New-York tribune., 1918-03-22

ATE yesterday, proposes to change
the food control act in three impor.
tant respects. First, it would raise
the guaranteed price for wheat from
s. to $3.50 a bushel; second, it ex-
pressiy stfpulates that the price
fixed is not maximum, but mini
mum; third, it would substitute No.
9 Northern for No. l Northern
as the basic grade, which is, in
effect, equivalent to a further rise
in the average price, since the
latter is an especially fine grade,
and the poorer qualities suffer when
it is used as the standard. The eff
feet of this bill, if it is finally ar-
proved, should be to stimulate great
ly the production of wheat. The
farmers are handicapped this year
by labor shortage and reports indi-
cate that good many of them are
inclined to reduce acreages, so that
they may be sure of harvesting all
they plant. But with a minimum Of
$3.50 a bushel for the principal
cereal, and the possibility Of still
higher price, many Of them will
chance the planting of a larger acre
age than they. would otherwise.
With the minimum fixed at So a
bushel, the average value per acre
of wheat, based on 1917 yield, would
be about $2S, whereas the value of
an acre of rye, figured on the same
basis, would be about S3S, while all
acre planted to corn would yield
about $40, and to barley S45. Some
farmers have been disposed to plant
the coarse grains, instead of wheat,
because Of this discrepancy, espe-
cially since the former are less sub
iect to the vicissitudes that make
wheat growing a highly speculative
business. At $3.50 a bushel, and
the average yield the same as in
1917, the value >of an acre of wheat
this year would be in the neighbor-
hood of S35, and that is sufficient to
insure the sowing of all the wheat
that can be planted with the avail
able labor supply.
The cry for "business as usual" is
still heard in many places, though
those who back the propaganda
camoufage it in other phrases. For
instance, a business man says that
there are no unessential businesses
that sail industries giving en-
ployment to labor are essential" If
there were enough labor to produce
the things required for war purposes
and all the goods normally consumed
as we'll, the "business as usual
idea might be defensible; there is
not, however, and the supply Of
labor for war work can be increased
only by curtailing operations of in
dustries whose products do not con-
tribute toward winning the war.
But since the non-essential bust
nesses are being curtailed in spite
of all efforts to maintain them-wit
ness the restriction in output of
automobiles - the ''business as
usual" propaganda might be ignored
were it not for the fact that it
spreads throughout the country and
everywhere encourages eXtrava-
gance, and thus tends to injure the
thrift campaign. And thrift, al
ways a virtue, and now a necessity.
is a thing the American people find
it hard to achieve. Though we have
been at war for nearly a year, the
orgy of wild spending has not dimin
ished as much as it should. Wit
ness the following letter from one
of the largest merchants on the Pa
cific Coast to a San Francisco
banker:
We think people do not yet realize
fully the seriousness of the war.
We note prodigal spending in many
cases. The class Of people who are
careful in their buying are the per-
sons who have been accustomed to
money and whose incomes, while
heretofore considered good, are
relatively fixed. Their money does
not buy as much as it formerly did
and they have large taxes to pay.
On the other hand the mechanics
and laborcrs are receiving unprcce-
dcntcd wages which they spend in a
prodigal way. This is the situation
as VIC see it and we consider it quite
depressing, as to our minds the con-
dition VIII become worse in this
respect as money expended by the