Arizona republican., 1919-02-05
COME ME-A-CROPPER
 IN GUARANT TEE OF PR|CE 1T WHEAT
Dealers And Mill Men Have No Concerted Plan-Ex- porters Would Have Uncle Sam Pay Farmer Differ ence Between What They Pay and Agreed Price.

WASHINGTON,F Feb. 4.-Grain deal sented to the house agriculture com mittee varied suggestions for methods of carrying out the governments guar antee to producers of s226 bushel for the 1919 wheat crop. All agreed that the true market price as determined by world conditions, would drop below the guaranteed rate, and that the govern ment should make good the difference directly rather than by maintaining ar officially the higher price.
 The witnesses also agreed that the existing United States grain corpora tion, or some similar body, should be maintained as the governments agency They differed as to methods to be pre- scribed by legislation. which the com mittee is preparing to draft.
 The grain dealers proposed that the corporation actually buy the grain at S2.26, sell it to millers or other con- sumers at a price dictated by world markets. and acquire the country's sur plus for export. The exporters sug- sested that the corporations functions be limited to pay the farmers the diff. terence 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 Ask 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 artificial level to the true world price, and the fluctu atiOns in the world price before it be- comes stable under the corporation s administration
 Representatives of the respective in- terests appearing before the committed today did not agree wholly among themselves over many details of theii proposed plans.
 In the main, however, the grain deal CTS advocated that the grain corpora tion continue to function much as il has done in the past. Thus the dealer: would collect grain from farmers, pay ing the guaranteed price, with smal deduction for commission, and turI over the grain to the grain corporation ct the guarantee price. The corpora tion then would sell it at the price i judges to represent the world price, de termined by international competition and export the surplus. Spokesmel were reluctant to predict what tn world price or the true market pric would be.
 Other suggestions Of the dealers wer that the government should not acquir warehouses or mills in anticipation o m mergency caused by flooding tn market after next summers harvest and that the grain corporation shoul not be called on to handle other grain than wheat.
 The millers asked protection agains the expected decline from the presen artificial level to the open marke prices, it was explained, only to kec the usual quantity in transit to con sumption points, necessary to malntai q steady supply.
 An accounting would be maintaine with the grain corporation, by whic the corporation would pow the differ ence between the wheat price on tn day on which flour was shipped, and lower price on the day the flour wa delivered.