The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-01-27

been ruined. being mostly piled In
sacks under tarpaulins and shed roofs.
The quantity of good wheat has thus
been largely reduced. Good authori-
ties now claim that It will take two
years to get that surplus out, for lack
Of tonnage. and that It is under 200
millions Of bushels Of exportable quail
ity. Latest estimates OF the Argen-
tine surplus say It is about 165 mil
lion bushels. Here. too, It Is largely q
problem Of ships. for America will
have first call on vessels for some
time to come.
Whether our own people will be
content to pay more for bread than
other less favored nations viii event
ually pay is another phase OF this
complicated problem. At the moment
bakers and retailers are buying hour
only In q small way. fearing . decline,
apparently. thus Cutting mills and
warehouses with fiour. We can't pos
sibly figure 1t that way-not now nor
soon. II any Of you can. tell US about
1t, and why.
Corn Price Breaks.
But as to corn and corn products,
that Is another matter. Corn has
broken 80 cents perbushel for the
January delivery in Chicago, since the
Sth Of the month, 1t closing at the low
point, $1.1Sk ON Saturday, while May
corn closed at $1.15. more than 1Oc
under its price on same date last
year and long way from its top.
This decline was largely speculative,
of course. America can feed every
bushel of corn we have, and single
Illinois or Iowa corn county produces
more corn than Argentine is ever
likely to ship us in any year. So why
get panicky? They need our corn in
Europe to feed both stock and people;
unQuestionably SO; also al THAT South
America can spare and pay 55c per
bushel to transport and insure.
Price Guarantee on Hogs.
Whether the government will con-
tlnue to fix the minimum price on hogs
is supposedly to be settled on Tues
day. January %. The feeling prevails
that 1t will at least maintain prices
during February. possibly some months
longer. There are a lot Of hogs still
awaiting a market that have been fed
on $3.50 to 50 corn, depending on local
conditions and crops. This explains
heaviest possible recent marketing
1AAuSA CAOoA 6OSo oAU QcImAlS 10
ship.
The price Of corn and the prices
paid for hogs and cattle are so init
mately associated that they cannot
be separated. At this point the con-
sumner presents an argument. He is
entirely willing that the stock raiser
shall make good living, but would
also like to get lite more meat for
his dollar-and there you are. 1t is
not only twO-sided but a many-sided
problem, ranging not only from prices
paid to farmers for grain and live
stock, but also the prices to be paid
labor per hour, depending on the cost
OF living. This Is, in the end, newt.
able.
Declines in Other Food Products.
The editor of the New York Market
Reporter says: "In view of present
wholesale prices consumers generally
should reap benefit of a general drop
IN retail prices of beef and other
meats" In quoting New York whole
sale prices the editor said:
Since the publication of the storage
reports, prime beef has dropped from
to cents pound, while the lower
grades are down from to 6 cents a
pound. Lamb and mutton are from 8
to IL cents a pound lower than a week
ago! Veal dropped from to 10 cents.
pork, heavy, has declined cents and
medium light pork has come down
cents a pound
"Butter-creamery extra which
was 671s cents Jan. IA. was 61k cents