American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1922-02-03
IMuRo8

Rockland, lQanO, Jan. AoS ASAN'
American Falls Press:
In your issue of Jan. 8, 1922, or about
that date you had an editorial written
in bold type that without
doubt, and without reason) the (whyD
low prices on farm commodities, which
you state is the deflation in foreign
money, mo foreign market"
The. wheat covers of the country
would like to know how you account
for the low prices of wheat in the face
of the ofllowing:
During the first ten months Of 1921
there was sold in European countries
over four times as much of our wheat
as there was sold for the average Of
1910-11-12-13-14 when there was no
foreign deflation. According to the
report of the d. Department of Com
merce the average number of bushels
of wheat sold in foreign markets for
the first ten months of each of the
five years before the war was 60,50O,-
900, sixty million five hundred thous-
and. The number of bushels sold in
1921 for the first ten months was 1885,
806,737. If the rate of export was
maintained for November and Decem-
Der the last two months of 1921 we
have exported $50, 900 900 blu. of wheat
and wheat products. This is the most
wheat ever sold in foreign markets
from the United States by 49, 900 900
bu. in any n yea This dosen't look
like a lack of foreign market does it?
We were told that the high price of
wheat during the var was caused by
our heavy export shipments to feed the
nations that were so busy fighting they
had no time to raise wheat. Our ex-
ports in 1921 was much larger than in
any war year yet we are receiving less
for u 1921 crop by so percent than
the average of the war years.
One Men Market.
I think it is plain that the foreign
rate of exchange plays a very small
part in u present condition. The
cause is more nearly stated by c.. H.
Gustafson, president of the U. s. Grain
Growers Association. He says, cit has
been a matter of common statement
among Chicago grain men and on the
floor OF the Chicago Board of Trade
Tor the last several months that the
present market is a Zone man market)
n that in the present market is a
large operator who in addition to be-
ing a buyer is also an elevator-ware-
mouse man, a shipper, a manufacturer
OF grain food products, a miller and an
exporter"
This looks like a perfect monopoly.
FOR the five years just preceding the
war, lie 1910 to 1910 the difference
In price paid the farmer and the aver
age export price at New York was 14c
0Bulletin 999 U. S. Department of ag-
riculture). The difference in price
paid the farmer (average) and the
price for 1921 at New York
was 55c. Some difference. It looks
like there is very little competition on
the part of shippers. And again in
1910 three cents would buy a first class !
ticket for a bu. of wheat from New I
York to Liverpool. For the same ia {
.or it would cost 36.5c in 1918. !
There has been so many practical !
Jokes played on the wheat grower of S
the country that he can stand no more {
is very sick. In fact it is doubtful Z
that he will survive. Something must !
done. But what? and who will do a
Il. We attempted to organize a wheat {
growers association on a national =
scale, but instead of getting one or !
saniZation we have several. each do q
ng its own business in its own way. Ie
md from which the members derive a
title if any benefits. Still it is the II
of most wheat growers that a
he nations wheat must be pooled and =
hat the grain corporation be re-estab- !
ished as during the war. That a {
minimum price be placed on the 1922
yheat crop that will insure cost of pro- c
t
Fellow wheatgrower what is your a
C
A WHEAT GROWER. e