Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1918-04-03
Statement of President Wilson



The President has issued the fol-
lowing statement:
under the food control act of Au-
gust 10, 1917, it is my duty to an
nounce a guaranteed price for wheat
of the 1918 harvest. am, therefore,
issuing proclamation setting the
the price at the principal interior
primary markets. 1t makes no es-
sential alteration in the present guar
anty. 1t is continuation of the
present prices of wheat, with some
adjustments arising from the desig-
nation of additional terminal market
ing points.
"This guaranteed price assures the
farmer Of reasonable profit even if
the war should end within the year
and the large stores of grain in those
sections of the world that are now
cut off from transportation should
again come into competition with his
products. To increase the price of
wheat above the present figure, or to
agitate any increase of price, would
have the effect Of very seriously ham,
pering the large operations of the
Nation and of the allies by causing
the wheat of last years crop to be
withheld from the market. 1t would,
moreover, dislocate all the present
wage levels that have been establish
ed after much anxious discussion and
would, therefore, create an industrial
unrest which would be harmful to ev-
cry industry inthe country.
Knows Farmers Are Loyal
IL know the spirit of our farmers
and have not he least doubt as to the
loyalty with which they will accept
the present decision. The fall wheat
planting, which furnishes two-thirds
of our wheat production, took place
with no other assurance than this,
onstrated by the fact that they plant
ed an acreage larger than the record
of any preceding year, larger by p
100000 acres than the second largest
record year, and 100000 acres more
than the average for the five years
before the outbreak of the European
war.
at seems not to be generally un-
derstood why wheat is picked out for
price determination, and only wheat,
among the cereals. The answer is
that, while 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,
wheat and sugar, have been so seri-
ously affected as to require govern
ment Intervention. The distm Dances
which affect these products (and 9TH
ers 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 enters into CONNER
cial overseas traffic. 1t has, conse-
quently, been necessary to establish
single agencies for the purchase 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 ma
terially disturbed, Wand it became
necessary, in order ito protect both
the producer and the consumer, to
prevent speculation It was neces-
sary, therefore, for the Government
to exercise a measure of direct super
vision and as far as possible to con-
troll purchases of wheat and the pro-
cesses of it's expectation. This super
fixing, and /, therefore, thought it
fair and wise that there should be a