The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1919-02-14
FIXED WHEAT Price
WORRYING congress
Dealers Millers And Ex-
Porters Discuss
Situation


Washington, Feb, 4.--Grain deal
ers. exporters and millers today pre-
scented to the House of Agriculture
Committee varied suggestions foi
methods of carrying out the govern.
ment's guarantee to producers OF
! s2.26 a bushel for the 1919 wheat
crop. All agreed that the true mar.
ket price, as determined by the world
conditions, would drop below the
guaranteed rate and that the govern
ment should make good the differ
ence directly rather than by main
tanning artifcially the higher price.
The witnesses also agreed that the
existing United States Grain Corpora
ton, or some similar body. should be
maintained by the governments agen-
cy for supporting the price to grow
ers. They differed as to methods to
g prescribed by legislation, which the
committee is preparing to draft.
Should Buy Grain
The grain dealers proposed that
the corporation actually buy the grain
at $2.26, sell IL to millers or other
consumers at a price dictated by
world markets and acquire the coun-
try's surplus for export. The ex-
pOrters suggested that the corpora
tons functions 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 a
great quantity for export.
The millers were interested mainly
in having the corporation given au-
thority TO protect millers against
losses growing out of the failing of
the wheat price from the present
artificial level to the true world price,
and the fluctuations in the world
price before 1t becomes stable under
the corporations administration.
Representatives of the respective
interests appearing before the COM
Mittee today did not agree wholly
among themselves over many details
of their proposed plans.
Would Continue Functions.
In the main. however, the grain
dealers advocated that the grain cor
p0ration continue to function much
as 81 has done in the past. Thus
the dealers would collect grain from
farmers, paying the guaranteed price,
with small deduction for commits
sion, and turn over the grain to the
grain corporation at the guaranteed
price. The corporation then would
sell 1t at the price IL judges to repre-
sent the world price. determined by
international competition, and export
the surplus. Spokesman 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 anticipation of an emergency
caused by flooding the market after
next summers harvest, and that the
grain corporation should not be call.
ed ON to handle other grains than
wheat.
NIillers Ash Protection.
The millers asked protection
against the expected decline from the
present artificial level to the open
market prices. it was explained only
to keep the usual quantity of flour
in transit to consumption points, nee
essary to maintain steady supply.
An accounting would be maintained
with the grain corporation, by which
the corporation would pay the diff
ference between the wheat price on
the day when flour was shipped and
a lower price on the day when the
-four was delivered.