The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1922-12-14
YOUNG URGES
FARM CROPS
Be LIMITED
Congressman From North
Dakota Would Boost Prices
By. Wiping Out Surplus
TALKS ON PRICE.FIXING
Congressman Points to OBJ
stacles in Path of Obtain
ing Fixed Price on Wheat
TALKS ON PRICE-FIXING

WHSnlnEtOn, -. 'C., Dec. 13.-C0n-
gresham George M. Young of North
Dakota has again declared his be-
lief that farmers must limit their
acreage to a point where the market
will absorb their products. He OPP
poses the growing of a surplus for
expectation because he claims the
price obtained for what is sold
in the United States. Young says u
manufacturer would be considered
crazy if he produced more than the
market would absorb, so why. should
farmers produce more than they can
sell at cost plus a reasonable profit?
In a letter to A. B. Herman Of
Rolette, N. d., Congressman Young
Gays: .... ......
"My belief is it will be the part of
wisdom for all those who are no"
striving to find a means of relief
to work intellgently and map out
a course such as will offer some pos
sibility of securing the votes of
majority of the members Of congress.
"When an effort was made last
winter to secure the passage of a
law to guarantee the price of wheat,
those interested in cotton, tobacco,
corn and other products insisted up
on being included in the bill. The
members Of congress baked, declar-
ing that it would bankrupt the treas
ury.
"Of course it is we'll known that
law which simply prohibits the
sale Of any commodity below stat
ed price is worthless if not support
ed by money from the treasury to
buy whatever is offered That is the
experience Of price fixing laws the
world over.
at i; now claimed by those who
. oppose price fixing legislation that
if the bill proposed last winter: had
been passed it would have cost the
government on wheat alone over
5000, 100000, and if other products
had been included it would have
swamped the treasury, even if there
a had ben poured into it the excess
profits, inheritance taxes, and other
taxes now proposed and urged by diff
ferent organizations. /
Should Limit Production.
'Thc time has come when farmers
throughout the entire country should
limit production to a point within
the requirements of our own county.
We have been permitting the price
we get for our exportable surplus to
fix the price for which wheat is sold
for domestic consumption and that
will continue just as long as we gam
bic at seeding time.
What Will Happen.
"We should adopt as a permanent
policy that we will not export wheat
ta any time at a price below the
cost of production plus a reasonable
profit. This can be done by crop
limitation. We produced this year
SOO,OOO,OOO bushels of wheat In
round numbers we need 600,0O0,0 900
bushels for bread and seed in the
United States, which leaves an ex-
portable surplus Of 200,000,o00 BUSH
els. Supposing all farmers reduce
their wheat acreage next year rs per
cent. One of three things will hap
pen.
81. The acreage yield may be the
same as this year. In that case the
full tariff duty Of 30 cents per bus
hel will become effective and the
deduction for freight will be to some
point in the United States instead
of Liverpool as at this time.
"2 The average yield per acre
may be larger than that of this yeal.
In that case there would be sur
plus, but study Of crop statistics
for the past ten years indicate that
the surplus would not exceed 4O,000,- !
600 bushels and could not exceed TO-
100000 But such surplus would
have no terrors because it could be
pooled and carried over until 1924
when it could be disposed of by u
further reduction in acreage Of 5
per cent or 10 per cent as the case |
might be. Under this head the freight
would also be paid to domestic |
point rather than to Liverpool as at
present and the tariff duty would be
effective.
"3. The average yield per acre
might be reduced below that of thi"
year, creating the necessity Of i'm
portat:ons, which would add to our
price freight to the United States
and the tariff duty of 80 cents pc. !
bushel.
"A reduction annually of an aver. I!
age of 200,000,000 bushels Of wheat !
in the United States would also have
it's influence on general world price !
; levels.
'If a large delegation from the
Northwest is sent to Washington as
talked of in the newspapers, they
and those who send them should con- ;
slider very carefully what they are
going to work for when they are
here, whether they will urge the pas
sage of some bill already introduced
or ask for a new bill, or ask for
amendments to some bill now pend
ing in Congress. No one of these
bills carries an appropriation at all
sufficient to actually fix the price of
wheat or any other commodity"
.., Hunting Brother.
Y. B. Abercrombie, 500 Lawrence
1-AI %N