The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1918-08-09
MUST NOT BEAT DOWN" PRICES
" Wheat IL PUrchssss 81 Price Aucn
Below That Established BY the CIV
eminent the Mil Profit Nus, Not he
Out Of Proportion.

~E~e 1O@H tlG prize Dl "Icdt 1EU
make unreasonable and exces size
profits in the sale Of their products.
The following statement has Deen
issued by the Federal Food Admins
tration Of Tennessee.
Under the present plan Of mill con.
troll, which has been in effect since
july 1st the mills are n9 Ionlsr re.
strIcted IN the' pGce which they can
pay for wheat o. in the teEhtory In
which liasy may purchase It, rAey
must. aoFeycf.. ieii thsir float I'LL
wheatsHfRtsed Ht noA exsqling j.
bitrary prices That have been nxgt
BY ths Food Administrators. Th4e
prices Ore bases upon Gle auarantsed
price Of St Louis wheat with the
freight charges therefrom to the Ten
nessee mills added, less, Of course.
the cost Of inspection. the aarryi1g
charges and service performed in
handling the wheat The prices al
which mills are permitted to sell their
products. based on these wheat prices.
will return them fair and rcasona 5Ie
profit. More than that they are not
entitled to receive. and will not obtain
If the Food Administration must call
into service all Of its powers TO pre-
vent 1t.
1T has come to the knowledge OF
the Food Administration that in Ger.
tain sections some mills have used
their advantage to beat down the
price OF wheat. that is, they have not
paid the fair wheat price esta blisnad
By the Government, but on the othe
hand have sold their products at the
full prices fixed by the Food Admins
tration. This will not be tolerated.
Such course will return to the mills
following 1t unfair and excessive
profits. We are now sending out to
every wheat mill in the state ques-
tionnaire in which they are asked to
state the price al which they has par-
chased No 2 wheat since July |. and
the prices at which they have been
selling flour and wheat mill feel.
When these que3ti0nnaires are e.
turned, the Food Administration will
then know just what the mills nave
been doing and where We find mihs |
that have made unfair profits, due to ,
unreasonably low prices paid .or |
wheat, They will be forced TO dis
gorge the excessive profits.
THE mills all know the prices at
which they are expected to buy wheat
based upon the fair selling prices of /
their products. 1t has been reported
10 the Feed Administration chat in
some instances the mills, having
bought their full thirty days supply OF
Wheat. are reducing the prices whi:h
hey are offering farmers. IN such
'ase. the farmers should be SLOW, very
slow, 10 sell unless they are reason
IDLY certain that the price Offered Is
fair price. OF course the farmers
.ould not afford to hold their wheat.
Jay insurance, storage, lose rattage
md shrinkagc, for a cent or two a
'ushel, but II the difference is too
'reat the Food Administration does I
ot believe that they will lost oy car
wing their wheat little while longer.
Generally speaking, and having in
lind that the freight rate from st.
.ouis is not the same to all points in
'ennessee, making some exceptions.
is the judgment or the Food Admin
'tration that less than approximately :
2,25 per bushel for wheat that grades
10. 2 would be an unTeasonably low
rice at which mills should buy, and
heat Of that grade bought at a less
rice would return to the mills, in 4
ractlcally every case. an unfair
rofit where the product is sold 1T
&c fair price schedule established by
he Food Administration.
"The Food Administration is deal b
lg fairly and justly with the mills. A c
lrgc majority Of them reciprocate d
us treatment and are dealing fairly h
18th the producers, but all If them c
ust do so \ contrary course could h
ot fail to have serious effect upon b
IT big drive to increase production. Il
nfair treatment Of the producer
ould discourage the big Liberty Fl
heat crop for which our nation mas h
,pealed Il
We arc sending to the County Food ic
administrators the names of the F
heat millers in their counties, to-
.ther with the fair prices at which
ey viii be permitted to sell their Is
odrct. Persons who are dissatisfied re
Ith the prices charged by the millers. So
who have reason to believe that eI
~ are excessive. should communi- -
te with their County Food Admins Y
ators." P