by the consumer 1 "7 It seems to be overlooked in some quarters that the marketing Of I this years wheat Is surrounded with circumstances new to history and that l the old distributing safeguards are l torn away by isolation from the re- l ciprocal markets abroad and the ex- l tinction of free export market and I free export transportation.
 WOULD PROTECT FARMER | 'The harvest has begun to move and l from these very causes the price of 1 wheat has begun to drop and if the i farmer is to sell his wheat either the speculator must return to the market l to buy and carry on not only the nor nal flow from the farmer in excess of domestic and foreign requirements, but also the glut due to the restriction upon the outlet to the latter He must necessarily charge his toll to the pro- ducer and consumer and this latter \ probably upon a more extensive scale
 than last year as his risks will bc greater.
 rrractically the export buyer must
 fix his own price for export wheat
 from the sole outlook of his own
 clients and in execution of his duty
 he will in normal circumstances fol- low the market down by buying only
 his time-to-time requirements and he
 cannot be expected to carry the lead of our domestic accumulation.
 "Or. on the other hand. the gov