Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1918-01-17
WHEAT AND FLOUR; HOW
PRICE is NOW DECIDED.

Hector presents to its readers figures
based on Investigations and rulings
of the United States food administra-
ton to show just where the money
paid for -four goes. The ultimate
consumer believes he is being swim
died every time he buys flour. Many
farmers believe they are not getting
a fair price for their wheat. The
miller Is sure he is losing money for
the Joy of milling wheat.
Simple Arithmetic.
II the reader has forgotten his
arithmetic he should call in his son
while reading this story and have
him help figure 1t out. Any school
boy can do it. II the reader finds
any flaws in the figures he should
make a report to the food admins
tration. If he can't find any flaws
he should paste these figures inside
OF his hat or carry them around con-
veniently where he can get at them.
Prices quoted in this story are cor
rect for Abilene and do not neces-
sarily apply out of town.
Barrel from 264 Pounds.
In the first place the miller is re-
quired to mill barrel of flour from
264 pounds of clean wheat. He
cannot mill less than that. There are
1916 pounds of -four in a barrel SO
the miller must get 1876 pounds OF
-four from 264 pounds of wheat He
must mill 81 pounds Of bran from
the 264 pounds and II pounds of
shorts. Added together as they do
in the school arithmetic we have:
1916 pounds flour plus 81 pounds
bran plus II pounds shorts equals
264 pounds wheat.
Wheat weighs so pounds to the
bushel.
264 pounds divided bq 60 equals
A bushels OF wheat from which one
barrel of flour must be milled.
The government says the miller
must pay $2.15 for No. l wheat ba-
sis Kansas City. Our freight rate to
Kansas City being &c per bushel
makes net price of $2OS Abilene.
$2.15 times IA equals $9.15, the
cost Of wheat to make one barrel of
flour.
The food administration says that
bran shall sell for $1.31 per hundred
pounds at the mill before sacking.
AS we already have pointed out there
are 81 pounds OF bran to be milled
from 264 pounds of wheat.
$1.31 times 81 equals sc cents, or
the price the miller can get for his
bran.
The food administration says that
shorts must sell for $1.76 per hun
bred pounds and the miller is allow
ed to get II pounds of shorts out of
264 pounds of wheat
$1.76 times II equals 20 cents for
the shorts.
sc cents plus 20 cents equals 80
cents, which the miller is allowed
to get for his cattle feed.
The Expense Account.
substract the money the miller
gets for the cattle feed from the cost
of 264 pounds of wheat and the re-
suit is the actual cost of the flour as
paid to the elevator by the miller.
1915 (cost OF the wheat delivered
at .mill) minus $095 (price of feed)
$500 cost of -four.
So far no account has been taken
of the expense of milling. The mill
Ter must hire help, keep up his ma
and pay interest on his in
vestment.
The food administration wants the
miller to keep his place in good re-
pair. If he does not do so we will
have to go back to the age when
men ground their own wheat by
it between two stones. The
'ood administration. after months of
by expert accountants,
found that the average cost of mill
ng wheat and taking care of over
head expenses is IS cents a barrel.
No profit is allowed in this reckon
ng for grinding bran or shorts-the
whole profit being absorbed in mill
ng the flour. Seventy-five cents is
correct when the mills run full time.
When they run only part time the
COST goes up because the miller still
must keep his office help, his chem
The Difrerential.
On top of that the government al