The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-02-24
FOR 1918
WHEAT CROPS
SET BY WILSON
Proclaims Figures for Pri-
mary Markets Ranging
From - to 1929.
JUNE I, 1919, LIMIT FIXED
FOrestalls AgitatOrs in Con-
grcsS and Assures Fair Re-
turn to Farmers.

"NsHASSIoN. rem. rs. - PRESIDENT
Wilson to-day threw down the gauntlet
to Senator Gore tOklahonp and 9TH
ers in Congress who have urged guar
anteed price OF At least $3.50 for wheat
this year He issued a proclamat ton
which in effect maintains the So basic
price previously set by the President
under authority from Congress. In ex-
PLANTATION Of his pronouncement he is
sued statement based on information
given him by the Department Of Agr.-
culture. the Food Administration and
other advisers. in which he sets forth
that It is his duty under the food con-
troll act to announce the price Of wheat
Tor the coming year.
The prices fixed. the President de-
clared. would assure the producer OF a
reasonable profit. on the basis Of No.
Northern spring wheat and Its equiva-
lents the President fixed the prices as
follows:
Chicago. so2o; Omaha. se.is: Kan
sas City. SAILS: ST. Louis. $21s; Mime
apolis. s217; Duluth, s2.l7 New York,
s22S Philadelphia. sc27. Baltimore.
S2.21: Newport News s221: Charles
=
land. Ore. s2.o5: Seattle. S2.O5; San
Francisco. $40, Los Angeles s2.1O:
Galveston. s2,2O; New Orleans. SEQ,
Salt Lake CITY. So; Great Falls. Mon.
So; Spokane, Wash. So; Pocatello
Idaho. So, Forth Worth, Tex, sc09;
Oklahoma city, s205, Wichita. Kan.
s2.0s
The equivalents of No. l Northern to
which the same price applies are No.
hard winter, No. l red winter. No.
durum and No. hard white The
wheat must be harvested IN the United
states during 1913 and sold In the mar
ket before June l. 1919. The Pres.-
dents proclamation states that the ac-
'ion is to meet an emergency requiring
the stimulation OF whea; planting.
Gives Out Statement.
In statement accompanying his
proclamation the President said:
Under the food control act OF August
10. 1917. IL is my duty TO announce A
guaranteed price for wheat OF the 1918
harvest am therefore issuing a proc
lama,.on setting the price at the pr!n-
c!pa! interior primary markets. II
makes no essential alteration In the
present guarantee. II IL n continuation
Of the present prices OF wheat with
some adjustment arising from the desig-
nation Of additional terminal marketing
points.
This guaranteed price assures the
farmer OF a reasonable profit even II the
war should end within the year and the
large stores OF grain in those sections
of the world that are now Gu. OF from
transportation should again come into
competition with his products. To In
crease the price OF wheat above the
present figure or to agitate any increa Sc
OF price would have the effect of very
seriously hampering The large opera
tions OF the nation and OF the Allies b.
causing the wheat OF last years crop
to he withheld from the market 1t
would, moreover. dislocate all the pres
ent wage levels that have been estah-
lished after much anxious discussion and
would therefore create an industrial un-
rest which would be harmful to every
industry in the country.
II know the spirit OF our farmers, and
have not the least doubt as to the 10y
atty with which they will accept the
present decision. The fall wheat plant
ing. which furnishes two-thirds OF our
wheat production. took place with no
other assurance than this. and the farm
ers' confidence was demonstrated by the
fact that they planted an acreage larger
than the record OF any preceding year
larger by 1000. 900 acres than the sec
ond largest record year and 1000, coo
acres more than the average for the five
years before the outbreak OF the Euro
pcan war.
why Wheat IL Picked Out.
"It seems not to he generally under
stood why wheat is picked ou, far price
and only wheat among
the cereals The answer Is that while
normal distribution of all our farm
products has been subject to great dts
turbances during the last three years
because OF war conditions only two COM
nndities namely wheat and sugar, have
been so seriously affected as to require
intervention.
1.-THE disturbances which affect these
products tand others in less degree)
arise from the fact that all OF the over
seas shipping in the world is now under
control and that The Gov
ernment Is obliged to assign TONNAGE to
each commodity that enters into COM
mercial overseas traffic. II has conse-
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