Republican farmer., 1918-07-19
WILSON SAYS NO TOCONCRESSPIAN FOR $40 WHEAT Rejects Bill, Declaring Price Fixing Provision Unwise at Present Time.
 e IT WOULD BE
 COSTLY TO ALLIES Would Add g Barrel to Flour Price, $3S7, 100000
 In Year.

Washington, July 1S.---President Wilson sent to the House yesterday his third veto message in ten days. He disapproved the bill carrying the annual appropriation for the Depart ment of Agriculture, because is con- tained a proviso fixing the minimum price of wheat at $40 bushel for the incoming crop. The President 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 S2.20 a bushel, which was ac-; ceptable 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 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 i 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-off1cially announced that the President would not approve the bill containing this proviso. st. | 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 Quo-' rum Only 2O9 of the 435 members re- sponded to call of the House, and
 business was conducted most of the day without a quorum.
 The Presidents veto message is as follows:
 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. 1e19,' but I feel constrained
 to do so because of my very earnest
 dissent as well as of wise expediency from the provision of that part of
 Section 14 which prescribes uni form minimum price for No. 2 North ern Spring wheat of $2. 40 per bushel.
 I dissent upon principle because [
 believe that such inelastic legislativei price provisions are insuscepttble Of
 being administered in a way that will
 be advantageous either to the pro- ducer or to the consumer, establish ing as they do arbitrary levels which 7 are quite independent of the normal market conditions, and because be- l lieve that the present method of reg , ulating has resulted in the most sat- 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- 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- | y,
 impossible to depend upon climatic
 conditions to produce full crop of wheat and where, therefore, many disappointments to SAke 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 I the world at this time of crisis by ex-
 erting themselves to an extraordinary degree to produce 'thel argeSt and f 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 i'm 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 sup- 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 S2.4o per bushel would, it is estimated, add $2 8 per barrel to thep rice of flour; in
 other words, raise thep rice of flour : from the present price of s10.50 at them i'll to $12.50 at the mill, ands inasmuch as we are Anticipating a bcrop of approximately 900,o00,O00
 bushels of wheat, this increase would
 be equivalent to the immense sum of
 sS87, 7,0O0,O ,O00.
 Such an increase of the price of wheat in the United States would . force a corresponding increase in the l 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 r 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 ma, ,orially to the coS of living and there would inevitably s ensue an increase in the wages paid in practically every industry in the l country. Three added financial and = econornic dif7cuIties affecting arar4t