The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-23
President Wilson May Stop
$3.50 Wheat Measure.
Fears High Cost Would Dis
turb Industrial Plans.
RAISE BREAD COST
Means So a Year for Every
Person in Country.
of 1917 Crop Must
Be Marketed Soon.

Washington, March 23.-President
Wilson, it is predicted in many quar-
ters will veto the bill carrying the
increased price for wheat if congress
finally agrees to the Gore amendment
which the senate added to the bill
Thursday, putting the minimum at
$3.50 a bushel at local elevators and
for No. 2 wheat instead of No. 1.
The White House has not indicat-
ed its position since the senate has
for the president but Mr.. Wilson
himself. However, in the statement
the president issued a few weeks ago
when he fixed the price for the 1918
wheat crop at $2.20 a bushel based on
No. 1 northern at Chicago, strong op
position to any further increase in
the wheat price was made plain. This
price was fixed after the president had
had long conferences with Secretary
of Agriculture Houston. The presi-
dent then stated that S2.2O was a fair
price for the wheat and any raise
in the price of bread would seriously
disturb the industrial arrangements
the nation was making for the war.
May Compromise.
The agricultural bill carrying the
wheat raise will go to conference next
week when the house, which did not
grant the raise in price, will begin its
conference with the senate. Mean
while. members of the house agricul-
tural committee are seeking to get the
administration to agree to a compro-
mise on the wheat program.
They recognize that establishing
fiat price of $3.50 bushel at the
country elevator presents a difficult
working proposition and would mean
far higher wheat at Chicago and the
specified in the bill unless the gov
eminent itself absorbed the freight
bills. That is regarded as out of the
question.
House members, it was learned to-
night, will ask Secretary Houston and
them before the president and try and
work out compromise. They have
suggested making the price $3.50 a
bushel based oil Chicago. 1t is ex-
pected the president will urge upon
the conference committee the great
disturbance of the existing price lev
els that would attend the raising of
the wheat price as proposed.
Bread Would Cost More.
1t was stated here today the effect
of the price raise as voted by the SEN
ate would be to increase the price of
down to a loaf of bread, would in
crease the price nearly two cents a
loaf. As the per capita consumption
of flour is about a barrel a year, this
would mean an increased cost of bread
OF SIS a person for the year to every
man, woman and child in the United
States.
One serious angle presents itself in
the situation. That is the remainder
of the 1917 wheat crop now on the
farm. 1t is absolutely imperative that
it should be marketed before Nav 1
Yet if the price for the new crop is to
be raised it will be extremely difficult
to maintain a free movement of this
grain from the farm to the elevator.
The natural tendency would be to hold
it for the higher price. And the United
States must have every single busheI
of this grain in the next few weeks to
avert a most serious situation. To paw
higher price for it, or the proposed
price, would be to penaliZe the patri-
otto farmer who already has sold his
wheat at the present price.