The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-02-24
In Raising Price Of
Wheat, Executive Viii
PreOent Hoarding Crop

before the outbreak OF the Euro
pean war.
1T seems not to be generally un-
dcrstood why wheat is picked out
for price determination, and only
wheat among the cereals. The an
swer is that while normal distribu-
ton of all our farm products has
been subjected to great disturbance
during the last three years because
OF war conditions, only two COM
modities, namely wheat and sugar,
have been seriously affected as to
require governmental Intervention.
Why the Disturbances.
"The disturbances which affect
these products (and others in less
degree) arise from the fact that all
OF the oversca shipping in the world
is now under government control
and that the government is obliged
to assign tonnage to each commod-
ity that enters into commercial
overseas traffic. 1t has, consequent
~, been necessary to establish
agencies for the purchase OF the
food supplies which must so abroad,
"The purchase of wheat in the
United States for foreign use is of
so great volume III comparison with
the available domestic supply that
the prices of wheat has been mate
rally disturbed, and it became nee
essary in order to protect both the
producer and consumer to prevent
speculation.
1T was necessary, therefore, for
the government to exercise a meas
ure of direct supervision, so far as
possible, to control purchases of
wheat and the processes OF its ex-
portation. This supervision ncces-
sarily amounted to price fixing; and
|, therefore, thought it fair and wise
that there should be a price stated
that should be at once liberal and
equitable.
Peculiar Circumstances.
These peculiar circumstances
governing the handling and CON
sumption of wheat put the farmer
at the very center of war service.
Next to the soldier himself, he is
serving the country and the world,
and serving it in a way which is alb
solutely fundamental to his own fu-
ture safety and prosperity. He sees
this, and can be relied upon as the
soldier can.
"The farmer is also contributing
men to the army, and ! am keenly
alive to the sacrifices involved. Out
of l3,S00,000 men engaged in farm
industries, 205,0 have beer draft
ed, or about l.48 per cent OF the
whole number. In addition to these
there have been volunteers, and the
farmers have lost a considerable
number of laborers because the
wages paid in industrial pursuits
drew them away.
an order to relieve the farming
industry as far as possible from fur
ther drains of labor, the new draft
regulations have been drawn with a
view to taking from the farms an
even smaller proportion Of men, and
it is my hope that the local exemp-
ton boards will make the new clas.
siications with a view of tightening
the load upon the farmers to the ut
most extent.
"The secretary of war has asked
for authority to furlough soldiers OF
the National army, if conditions
permit it, so they may return to
their farms when assistance is nee
essary in the planting and harvest
ing of the crops.
Other Agencies Help.
National and local agencies are
actively at work besides, in organ
izing community help for the more
efficient distribution of available la
Dor and the drawing upon new
sources of labor. While there will
be difficulties, and very serious ones
they will be difficulties which are
among the stern necessities of war
"T>he federal railway administra-
ton is cooperating in the most ac-
tive, intelligent and efficient way
with the food administration to re-
move the difficulties of transporta-
ton and of the active movement Of
the crops. Their marketing is to be
facilitated and the farmers giver
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