South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-08-03
FARMER GETTING
A FEW BRICKBATS
AS A PROFITEER
Comparison With Other In
fIated Prices Fails to
Justify Charge.

Is the farmer profteering? With
Bradstreet's food near S5.25 charges
of profteering All the air. and while
the retailer and middleman are
made chief point Of attack, the
farmer gets a few brickbats along
with his bouquets. Is ne entitled 70
the handsome prices which nearly
all farm products com bined today?
Relative 20 former prices one
might say that ne is not But prices
must be considered, not relative 70
pre-war levels. but relative 20 the
inflated prices in all lines The pres
ent is a new. II not a better, day in
the price calendar, and judged by
present standards. the farmer is no
more a profteer than other classes,
and much less than some. Wheat
brings hin less than four cents a
pound. although pound Of bread
costs u TO Is cents. Beef prices
range from 20 IS cents to the pro-
Queer. yet the consumer pays 25 to
40 cents
Hogs An Avenue Of Profit.
Hogs represent an avenue Of
profit Admitted Corn takes its
chief value from the prices of hogs.
But certainly business and laboring
men will not quarrel with the farmer
on this score. The war decreed a
shortage Of hog products and the
law of supply and demand. from
which business men reap large
profits and labOring men drew in
creased wages promptly became op-
erative The WORLD necessity begat
rising market. and the former
like a sherwd businessman-took full
advantage Of il. The proceeding, IL
not philanthropic, was both COM
monplace and economic
stock Raisers Applaud.
The Federal Trade commissions
last indictment Of the packers and
introduction Of the Kenyon bill TO
license rigidly the meat packing in
dustry have brought opposition 10 a
vocal point The stock raisers ap-
plaud. and with some reason.
The packers may be heckled as
some honestly believe, and IL is
doubtless true their profit on each
mound OF beef adds little TO its cost
and that large scale production
brings efficiency. Nevertheless.
America cannot let her meat indus
try fan under the domination OF any
group or coterie Of men, however.
benevolent their exercise of power.
The danger of abuse remains ever
present
Wheat Yield DisappOints
Estimates now reduce the wheat
WELD TO 100000. 900 bushels The
yield per acre is disappointing. ex-
cept in the extreme southwest. where
it ranges up 10 % and even 40
bushels Prices above the mini
mum are forecast. one prophet even
daring TO predict $500 wheat. 1t is
significant that wheat rose to $40
on the Winnipeg exchange before
trading was suspended. Flour prices
are firm and tending upward with
miIIers competing for high quality
grain and fearing lest the supply of
strictly high grade material be short
this year. An expert ventures the
belief that best wheat may not ex-
coed 500. 1000 bushels all told
I'm this connection interest at
taches TO the organization OF millers
into an expert body, which may be
expected to develop foreign trade in
such a manner as TO render profit
able maintenance or the greatly in
creased areas now devoted 10 wheat
New Movement Brisk.
The new wheat movement con-
5inues brisk and rivals that of last
year Nevertheless. farmers will be
IN no haste. as they can get the fixed
price any time before next June, and
may give the right-of-way TO corn
ard oats
The factors depressing hogs az the
mid-week were temporary. having
20 do chiefly with race riots and
labor troubles az Chicago. and the
hog market with corn in sympathy
may be relied upon TO recoup its
losses. Corn is a weather market
and some fears Of damages are en-
ferfafupd