Evening star., 1918-02-24

Newport News. 2.27 Fort worth. Tex. 20s
Charleston. s. c.. 2.E Oklahoma City,. 2.o6
Portiand. ORE: ORE: 2.os eA''-' A'a'''''' 1'''
Restricted to q. S. Wheat.
/ The equivalents of No. 1 northern to
which the same price applies are No.
1 hard winter. No. red winter. No.
durum and No. l hard white. The
wheat must be harvested in the United
States during 1918 and sold in the mar
ket before June /, 1919. The Presi-
dents proclamation states that the
action is to meet an emergency re-
quiring the stimulation of wheat plant
ing.
In a statement accompanying his
proclamation the President said:
Under the food control act Of Au-
gust 10. 1917, it is my duty to announce
a guaranteed price for wheat of the 1918
harvest. 1 am. therefore, issuing \
proclamation setting the price at the
principal interior primary markets. It
makes no essential alteration in the
present guarantee. 1t is a continu-
alton of the present prices Of wheat,
with some adjustments arising from
| the designation OF additional terminal
marketing poinfs.
Assures Farmers Profit.
This guaranteed price assures the
farmer of reasonable profit even il
the war should end within the year
and the large stores Of grain in those
sections of the world that are now cut
on from transportation should again
come into competition with his prod
| ucts. To increase the price of wheat
above the present figure or to agitate
any increase of price, would have the
ehect of very seriously hampering
the large operations of the nation and
hn xxhn Af
! last years crop to be withheld from
the market. 1t would, moreover dislo-
cate all the present wage levels that
have been established after much anx-
| ious discussion and would, therefore,
create an industrial unrest and would
| be harmful to every industry in the
country.
Praises Farmers Loyalty.
81 know the spirit of our farmers
and have not the least doubt as to
the loyalty with which they will ac-
| cept the present decision. The fall
| wheat planting, which furnishes two
thirds of our wheat production, took
| place with no other assurance than
this and the farmers confidence was
demonstrated by the fact that they
planted an acreage larger than the
| record of any preceding year, larger
by two million acres than-the second
| largest record year, and seven million
| acres more than the average for the
| five years before the outbreak Of the
| European war.
1T seems not to be generally under
stood why wheat is picked out for
price determination, and only wheat,
| among the cereals. The answer is that,
whlle normal distribution of all our
| farm products has been subject to
great disturbances during the last
three years because of war conditions
| only two important commodities-
namely, wheat and sugar. have been
| SO seriously affected as to require gov
ernmental Intervention.
Single Purchasing Agencies.
''rhe disturbances which affect these
| products (and others in less @degree)
| arise from the fact that all of the
| overseas shipping in the world Is now
| under government control, and that
| the government is obliged to assign
| tonnage to each commodity that en-
ters into commercial overseas traffic
1t has. consequently. been necessary to
Eestao1lsh single agencies for the pur-
| chase of the food supplies which must
go abroad. The purchase of wheat in
the United States for foreign use is of
| so great volume in comparison with
| the available domestic supply that the
price OF wheat has been materially dis
| turbed and it become necessary, In
| order to protect both the producer and
the consumer. to prevent speculation.
1t was necessary. therefore. for the
government to exercise a measure of
direct supervision and as far as DOS
sible to control purchases of wheat
| and the processes Of its exportat tion
This supervision necessarily amounted
to price fixing, and /. therefore
thought it fair and wise that there
| should be price stated that should be
| at once liberal and equitable.
He Also Serves.
Those peculiar circumstances gov
erning the handling and consumption
| Of wheat put the farmer at the very
center of war service. Next to the SOL
dier himself. he is serving the coun-
| try and the world and serving it in a
| way which is absolutely fundamental
to his own future safety and prosper
| ity. He sees this and can be relied
| upon as the soldier can.
The. farmer is also contributing
men to the Army. and l am keenly
alive to the sacrifices involved. Out
dustries 205.0o0 have been drafted, or
| about 1.4S per cent Of the whole num-
ber. In addition to these there have
been volunteers. and the farmers have
because the wages paid in industrial
pursuits drew them away. In order
| to relieve the farming industry as far
| as possible from further drains of la
| Dor the new draft regulations have
| been drawn with a view to taking
| from the farms an even smaller pro-
| portion of men. and it is my hope that
| the local exemption boards will make
! the new classifications with view of
| tightening the load upon the farmers
tn @