New-York tribune., 1918-03-25
Northwest Wants
All Grain Prices,
If Amy, Regulated
Dissatisfied With Favor
Shown to Wheat
Substitutes
Especial Co,vespondence]

Win the entry OF senators mute Mel
son and Frank B. Kellogg into the cam
paign of Western states for reopening
of the wheat price question, evoked
much interest in Minnesota, North Da-
kota, South Dakota and Montana.
The Western viewpoint, which, if it
be criticism of the government, is at
! least constructive criticism, is that it
was blunder for the food administra-
tion to fix prices for wheat and not for
the wheat substitute grains.
Consider cotton as background
against which to stand up the fact that
the government wants the greatest
wheat acreage on record planted this
year. The government is appealing to
the farmers to plant wheat as a sign
Of patriotism, and yet has created a
condition that at least discrimnates
against the farmer who puts in wheat
seed, with $2.17 in Minneapolis guar
anteed for the crop if it be high grade.
while such grains as rye and barley, of
which he may reasonably expect to get
oO per cent more to twice as much per
! acre, are SO cents to rs cents bushel
higher than wheat.
What happened in cotton?
The government let it alone.
The Case of Cotton.
IL III cents pound be taken as
sood normal price for cotton. CORE
spond1ng sp roughly to dollar wheat. then
oV-ceht cotton is, Of course, a price that
pears upon the consumer pretty hard
But see what actually happened. "Cot-
ton to win the war" is what the govern
ment wants, and other considerations G
are OF minor Importance at this time
so high cotton causes economy in tho
use of cotton and at the samo +;n,o
makes farmers want to plant it and as
sures big acreage.
suppose the government had not put
check on wheat? Maybe the price
would have gone to $3.50 or S. bushel
lhat would have meant greater dissat-
lsfaction on the part of the consumer
But with prices for the other cereals
flXed on basis of market value relAtivc
10 that which they normally maintained d
(and rye, barley, oats and corn nor
nially are far cheaper than whcat> tho
whole grain food price range would
have risen or fallen together and the
government would have been able to
order the use of the various cereals in
Whatever proportions thought advis-
able. And surely the high wheat price
would have stimulated the planting of
wheat if $3.50 or IS a bushel had
been reached, and it is wheat, it has
! officially been said again and again,
that is needed to win the war for the
Allies.
Instead, the country witnessed Che fix
ing of the wheat prices, but the placing
of no price restrictions on the substitute
grains, and later an order that for
every purchase of wheat products an
equal quantity of substitutes must be
purchased. with result that could not
logically have failed to be foreseen
Not only is the farmer who plants
wheat dissatisfied, but the consumer
who buys the white -four substitutes
also
Now comes the third act.
John j. Stream, head of the coarse
grains division of the food admins.
Grafton, is in Minneapolis at this writ
ing. He has directed that every grain
firm here that deals in coarse grains
make statement of it's transactions
from December 1 to March 20. There
have been rumors for weeks that ir
the advance in rye two Minneapoli,
men associated cleaned up 5000. 900
and the reports are that in the rise ir
rye and barley over a short perioe
S2000,000 was made here.
Regarding "Profitecrs"
Relative to the ordering of the re
ports of coarse grains transactions
Mr.. Stream said it was true that sucl
reports had been called for. He sale
that no complaints have been LODGED
with the food administration, and tha,
ne knows of no specific instances oil
big profits made. But the government,
wants a complete record he said. o,
when, where and how these purchase,
were made.
Even the fact that the government
Mr. Tardieu again says, must hav,
wheat to win the war does not measur,
the full Importance Of the pric,
mix-up.
Wisconsin is preparing for election
OF successor to the late Senate,
Husting, and Victor Bergen Socialist
is n candidate, and the issue !.
patriotism, and the cry of the radical.
is war proftcoring and "no sacrifc,
of the lives Of our sons without con
scription of wealth."
In st. Paul, the Non-P Partisan Leapne
which has been bounded out of ever,
county in Minnesota where it has es
sayed to meet, is holding a nominating
convention, and this league, which
elected Lynn Frazier Governor O.
NORTH Dakota and now is out to elec
a radical state government in Minne
sofa, is crying "war profitecring," ant
pointing to the fact that three Minnean
oils men have figured in the Hog Isl
and scandal.
With these things, the tale po;nt
, nrCund that Mirroopnl;, 1892 ''k