McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1918-08-16

Nashville, Tenn Although the gov
eminent, through the cereal division
of the United States Food Administers
ton, now allows the mills to pay
whatever they desire for wheat. the
price Of flour and mill feed being abb
solutely fixed, the Federal Food AID
ministration in Tennessee is deter
mined that the mills shall not by rea
SON of this fact, beat down the price
of wheat and make unreasonable and
excessive profits in the sale of theiI
products.
The following statement has beer
issued by the Federal Food Admins
tration of Tennessee:
Under the present plan of mill
control, which has been in effect
since July l, the mills are not longer
restricted in the price which they
can pay for wheat or in the territory
in which they may purchase 1t. They
must, however, sell their flour and
wheat mill feed at not exceeding ar
bitrary prices that have been fixed
by the Food Administration. These
prices are based upon the guarantee
price Of st. Louis wheat with the
carrying charges therefrom to the Ten,
nessee mills added, less, of course,
the cost of inspection, the carrying
charges and service performed in
handling the wheat. The prices at
which mills are permitted to sell their
products, based on these wheat prices
will return them fair and reasona
BILE profit. More than that they are
not entitled to receive and will not
obtain II the Food Administration
must exhaust all of its powers to pre-,
vent It.
1T has come to the knowledge OF
the Food Administration that in. cer
tain sections some mills have used
their advantage to beat Gown tha
price OF wheat, that is they have not
paid the fair wheat price established
by the government but on the other
hand have sold their products at the
full prices fixed by the Food Admin
istration. This will not be tolerated.
Such course will return to the mills
following it, unfair and excessive prof
it's. We are now sending out to every
wheat mill In the state QUESTIONABLE,
in which they are asked to state the
price at which they have purchased
No. wheat since July /, and the
prices at which they have been sell.
ing flour and wheat mill feed. When
these questionaires are returned the
Food Administrator will then know
just what the mills have bes9n doing
and where we find mills that have
made unfair profits due to unreasons-
bly, low prices paid for wheat, they
win be forced to disgorge the exces.
sive profits.
1.-THE mills all know the prices at
which they are expected to buy wheat
based upon the fair selling prices Of
their products. It has been reported
to the Food Administration that in
some instances the mills, having
bought their full thirty days supply
of wheat, are reducing the prices
which they are offering farmers. In
such cases the farmers should be slow,
very slow. to sell unless they are rea-
sonably certain that the price offered
is fair price OF course the farmers
could not afford to hold their wheat.
pay insurance, storage, lose rattage
and shrinkage, for a cent or two a
bushel, but if the difference is too
great the Food Administration does
not believe that they will lose by car
rying their wheat little while
longer.
Generally speaking and having in
mind that the freight rate from st.
Louis is not the same to all points in
Tennessee, making some exceptions,
1t is the judgment of the Food Admin
istration that less than 1925 per
bushel for wheat that grades No. 2
would be an unreasonable low price
at which mills should buy, and wheat
Of that grade bought at less price
would return to the mills, in practical
| Jy every case. an unfair profit. where
The product is sold at the fair price
schedule established by the Food Ad-
ministration.
'''rhe Food Administration is deal
ing fairly and justly with the mills. A
large majority of them reciprocate
this treatment and are dealing fairly
/ with the producers, but all Of them
must do so. A contrary course could
not fail to have a serious effect upon
our big drive to increase product. I'm
fair treatment OF the producer would
discourage the big Liberty wheat
crop for which our nation has ap.
/ pealed.
I'VE are sending to the county food
administrators the names of the wheat
millers in their counties. together with
the fair prices at which they viii be
permitted to sell their product. Per
sons who are dissatisfied with the
! prices charged by the millers, or who
have reason to believe that they are
excessive, shoald communicate with