The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-08-20
Agitators, Arguing for
Higher Rates or None at
All, Figure Increase
PRESIDENT AWAITS
RETURN OF HOOVER
Food Administrator Is Expected to
Bring from Europe All the Facts Con-
corning the Supply of Commodities
All Over the World.

WASHINGTON, Aug 20.-The vex
ing question of the price to be fixed
for wheat is bobbing up again. This
question became a political football in
congress during the past session.
There is an agitation under way to
have either a much higher price fixed
by legislation for the new crop or else
do away with the guaranteed price al.
together. This alternative, its sup
porters say, will put the whole mater
on a basis of the supply and demand,
and the propaganda is being spread
among the farmers that this would
mean S. per bushel for their grain.
President Wilson is awaiting the
return of Herbert Hoover from the
London conference before taking any
action. Mr.. Hoover will be armed
with all the facts respecting the
world IS wheat supply. or that part Of
il available for the allies, as developed
at the ter-Allied conference.
1 IL is believed that the guaranteed
price for the 1919 crop will be 1920.
the same as for the 1918 crop. and
that a presidential proclamation will
he issued so fixing it very shortly. 1t
is probable that the food administra-
tion and the department of agriculture
will oppose any increase at present, and
the President will be governed largely
by the recommendations of these de-
partments. The opposition to any in
crease in the guaranteed price is due
20 the belief that if there is so much
as a 10-cent increase per bushel in
wheat there will be sympathetic rise
in the price of all other commodities
including labor, which will badly de-
moralze the economic situation and
send the cost of living up.
Those agitating a price for wheat
argue that if the guaranteed price is
not increased for the new crop, then
there should be no price fixing. They
want the farmer to get the full benefit
of the law of supply and demand
pointing out that the cost of every
thing the agriculturist buys is higher
than year ago. But friends of the
farmer should go slow before advo-
eating a non-price fixing programme
lVT II llt wal tOhtt " an Nhh
within eighteen months, the failure to
have a guaranteed price on wheat
would be disastrous to the growers, as
the following facts illustrate:
The President S power to regulate
prices is only for the war emergency
: With no guaranteed price, and i'm
mense grain reserve stocks dumped
on the market, the growers in many
instances would be financially ruined
The United States will come out OF
the present crop with a 200,000,00t
bushel surplus from the 1918 yield.
, This will be increased by importa
tions that may come from Argentina
/ There are now about 500, 100000 bush
4 els of stored wheat in India and Aus
tralia.
{ The price of the grain in Australi,
!. and India is % cents per bushel. TIL
!. British government has taken over tn
I. entire crop at this price for the dura
:. tion of the war. so it continues pilin
up. From this il can be seen that tn
/, American wheat farmer would probabl
. receive around 81 for his wheat if h
fails to receive the protection of tn
:. government 3 guaranteed price. TIL
present guarantee runs until July
i, 1919, and the new guarantee would b
operative for one year from that dat
d or the middle of 1920, by which tim
: the war may end.
1t is probable the majority of tn
: farmers will prefer sale and sur
: 1920 price and handsome profit rstl
Z er than the uncertainty of futur
:, events, which might wipe out his ma
n gin of profit. With the wheat farmer
price fixing has so far been popular.
u. The price guaranteed for 1918 W;
beyond their expectations. Two-thirt
4. of the crop-the winter wheat-w;
= planted on a 81 guarantee, and Il
900,00o,000 yield for 1918 shows co
clusively that the grower was satisf'
, with the price allowed. The food a
ministration, which has ALWAYS be,