Cottonwood chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1917-current, 1919-08-22
CANNON HOLDS
ANOeFxED PRICE
Idaho Commissioner of AgriCui-
ture Gives Statement--Re-
view of the Law

Boise, Idaho, Aug. 16.-Miles
Cannon, Idaho commissioner OF
agriculture, said today: N.
ut is my opinion that there is
no maximum or minimum price
established to cover wheat; that
under the law, any contract
made between a buyer and a sell
Ter is legal and that the govern
ment in reality has made no at
tempt to fix price.
1t is provided however, in AN
act to provide further for the
national security and defense by
encouraging the production, con-
serving the supply, and controll-
ing the distribution of food pro-
duces and fuel, approved by the
president on the 10th of August,
1917, that the president may,
should an emergency exist, guar
antee to the producers of wheat,
d reasonable profit thereon by
fixing a price at the principal
primary markets of the country,
which the government will pay
in order to make the guarantee
good.
"On September 2, 1918, the
president issued a proclamation
to the effect that an emergency
existed which required the st1-
mutation of the production OF
wheat and in order that the pro-
ducers within the United States
chould have the benefit of the
| roVisions of the law, he pro-
claimed guaranteed price, ana
for the purpose of such guaran-
tee only, obligated the govern
! ment to pay on a basis of No. |
| spring wheat, No. l winter, No.
+ / red winter and No. / hard
white, a price of 1920 per bushel
at Tacoma, Seattle, Portland,
Astoria, San Francisco and Los
Angeles, and So per bushel at
Salt Lake City, Great Falls,
Montana, Pocatello, Idaho ana
Spokane, Washington, and on all
other grades of wheat establish
ed under the United States grain
standard act and which has been
adopted by the Idaho Agricultu-
raj department, and published IN
booklet form, the aforesaid
guarantee must bear just rela-
ton thereto. 1t would seem that
the purpose of this law and the
! proclamation based upon the
/ provision OF. the act, was to slim
ulate production and guarantee
to the farmer a profit sufficient
to cover an abnormal cost result
ing from unprecedented ad-
vance in all lines of commodities
which he was compelled to buy.
"When the food administra-
ton went out of business it
seems that the U. S. Grain cor
poration took its place and this
grain corporation is composed OF
mlllers and grain spectators
and from newspaper propaganda
and other printed forms circuIat-
ed through the country, the i'm
preston has prevailed that the
government is fixing maxi
mum price on the wheat crop of
1919. Mr.. II. NJ. Houser of Port
land, Oregon, is second vice pre-
sident of the u. S. Grain corpo-
ration and appears to be the
manager for the three north
western states. He is likewise,
as | am informed, the principal
owner Of the Pacific Elevator
company, the Pacific Grain COM
pany and the Portland Flour
mills. The Portland Grain COM
pany, who buys the wheat from
the Pacific Elevator company as
well as from other sources, has
put out a price list covering the
several grades which ranges
from $500 per bushel for No. 3
white club, to 1920 per bushel
for hard wheat, f. o. b. Portland.
Exclusive of the usual storage
charges in the elevators, it APP
pears that they have fixed eight
cents per bushel as a commission
for buying the wheat, and %
cents per bushel for the grain
corporation at Portland, which,
together with the freight
charges and dockages, brings
the price of Idaho wheat down to
the neighborhood of S1.66, up TO
in some cases, as high as $3.50.
This figure is based on the
amount of grain that the farmer
receives from the threshing ma
chine. When the dockage is TAX
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