The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1920-08-05
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EDITORIAL
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EDITORIAL ~.s
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In this issue appears letter signed
by Amasa P. Peake on the question OF
future contract trading in grain. The
editor has read the letter with much
interest and hopes that in 1t is the
germ of an idea which carried out Will
give us steadier and more satisfactory
wheat markets. 1t is certain that
with the present high costs Of farm
production the farmer must have
something to say about the price ne
shall receive for his produce, and the
plea that the short seller Of wind
grain has to buy it back later does
not help the producer who is forced
to sell his crop in September on the
basis of wind sales for December de-
livery, and on the statement OF the
country elevator that it can pay only
December price because of shortage
of cars to ship wheat in. The farm@
who is a renter or has been unfortu-
nate is the chief sufferer as he must
sell as soon after threshing as posi-
BILE. and he should not be forced to
compete with the short seller, whose
activities General Peake has so well
described.
In a report just made public by the
Bureau of Foreign and Domestic
Commerce, Department of Commerce,
Washington, D. c., some interesting
figures are given showing the imports
and exports between this country and
foreign nations. The report is divided
into grand divisions, and also into
principal countries. For the twelve
months ending July 80, 1920, the re-
port shows an increase of exactly
SSO6, 5O9,384 in the value of imports
from Europe to this country, as COM
pared with the same time in 1919. I'm
ports received from Germany show an
increase of $44,140,994 for the same
period of time, as compared with the
corresponding period year ago. This
alone is striking feature, since TINS
country is technically at war with Ger
many, although no open hostilities are
displayed. Peace has not yet been Of
ficially declared to exist between this
nation and Germany. On the other
hand exports to that country from the
United States show a still bigger per
centage of gain. They gained $780,
257,197 during the year ending July
80, 1920. The trade between the Unit
ed States and Germany shows the big
gest percentage of gain of any nations
listed. Exports to France fell Oft
over $200,000,000 in the same period,
while imports from that country took
a Jump of over $1O0,O0O,0O0. These
figures are to be considered significant
in spite of the fact that unrest seems
to prevail in nearly every country.
They show that world trade is fast be-
ing rehabilitated, and before great
while will be back to prewar basis,
unless another war or some other un-
forseen disaster springs forth.
Wheat prices are going lower and
lower all the time and from present
indications it looks as if the farmers
of North Dakota are going + to be
euchered out of their crop this year on
account of the wheat gamblers forcing
down the price There is no reason
why the farmers of North Dakota
should lose so much money on their
crop. The country and the world
needs wheat to make flour and bread
and there is a shortage of wheat all
over, The wheat gamblers the past
few days have been hammering down
the price day after day which means
the loss of millions of dollars to the
farmers. Why would it not be good
plan for the government to buy the
wheat crop of the northwest and save
these millions of dollars to the farm
ers. 1t is about the same proposition
as the sugar question. The United
States had a chance to buy the sugar
crop at &c but the government refused
to buy and the consequence was that
the people were gouged for 80 and &c
per pound. The same can be said CT
the wheat crop. Why should the gov
eminent stand by and see the farmers
of the northwest robbed Of their wheat
crop when the country and the world
needs this wheat at fair price and
the farmer is entitled to fair price
for his wheat because he cannot raise
it under present conditions with the
high cost of production at a profit to
himself at the price of wheat today.
Let the farmers of the country get a
square deal from the government. It
is time to act now before the specula-
tors have the whole crop in their fists
and the farmers have been mulched of
millions of dollars.
There is no reason on earth why the
farmer should not get peeved or dis
contented under the present conditions
and we cannot blame him for it one
bit. Here we are up against the
question Of marketing and getting
paid for the 1920 crop and right here
is where the farmer is getting it
square in the neck. When he goes to
any kind of store to buy anything he
is confronted with set prices on all