Evening journal., 1918-07-09
WHAT pRoMprrn WHEAT PnIcE-rrxINo.


V1J ITH a perssteney that passes understanding the
W impression IS being circulated that the farmers Of
the country asked FOR The fixing Of tho price Of wheat
and that such price nxed by law or by require
mcnt OF law An Inference Of this kind given in the
Senate few days ago when senator King (Dom.). Of
Utah. said that It his understanding that last year
the Senators from wheat-gFowns states insisting
upon some regulation OF the price Of wheat. More by
ndi ection than by express statement, It IS frequently
ntimated that the gran farmers have been seeking tho
aid OF the government.
IN to Senator King several Senators took
sion to state the facts among them Senators Gronna and
McCumber Of North Dakota Senator Sterling Of South
Dakota; Senator Borah OF Idaho and senator Curtis OF
Kansas. senator Gronna who speaking at The time
Senator King Interrupted with the statement above
quoted declared that the farmers at time came be-
fore the committee agriculture TO that prices be
fixed. He declared that Food Administrator Hoover ap-
peared before the committee opposed the fixing Of
maximum price but said he wanted TO stabilize prices
and nx minimum price in order to Increase produc-
tlon
senator McCumber cited nsures from a report Of the
Federal Trade Commission showing that under the prices
nxed by the administration, the -four mers have been
making profits several times larger than in the past He
asserted that not only private employers but the gov
eminent offers such high wages In the cities that
farmers cannot get help harvest their In other
words, the administration has limited the price Of the
farmers wheat and raised the wages he must pay hs
HS4p anu has uot uAllbuu prices ne luab pdy lVI HIS
supplies
Senator Sterling read from the food control act to
show that there authority TO nx price for wheat
but merely authority to guarantee price high enough
TO protect the farmer from loss. leaving him to get
whatever price the market afforded
Senator Curtis pointed out the well known fact that
although the price OF wheat fixed az much less than
the market price, the prices Of the principal articles
farmer must buy particularly machinery. have very
greatly advanced In Instances about 400 per cent
Senator Borah agreed with the other speakers that
the farmers had not asked for fixed price for their
wheat and are not asking for a higher price now. but
do insist that II there to be price fixing all Il shall
be equfaby applied. II the prlce-nxing system IS to
obtain II obtain 10 the extent certainly Of fixing
the price OF those things which enter into the production
Of things the price Of which you do ax Otherwise you
must not only have injustice. but you will have chaos
just such you coming to realize in this |
country"
The unjust attitude the administration has adopted
toward the grain farmers also emphasized when It
shown that wheat substitutes bring higher price
relatively than does wheat that the administration has
just much power to fix the price Of cotton has
to nx the price Of wheat but has taken action that
direction and that the administration has prosecuted
under the Sherman antitrust laws the concerns that
exactng tribute from the farmers through combinations