Evening star., 1923-07-29

n v v Hal OF Wneat, out OF "nlcn
\A/ is made the staff of life?
wv So many important
moves have been made re-
Gently by conspicuous officials and
agencies that all American business
and the public generally has become
alarmed.
But when you study out the causes
and effects you find the situation is
really much the same as the grave
concern over next winters coal-it is
all really a false alarm, and the
calamities predicted will not mate
rialize.
The grain market has gone fiat be-
cause there Is too much pessimism
over an excess of supply over de-
| mand-a prospective production that
| can't be sold.
Failure of Market.
This pessimism grew out of re-
ports that Russia Is to dump great
quantities of wheat in the markets
of the world and that the rest of
Europe is in such financial straits
that 1t will not be able to buy.
while the United States has bumper
crop coming along that 1t will not be
able to find a market for.
So this general alarm was really
born in soviet propaganda seeking to
! make the best possible economic
showing. This propaganda has spread
and deceived even astute public men,
until we see such men as Senator
Brookhart of Iowa, coming back from
Europe, urging that the President
should call special session OF Con-
gress to deal with the wheat crisis.
Like many another false alarm. the
wheat scare is having a great influ-
ence on American politics and bust
ness. 1t had much to do with the
defeat of the administrations candi-
date for senator from Minnesota
Gov. J. A. o. Preus. 1t has so agi-
tated all business by painting pic
| ture of dire distress for the farmers
that all industry in this country has
become worried. If the farmer can't
buy, then the manufacturer might as
! well shut up his shop. So the Cham
Der OF Commerce of the United States
representing some 1900 organizations
! and an underlying membership of
100000 business men, has taken a
hand to determine all the facts in the
| situation.
Called Conference.
Facing, as they supposed. a big
| surplus production and foreign mar.
kets cut of, the wheat grower,
sought to stimulate consumption OF
wheat. and though the governors OF
seven wheat-growing states, headed
! by Gov. Preus. and with the heads oi
| the Big Four farm organizations
| and some farm bloc United States
senator's. issued a call for a wheat
| conference. In this call 1t was en-
| phasized that more than 10000, 900
people In this country are interested
! directly in the production of wheat
! and that a market at a fair price
for the wheat crop means purchasing
power for the farmer. smoking chim-
neys for American factories and a
/ full dinner pail for American workers
The Wheat Council of the United
States was organized. headed by
Representative Sydney Anderson OF
Minnesota, with headquarters at Chi
| cago. The wheat problem came UP
| for consideration at a conference OF
5S3 delegates in. Chicago last week
Although the president of the Far
mer's Union of Kansas urged a reso-
luton asking that Congress be called
In session to fix the price of wheat al
s1.50 a bushel for 1928 through crea-
tion of a wheat corporation financed
by the federal government, this pro-
| posal was rejected after long debate.
Opposition BY Barnes.
Julius Barnes, president of the
| Chamber of Commerce of the United
| States, probably knows more abou,
| the marketing of wheat than any
other man in the country. He ha,
had forty years experience. He was
director of the grain corporation dur
ing the war. and handled this coun-
try's wheat under the government
fixed price for three years an6
through agreement with $4,000 dealers
during the war He opposed price
fixing as impracticable, and an
nounced that the National Chamber
of Commerce would pay the expense,
of a fact-fnding commission made ur
| of representatives of the four big
farm organizations and three bust
ness men selected by the chamber.
This plan has been agreed to, and
DR.. Alonzo E. Taylor, who did notable
work in this country and Throughout
Europe for the food administration
during the war, and who is now direc.
tor of the food research institute a
Leland Stanford University, will head
this joint commission.
The investigation is to determin,
the fundamental facts regarding th,