The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1918-03-28


tinuasioa Of the present price Of
wheat. With some adjustments arising
from The designation Of additional
lerminal marketing points.
This guaranteed price assures tbs
farmer Of reasonable profit even il
the war should end wsthia she year
and the large stores Of grain in those
sections Of the world that are now eui
off from transportation should again
come into competition with his pro
duets. To increase the price Of wheat
above the present figure. or 70 agitate
any increase Of price, would have the
effect Of very seriously hampering the
large operations Of the nation and of
the allies By causing the wheat Of last
year : crop TO be withheld from the
market. Il would, moreover. disloeate
all present wage levels thar have been
established after much anxious dis
eussion snd would. therefore, create
an industrial unrest which would Be
harmful TO every industry in the com
try
II know the spirit Of orr farn.eEs
and have not the least doubt as 10 the
loyalty with which they win accept
the present decision. The fail wheat
planting. which furnishes twostlSrds
OF our wheat production. took place
With no other assurance than this, and
the farmers confidence was demon
strated BY the fact that they planted
an acreage larger than the record Of
any preceding year, larger BY 2,000,-
600 acres than the second largest rec
ord year, and 7,00O, 900 acres more than
the average for the five years before
the outbreak of the European war.
eft seems not to be generally IN
derstood why wheat is picked out for
price determination, and only wheat.
among the cereals. The answer is that
while normal distribution Of al our
farm products has been subject to great
disturbances during the last three
years because Of war conditions, only
two important commodities, namely.
wheat and sugar. have been 50 ser
iously affected as 10 require govern
mental intervention. The disturbances
which affect these products land 9th
ers in less degreel arise from the fact
that all the overseas shipping il the
world IS now under government con
troll and that the government is oblig
ed TO assign tonnage to each commodity 1
that enters into commercial overseas
traffic Il has. consequently, been nee.
essary 10 establish single agencies for
the purchase Of food supplies which
must 90 abroad. The purchase Of wheat /
in the United States for foreign use Is
of 50 great volume in eomparison with
the available domestic supply thar the
price Of wheat has been materially dis
turbed. and II became necessary. in or
der TO protect both the producer and
the consumer, to prevent speculation.
It was necessary. therefore, for the
government to exercise measure Of
direct supervision and a. far as possis
bic 10 control purchases Of wheat and
the processes Of its expectation This
necessarily amounted to
and I. therefore. thought
i fair and wise that there should be
price stated that should Be at once lib
sral and equitable.
The Farmer Next 20 Soldier.
4sTh0se peculiar circumstances gov
.rning the handling and consumption
f wheat put the farmer at the very
enter Of war service. Next to the sol
her himself, he is serving the eoun-
~ and the world and serving il IN a
ray which IS absolutely fundamentaI
0 his own future safety and prosper
~ He sees this and can be relied
pom as the soldier can. Z
f.The farmer il also contributing {
zen to the army, and am keenly alive ]
} the sacrifices involved. Out Of H. r
d, 900 men engaged in farm industries r
Is. 900 have been drafted, OF about o
As per cent Of the whole number. IN y
EDITION TO these there have been vol. 4
nteers. and the farmers have lost d
lnsiderable number Of laborers be II
iuse the wages paid in industrial pur N
its drew them away. In order to re 4
we the farming industry a. FAR a. v,
'ssible from further drains Of labor K,