The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-01-17
HIGH COST OF FOOD NOT DUE
TO SOIL TIlLER
Statement Made BY Herbert c.
Hoover to the People In
England

London, December 15.-[Corres-
pondence of the Associated Press.
Herbert c. Hoover, American food
administrator, on his visit to England
assured the people of this country
that the high cost of food was not
due to any profiteering by farmers
in the United States. The statement
he issued to the British press shows
that the guaranteed price of grain to
the American farmer not only is
smaller than the guarantee to the
British farmer but the Americans
yield is fifty per cent less an acre If
the British shipping rate, Mr. Hoover
said had increased only pro rata to
the American farmers increase. the
cost of wheat in England would be
about S23 quarter of $50 pounds,
instead of the present S26.75.
II keenly realize" Mr.. Hoover
said, how hard the present price
levels bear CT all consumers and
more especially upon the allied
peoples, whose economic wage plan
is much below that in the United
States. So far as the United States
is concerned, it is not matter of
profiteering, but is one of deep COM
pleXity of economic forces and pro-
vision for world necessities" He
cited table indicating the compar-
ative levels before and after the es
tablishment of war controls by the
United States government of prices
of wheat, hogs, maize, oats, sugar
steel ard copper, adding that prices
have been invariably the same to
the allies as TO our own consumers
and our own government"
High Price Levels.
1.-THE high price levels, however,
created before We entered the war;
the statement continued. caused our
labor ard other food production
costs to increase by leaps and
bounds, and to prevent any return
during the war to 1914 levels"
Alter discussing factors other
than American conditions which
have increased the cost of food TO
the allies, particularly overseas
transport, he noted that feed prices
paid to the English farmer were
about seventy per cent higher than
the prices realized by the American
farmer for oats and barley.
Il am il: hopes" he said. that the
freeing of the seas from war losses
may render il possible quickly to
reduce sea charges to at least the
same ratio of Increase as the Amer
lean farmer receives"
Profiteering ard speculation in
pork have been removed in the
states, Mr.. Hoover told the British
people. by government control of the
packing houses. He added: "In a
broad view l am certain that our
agricultural margins are so low that
a ten per cent reduction in prices to
our farmers would strife our pro-
duction TO the extinction of our conse-
Quential export SURPRISES. This mar
gin of ter per cent is the price
that our own consumers and your
consumers pay for stimulation of
production. Our American consum-
ers rightfully but cheerfully feel
that We are taking from them this
extra ten per cent in prices
in order that We may take our part in
carrying this worlds burden. AS
view the worlds food assets this
moment, ! am convinced that the
extra marginal surplus from the
United States is of priceless value
to the immensely of human life at
stake between now and next harvest"