The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-07-13
Rejects Bill, Declaring Price Fixing Provision Unwise
 at Present Time.
IT WOULD BE
 COSTLY TO ALLIES
Would Add $2 Barrel to Flour Price, $3s7, 100000
 In Year.

his third veto message in ten days. | He disapproyed the bill carrying the l annual appropriation for the Depart | ment of Agriculture, because is con- tained a proviso fixing the minimum price of wheat at $40 a ibushel for the incoming crop. The President l based his objections upon the fact | that the bill fixed an arbitrary price, which principle, he asserted, did not result as satisfactorily to the pro- ducer and consumer as the present method of regulating the price by conferences with all concerned.
 The House originally established the price at $2.2O a bushel, which was ac- cepta'bIe to the Food Administration, and this was afterward fixed by Ex- ecutive order. The Senate amended the bill, and raised the figure to $2.50 a bushel. This the House declined to accept and the conferees of both houses were in a deadlock for more than five weeks. When it was thought that Congress would take a five weeks recess last Saturday the House compromised on a price of $40 a bushel which was agreed to by the Senate, although at the time it was semi officially announced that the President would not approve the bill containing this proviso.
 Representative A. F. Lever, chair man of the Committee on Agriculture, was prepared when the Presidents veto measure was received yesterday afternoon to move for the acceptance of the bill with the objectionable sec- tion eliminated but was unable to do so because of the absence of g. quo- rum. Only 2O9 of the 435 members re- sponded to call of the House, and business was conducted most of the day without quorum.
 The Presidents veto message is as follows:
 1 To the House of Representatives: I regret to return without my sig nature so important a measure as H. R. 9054, entitled "An Act Making Appropriations for the Depart of Ag- riculture for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1919," but feel constrained to do so because of my very earnest dissent as we'll as of wise expediency from the provision of that part of | Section 14 which prescribes a uni- | form mininl0m price for No. 2 North ern Spring wheat of $40 per busheL | I dissent upon principle because l believe that such inelastic legislative price provisions are insusceptible of being administered in g, way that will | be advantageous either to the pro- | ducer or to the consumer, establish ing as they do arbitrary levels which are quite independent of the normal market conditions, and because I be- lieve that the present method of reg ,Ia ', f,a oA oc& isfactory manner, considering the complexity and variety of the subject matter dealt with.
 It is evident that the present method of determining the price to be paid for wheat has had the most stimu- I lating effect upon production, the es- timated crop of spring wheat for this year exceeding all high records in a very remarkable and gratifying way. By an overwhelming majority of the farmers of the United States the price
 administratively fixed has been re- garded as fair and liberal, and objec-
 tions to it have come. only from those sections of the country where, unfor-
 tunately, it has in recent years proved
 impossible to depend upon climatic
 conditions to produce a full crop of
 wheat and where, therefore, many
 disappointments to the farmer proved
 to be unavoidable.
 | Personally, I do not believe that the farmers of the country depend upon the stimulation of price to do degree to produce the largest and
 the world at this time of crisis by ex-
 erting themselves to an extraordinary
 degree to produce thel argest and
 best crops possible. Their patriotic
 spirit in this matter has been worthy
 of all praise and has shown them
 playing most admirable and gratify-
 ing part in the full mobilization of
 the resources of the country. To a
 very greatly increased production of
 wheat they have added an increased
 production of almost every other irn-
 portant grain, so that our granaries are likely to overflow, and the anxiety , of the nations arrayed against Ger many with regard to their food SUD-
 plies has been relieved.
 The administrative method of agreeing upon a fair price has this
 very great advantage which any ele- ment of ragidity would in large part destroy, namely the advantage of
 fexibility, of rendering possible at every stage and in the view of every
 change of experience a readjustment
 which will be fair alike to producer
 and consumer.
 A fixed minimum price of $40 per
 bushel would. it is estimated, add $2
 per barrel to thep rice of flour; in
 other words, raise thep rice of flour from the present price of $1050 at
 them i'll to $1250 at the mill, and,
 inasmuch as we are anticipating a
 crop of approximately 00,00O, 900
 bushels of wheat, this increase would be equivalent to the immense sum of
 s387, 100000
 Such an increase of the price of wheat in the United States would
 force corresponding increase in the price of Canadian wheat. The allied
 governments would, of course, be
 obliged to make all of their purchases
 at the increased figure, and the whole scale of their financial operations in
 this country, in which the government
 of the United States is directly assist. ing, would be thereby correspond
 ingly enlarged. The increase would
 also add very materially to the cosI of living, and there would inevitably ! ensue an increase in the wages paid
 in practically every industry in the country. Three added financial and
 economic difficulties affecting practi-
 cally the whole world cannot, I as-
 sume, have been in contemplation by the Congress in passing this legisla-
 ton.
 \ WOODROW WILSON.