The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-04
THE PRICE OF GRAIN,
Where the Government "saves" One
Dollar the People Lose Ten.

To THE EDITOR OF THE suN--str: An q
farmer find your editorial article on
Trying to Humbug the Public" OF real
interest, but I must differ with you AZ "a
Just one point In the article and that Il
the suggestion made m the title.
I don't believe any one In this Admin
istration IL trying to hurnbus the pub
ne''--on the wheat question anyway.
why DO not believe tf Just becauss
I think the Administration IL 'humbug-
ging" itself
II doesn't know any better.
Every ono knows that you can get "a
close to . big thing that you cannot zee
III you can only zee the small part Of n
right In front Of you, ana that n Just
what has happened IN this case.
The responsible oficiais are 90 busy
trying to keep the Government from
making an enormous loss in backing up
its wheat price guarantee that they can
not see that the people, who are the same
thing Ms the Government" when Il comes
to paying the bills. are losing ten times
over what the Government 10 saving"
30 far rs animal products are con-
cerned there are three basic feeds, corn,
wheat and hay. There are any number
Of supplementary feeds. ana for short
periods or in certain limited localities
one may DO without these basic feeds, but
II will be found almost without exception
that the price Of those substitutes are
controlled by the prices Of the basic feeds
Not only that. but with cattle at least
all three feeds are necessary.
am a dairy farmer. but what have
to say about feeding COWS for the pro-
duction OF milk applies more or less to
the producer Of beef.
In order to balance the ration''-tc
get the most production for each dollar
spent for feed--a certain amount of bran
must be mixed with the corn given the
cows.
ton. had gone to t57 the last time
bought Il.
That puts up the cost Of producing
milk.
Then because wheat sells 20 high II "a
possible to put up the price of corn. ''If
you think Il too high you can use wheat"
raise few pigs. with corn around -
am not getting very rich, even though
get over 20 cents pound for my hogs. \
The same with my few chickens Eggs
may seem high, but after paying the feed
bill there's no great proft
Now go on to the labor situation.
That has been bad enough for the pas,
| three years, but consider the situation OF
the skilled farm laborer, tho man who
because he dislilsed indoor work or for
some other reason stayed on the farm
while common labor In town was de-
manding and getting IS or more day.
Now he hears Of harvest hands in the
wheat felds getting seven, eight. perhaps
ten dollars day.
He does not go: II may be too far
II may be his natural inertia which
keeps him. but during the long evenings
he talks II over.
III those fellows out West can pay
that, why can't this fellow In the East
do itr'
He is restless, dissatisfied and he not
only demands and gets more money but
he does less and poorer work.
And so the actual cost OF producing
all food goes higher and higher and,
aside from the raiser of wheat, the farmer
himself gets less and less.
Let the Government declare an "open
| market" on wheat and make GOOD to, the
individual raiser its price guarantee and
we won't need any Congressional or
other committees to bring down the cost
Of food. FRANK R. CHAMBERS, JR.
FEATHERsroNE. Va. August 1.