The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-02-05
MANY SUGGESTIONS FOR CARRYING OUT
 WHEAT GUARANTEE
 GIVEN COMMITTEE
True Market Price Certain to Drop Below the Rate Guaranteed, Meaning
 a Big Loss to the
 Government
By Associated Press

Washington, february 4. Grain dealers, exporters and millers today presented to the House agricultue committee varied suggestions for methods of carrying out the govern ment's guarantee to producers of $2.26 bushels for the 1919 wheat crop. All agreed that the true market price, as de termined by world conditions, would drop below the guaran- teed rate and that the govern ment should make good the diff ference directly rather than by maintaining atificially the higE price.
 The witnesses also agreed that the existing United States grain corpora ton or some similar body should be
 
 agency for supporting the price to growers. They differed as to methods to be prescribed by legislation, which the committee is preparing to draft
 The grain dealers proposed that the corporation actually buy the grain at $226. sell it to millers or other com sumers at a price dictated by world markets, and acquire the country's surplus for export. The exporters sug gested that the corporations func- tions be limited to paying farmers the difference between the government price and the market price at which the grain was sold, without actually taking possession, and consequently without piling up great quantity for export.
 MILLERS WANT PROTECTION
 The millers were interested mainly in having the corporation given au- thority to protect millers against losses growing out of the falling of the wheat price from the present arti-. ficial level to the true world price. and the fluctuations in the world price | before it becomes. stable under the tcorporation's administration Representatives of the respective in- terests appearing before the commit tee today did not agree wholly among themselves over many details of their proposed plans.
 In the majority, however, the grain dealers advocated that the grain cor poration continue to function as it has done in the past. Thus the dealers would collect grain from farmers, pay ing the guaranteed price With small deduction for commission and turn over the grain to the grain corporation at the guaranteed price. The corporation then would sell it at the price 1t judges to represent the world price, determined by international competition, and ex- port the surplus. Spokesmen were re- luctant to predict what the world price or the true market price would be.
 Other suggestions of the dealers were that the government should not acquire storage warehouses or mills in antici- patton of an emergency caused by flood ing the market after next summers harvest, and that the grain corporation should not be called on to handle oth- CT grains than wheat.
 The millers asked protection against the expected decline from the present artificial level to the open market price, it was explained, only to keep the usual quantity of flour in transit to consump- tion points. necessary to maintain a steady supply.
 James F. Bell of Minneapolis a mem- Der of the food administration, was the only spokesman for the Millers Ma tional Federation
 James Ward Warner of New York appeared for the exporters.
 Among the grain dealers who gave their views were: P. E. Goodrich, Winchester, Ind, president Grain Deal CTS National association