American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1918-02-26
PRICE FIXED AT 1920
FOR 1915 WHEAT CROP
Salt Lake, POcatellO. Great Falls and
Spokane Made Terminal Points With
Price OF - Per Bushel.

the coming seasons wheat yield. The
price is for No l northern spring
wheat at Chicago, with scale of diff
ferentials for other markets. The diff
ferentials differ to a slight extent from
those now operative and range from a
minimum of 81 to a maximum of $2.2o.
In fixing a price now for the new
crop, which will not be harvested un-
til June. the president was believed to
have had two detectives in view, the
first was to halt legislation pending
in congress to fix prices at from $2.25
10 SO and the other was to stimulate
spring planting.
The introduction of the price-rais-
ing bills had begun to check the flow
of wheat to market and food admins
tration officials feared that mills soon
would have to close down. Hoping
the legislation would pass, farmers,
it is declared, have been refusing to
sell at the present price of 1920
In enacting the food control law
congress put a guarantee price of 81
on next seasons crop and this has been
construed as a minimum price. To
draw wheat to market the president
fixed a price of 1920 on last seasons
yield and it had succeeded until the
price raising bills were introduced.
Then the flow began to stop.
Food administration officials have
declared that if the bills passed the
government would be forced to raise
present prices to the new levels and
that to do so would upset the food ad
ministration's flour and bread pro-
gram.
- ,,.th hars
spring wheat and its equivalents, the
president fixed the prices as follows:
Chicago $220; Omaha $2.15; Kansas
City $2.15 st. Louis $2.1S; Minneap-
oils $217; Duluth $2.17; New York
s2.2S; Philadelphia 1927; Baltimore
s227 Newport News 1927; Charles
ton, S. c., $227; Savannah 1927; Port
land. Ore, $205; Seattle $205; San
Francisco $2.10; Los Angeles $21O;
Galveston S220; New Orleans $22O;
Salt Lake City 81; Great Falls, Mont,
50; Spokane 50; Pocatello, Ida, 50;
Fort Worth, Tex, $2.09; Oklahoma City
s2.O5; Wichita, Kan, $2.OS.
The equivalent of No. northern to
which the same price applies are No.
l hard winter, No. l red winter, No. l
Durum and No. l hard white. The
wheat must be harvested in the Unit
ed States during 1918 and sold in the
market before June l, 1919.
Emergency Exists.
The presidents proclamation states
that the action is to meet an emer-
gency requiring the stimulation of
wheat planting.
In a statement accompanying his
proclamation, the president said:
Under the food control act of Aug
ust 10, 1917, it is my duty to an
nounce a guaranteed price for wheat
of the 1918 harvest. I am, therefore
issuing a proclamation setting the
price at the principal interior primary
markets 1t makes no essential al.
teration in the present guarantees, i
is continuation of the present prices
OF wheat, with some adjustments aris
ing from the designation of additiona
terminal marketing points.
This guaranteed price assures thu
farmer of reasonable profit even i
the war should end within the yea
and the larger stores of grain in thos'
sections of the world that are nov
cut off from transportation shoul'
again come into competition with hi
wheat above the present figure, or Il
agitate any increase of price woul
have the effect of seriously hamper
ing the large operations of the natio
and of the allies by causing the whea
of last years crop to be Withheld
from the market
1T would, moreover. dislocate al
the present wage levels that have bee
established after much anxious dis
cussion and would. therefore, Great
an industrial unrest which would reac
to every industry in the country.
Il know the spirit of our farmer
and have not the least doubt as to tn
loyalty with which they will acceI
the present discussion. The fall whe;
planting. which furnishes two-thirc
OF our wheat took place with no otht
assurance than this and the farmer
confidence was demonstrated by II
fact that they planted an acreas
larger than the record of any prece'
ing year. larger by 100000 acre
than the second largest record yea
and 100000 acres more than II
average for the five years before Il
outbreak of the European war.
Two Commodities Affected.
1t seems not to be generally unde
stood why wheat is picked out f
price distribution and only whes
among the cereals. The answer
that while normal distribution of
cur farm products has been subje
to great disturbances during the la
three years because of war condition
only two commodities. namely whe
and sugar, have been so seriously 6
fected as to require governmental l
terventiOn.
The disturbances which afte
these products land others in less d
gree) arise from the fact that all
the overseas shipping in the world
now under government control a
-hnt .hn nnuernment is nhliged 10 9