The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-02-25
President Continues Figures
Of Last Year and Con-
dennis Advance
HARMFUL TO WAGE
LEVELS, HE STATES
Agitation for Increase Tends to Cause
the Supply to Be Withdrawn-Neces-
sity of Direct Supervision Is Empha
sized to Control Purchases.


Wilson issued a proclamation late Sat
urday fixing the guaranteed minimum
| price for the 1918 wheat crop at $500
| thus continuing the rate determined
upon by the Garfield commission for
the crop last year. At the same time
! the president served notice on congress
that he was unalterably opposed to
bills which had been submitted to raise
the minimum to 500 or more.
To increase the price of wheat above
the present figure or to agitate such an
increase, the president said, would have
the serious effect of dislocating wage
levels and of causing the wheat to be
withheld from the market, thus ham
pering the program for feeding the ma
tion and its allies He called upon the
farmers to cooperate with the govern
ment IN the present crisis by making
the crops available at the earliest mo
ment.
The position taken by the president.
it was felt generally, would result in
his exercising the power of the veto
ii bills now pending in congress for
price increases were adopted. Senator
Gore has submitted bill fixing the
minimum guarantee at $3.50 and Sena-
tor McCUmber Of North Dakota has a
bill jumping the guarantee TO @2.75
hushel
1t is understood that the statements
emanating from the senate that there
was considerable sentiment for the
adoption of the Gore bill brought about
action by the president at this time.
The food administration has contend
ed that the increase To $3.50 or more
would work havoc to its plans and that
there was already evidence that agita-
ton in congress was having harmful
effect
One prediction made was that the
prospect of a considerably higher guar
antec would result in much of the wheat
now available being held back and that
the nation, yQuld soon face a serious
situation which might even make neceS-
sarT efforts on its part to commander
wheat on the farms, an almost impos-
sible task.
Bread prices. it was predicted, would
advance at least % per cent, and -
per cent Of the population would be
called upon TO assume the burden of
paving the increase to the other l. per
cent represented by the producers, who
were already obtaining 10 per cent
more than the three-vcar pre-war aver
age
The Garfield commission which fixed
the price of the 1917 crop, decided ON
$500 aa the basic price The president :
price fixing proclamation today set the
price for No. | Northern spring wheat
at Chicago, with scale Of differentials
for other markets The dif1erentials
vary 70 slight extent from those now
operative, and range from q minimum
OF s. to maximum OF $2.2S.
On the basic OF No. ! Northern
spring wheat and its equivalent the
prices decrecd are as follows:
Chicago, $500; Omaha, $2.1j; Kan
Sas City, &2,l5; st. Louis, $21S: Min.
peapolis, sell; Duluth $217; New
York, 1928; Philadelphia, 1927; Balti-
more, 81 p; Newport News. 1927;
Charleston, S. C.. 1927: Savannah.
1927; Portland, Ore. S2.OJ; Seattle.
1905; San Francisco. 1910: Los An
geles, $40; Galveston, So 20: New Or.
lcans, $500; Salt Lake CITY, %: Great
Falls. Mont, 81; Spokane. Wash. 50;
Pocatcllo, Idaho 60: Fort Worth. Texas,
500; Oklahoma City. @2.nJ: Wichita.
Kan. SOS.
The emivaIents of No. Northern. to
which the same price applies, are No.
J hard winter, No. ! red winter. No.
durum, and No. hard white. The
wheat must he harvested in the United
states in 1918 and sold IN the market
before June /, 1919. The president :
proclamation states that the action is
to meet an emergency requiring the
stimulation Of wheat planting
In statement accompanying his
proclamation the president said:
Under the food control act Of AUG.
10, 1877, II is M duty to announce a
guaranteed price for wheat of the 1918
harvest. am. therefore. issuing a
proclamation setting the price at the
principal interior primary markets. It
makes no essential alteration in the
present guarantee. 1t is continuation
OF tIe present prices Of wheat, with
some adjustments arising from the
designating OF additional terminal mar
ketlng points.
This guaranteed price assures the
farmer of a reasonable profit even if
the war should end within the year and
the large stores OF grain in those sec
tons of the world taat are now cut Off
from transportation should again come
into competition with his products. To
increase the price Of waeat above the
present figure, or to agitate any in
crease of price would have the effect
Of very seriously hampering the large
operations Of the nation and OF the
allies by causing the wheat of last
year 5 crop to be withheld from the
market. It would, moreover, dislocate
all the present wage levels that have
been established after much anxious
discussion, and would therefore create
an industrial unrest which would be
harmful to every industry in tae coun-
try.
know the spirit of our farmers
and have not the least doubt as 10 the
loyalty with which they win accent the