Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-11-20
Review OF The Week

Flour. prices last week. followed
wheat steadily upward the increase
producing no marked change In the
volume of business. Inquiry, nowhere
very active, wa generally reported as
fair, although in~the eastern markets
resellers didfmost OF the business. AS
during the preceding weeks. the de-
mand was for small lots mostly OF
the highest grades; very few large
hoped for lower prices soon, but
seemed by no means sure they would
in any great hurry toscome.
The Wheat Situation.
The better grades Of milling wheat
and. 3 dark northern spring Goth
reaching $40 In Chicago before the
close. of the week. The grain corpor-
.ation.ssplan to sell considerable guam,
titles Of its wheat had, OF course. nj
effect on the spring wheat market, as
the government agency has no springs
to sell. It had. Furthermore, no np-
parent effect on winters, presumably
because the quality Of the wheat thus
to be released, isSfelt to be uncertain;
What has becomeNof all. the good
milling wheat is aqlestion no n APP
pears able to answer; q good deal OF
1t lis presumably still held on farms
and In country elevators. The food
aOf acquisitions for government-held
wheat, and the fact that the release
,sof this wheat has had no influence on
market prices, together show clearly
enough how marked the shortage is
80 far as millers are concerned.
The Output.
The weeks flour output dropped
slightly from the figures Of the week
before. Mills running on the average
at about IS per cent Of capacity. The
mills in the Toledo district showed, a
definite gain, from 5Aperscent to, 81.
to run close.to 100 per cent Of ca
pacity. AS throughout the fall, the
rate OF operation was we'll ahead . OF
the rate q year ago, which,, with the
complete absence Of export business
is sufficient proof of the healthiness
of domestic, demand, even at a time
which is characterized as dull.
Increase in Price Of Patents.
The rate and extent of the increase
in quotations on top grades of patent
flours is Indicated in the /, following
table, which gives average prices
quoted on the days indicated, as re-
norted-t the Northwestern Miller, II
four markets, two western and two
eastern:
!, sPTingn = g. 3: :1s.s GSt NOV: IL. =
Hard Mintef-Nov. is, ;i2s5;
Nov. ii, .;i2.s5; Nov. .4,sii.so; Oct
12s, S11.70. & !.
Soft Winter-Nov. 10, $1o.s5: Nov
II. 5000; Nov. 4, SOTO; Oct. %
Through these four weeks, straight
grades followed closely the rise In
short patents, while clears remained
virtually unchanged. From all mar.
kets the reports r agreed as to the
unwillingness Of buyers to take any
and. of course, the lack of any ade-
quate market for clears, even at a
price far below. their relative value, is
one important cause for the high price
of patents.
DIT is probable that the sugar short
age, in restricting the output of cake
and pastry bakers, has a good deal to
do with the relatively unchanged
%pricesSof soft winter wheat flours. Soft
winter patents have advanced 2 pei
cent in the. past, month, where springs
and hard winters have gone up about
8 per cent: Soft winter straights and
tclears have shown almost no change
at all. Even, SO, the market for then
has been relatively inactive.
An Unreasonable Situation.
In general, the situation in the -four
market is frankly unreasonable. The
millers want to dispose of their clears
and can{find no market for them; The
grain corporation undertakes to re
lease a large quantity Of wheat, ant
it has no apparent effect on the mar
ket; with a large crop and aby M
means inordinate exports to date
good milling wheat is EXCEPTIONAL,
hard to get. 1t is strange to thinl
that, only a few months ago. ever!
one was wondering what would hap
pen when the price of wheat dropped
far below-the government guaranty
The farmer, however, is probably no
troubled evenly the memory Of sucl
wondering as he may N have done
THE Northwestern Miller.