The sun., 1918-12-07
Peace Bread at War Prices.

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| after the wal as 1t did before the war,
when the Government itself was the
chief consumer Of such material. But
1t will be a regulated dead market,
not a live market. Main strength may
keep a manufacturer from getting his
material except at the inflated price;
main strength cannot compel the man.
ufacturer to pay that abnormal price
and produce his goods at a higher
cost than the consumers will pay
him for them.
Provided the industries Of the
United States can get raw material
for manufacture at prices that the
consumers a and will pay, there is
plenty Of business ahead Of all. There
is n job for every worker. To refuse
to let manufacturers have material
which they can turn out In a finished
product at a selling price Is merely
to lock the wheels of industrial ma
chlnery. This means that labor must
be knocked of, and this means. with
workers out of Jobs and their pur-
chasing power gone. that the bottom
must go clean out Of every market.
This Is the choice. Because 1t is
the choice and the only choice, war
prices Of basic materials will come
down, just al surely as the sun will
rise, to the level where industry can
operate. business can trade and the
public "a buy.
What, then, is the Government going
to do about the public's bread? In
this instance the Government will be
absolute, because it will be the buyer
of wheat. Is 1t going to try to hold
the wheat, the flour and the loaf next
summer and next autumn-a whole
year after peace has come-up to the
sky high war figures of this autumn?
Or, with an abundance of wheat In
the world, in all probability a pro-
digious surplus, Is 1t going to give
play to the law Of supply and demand
and let bread come down?
When the war was on It was q
wise thing, 1t was a necessary thing,
for our Government to guarantee to
American farmers for 1919 the So
called $2.26 price for wheat. This
was the only sure way to provide
bread for ourselves and for our al
lies. Our allies had been short some
600,000,000 bushels a year. This was
a wal shortage Of 200,000,000 bushels
TN top Of a peace deficiency Of 400
100000. 1t was not impossible thGt
they might be short even more in 1910.
We must have wheat, they must have
wheat, and 1t was up to the Amerl-
can Government to get the wheat. The
guaranteed price-the so-called $2.26
put American farmers to work this
autumn planting extra acres by the
tens of thousands In winter wheat, so
that there could be no doubt Of an
abundant supply next year.
Now, with the war over, we may
see raised In this country next year
more than 100000. 600 bushels OF
wheat; we have had 1t before. This
will be pretty nearly twice as much
wheat as we need for our own normal
consumption. Our surplus will be
more than the normal shortage-somo
400, OOO,OO0 bushels-of our allies in
peace times.
Canada as a wheat producer is not
to be compared with the United
States. The same thing is true of
both Australia and Argentina. The
Canadian crop will vary between $780,
$1,000 and 100000 600 bushels. The
Australian crop will not run greatly
In excess of 1OO,O00,O0O bushels. The
Argentina crop will vary between
125, 100000 and 2O0,0O0,OO0 bushels.
But, with their small populations,
those countries do not themselves con-
sumo more than a fraction Of their
wheat. Furthermore, Australia has
been piling up surplus wheat during
the war. Australia Is credited with
an immense quantity of wheat which
could not be sent to the Allies during
the war for lack OF ships.
It is not impossible that Canada,
Australia and Argentina may be able
to provide In the next year 100000
900. even 500,O00,oO0 bushels Of wheat
for export, and this naturally would
60 to the Allies. 1t would be their
normal peace supply.
This takes no account Of the nor
NAL production of Russia, running up
to S0O,0O0,OO0 and 900, 100000 bushels
a year. 1t takes no account of In
dia, running well above 300. 900
bushels a year. If we assume that
Russian wheat, like everything else
in Russia, has gone to the dogs If we
assume that India will need the
greater part Of its own wheat, still
, the United States, Canada, Australia
, and Argentina promise to have for
: the Allies, for the neutrals of Europe.
yes. for Germany and. Austria, If
those countries need 1t, upward of
l ,000.O00.000 bushels OF wheat.
In peace or In war those countries