The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1918-02-26
Price for Wheat
Fixed by President
Last Years Rate Unchanged-POca-
tello Basic POint-Means a Slight
Raise Here.

WASHINGTON, Feb pa price of
1920 a bushel-the same as for last I
years crop-was fixed by President
Wilson tonight for the coming seasons .
wheat yield The price is for number
1 northern spring wheat at Chicago,
with a scale of differentials for other
markets.
The differentials differ to a slight
extent from those now operative and
range from a minimum of $500 to a |
maximum of $2.2S.
In fixing a price now for the new |
crop, which will not be harvested until
June, the President was believed to
have had two objects in view The |
first was to halt legislation pending in
congress to fix prices at from $2.25 to
$500 and the other was to stimulate
spring planting.
The Introduction of the price raising
bills had begun to check the flow of
wheat to market and food administra-
ton officials feared that mills soon
would have to close down. Hoping the
legislation would pass farmers it is
declared have been refusing to sell at
the present price of 1920.
In enacting the food control law,
congress put guaranteed price of
$500 on next seasons crop and this
has been construed as a minimum
price To draw wheat to market the
president fixed a price of 1920 on last
| seasons crop and it had this effect
until the price raising bills were in
troduced. Then the flow began to stop.
Food administration officials have
declared that if the bills passed the
government would be forced to raise
present prices to the new levels and
that to do so would upset the food adj
ministration's flour and food program.
On the basis of No 1 northern spring
wheat and its equivalents the president
fixed the prices as follows:
Chicago 1920, Omaha $215, Kansas
City $215, St. Louis $2.1S, Minneapolis
$217, Duluth $2.17, New York SIPS,
Philadelphia $2.27, Baltimore 1927,
Newport News 1927, Charlestown S. G.
1927, Savannah 1927, Portland, Ore,
$2.O5, Seattle S2.O5 San Francisco $2.10
Los Angeles $2.1O, Galveston 1920,
New Orleans 1920, Salt Lake $500,
Great Falls, Mont, $500, Spokane $500
Pocatello, Ida, $500, Fort Worth, Tex,
, $2.O9, Oklahoma City $2O5, Wihcita,
Kan, $2.0S.
The equivalents of No. 1 northern to
which the same price applies are No. l
hard winter, No. 1 red winter, No. 1
Durum and No. 1 hard white. The
, wheat must be harvested in the United
States during 1913 and sold in the
market before June 1, 1919
: The presidents proclamation states
, that the action is to meet an emer-
gency requiring the stimulation OF
= planting.
This will mean a slight raise here
~ when the price goes into effect July
2 LIST.
Y In a statement accompanying his
d proclamation the president said:
s Under the food control act of Aug
o ust 10, 1917 it is my duty to an
nounce a guaranteed price for wheat
| for the 1918 harvest. l am therefore
= issuing a proclamation setting the
= price at the principle interior primary
a markets 1t makes no essential al
= iteration in the present guarantees. IT
r is a continuation of the present prices
h of wheat, with some adjustments arts
S ing from the designation of additional
terminal marketing points.
e "ThiS guaranteed price assures the
p farmer of a reasonable profit even il
6 the war should end within the year
@ and the large stores of grain in those
d sections of the world that are now
8 cut off from transportation should
! again come into competition with his
= profits. To increase the price OF
II wheat above the present figure, or tc
4 agitate any increase of price, would
s have the effect of seriously hamper
ing the large operations of the nation
e and of the auuies by causing the wheat
q OF last years crop to be withheld
u from the market.
K ut would, moreover, dislocate al
} the present wage levels that have beer
T. established after much anxious dis
" cussion and would, therefore, create ar
IL industrial unrest which would reach Il
Is every industry in the country.
81 know the spirit of our farmer:
u and have not the least doubt as to the
IF loyalty with which they will accep
e the present discussion. The fall whea
planting, which furnishes two thirds
e of our wheat took place with no othel
" assurance than this and the farmers
y confidence as demonstrated by thu
3 fact that they planted an acreage
. larger than the record of any proceed
Is ing year, larger by 100000 acre.
} than the second largest record year
a and 100000 acres more han HI
l. average for the five years before thu
> outbreak of the European war.
It at seems not to be generally under
s stood why wheat is picked out TO
re price distribution and only, wheat
re among the cereals. The answer Il
'e that while normal distribution of al
is our farm products has been subiec
? to great disturbances during the las
three years besause of war conditions
ic only two commodities, namely, whea
N and sugar, have been so seriously af
re fected as to require governmental in
1t PREVENTION.
J. 1.-THE disturbances which affec
IF these products land others in less de
p gree) arise from the fact that all o
l. the overseas shipping in the world i
II now under government control AM
1t that the government is Obliged to as
IL sign tonnage to each commodity tina
n enters into commercial overseas traf
/ fic. 1t has consequently been neces