The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-12-10

the farmer would get the regular
price based on the Liverpool mark
et.)
According to a statement from Sec
rotary Mellon there will be an annual
surplus in the treasury of more than
$300,000,000 for the next three or
! four years, unless there is cut
made in taxes. BY financing the
soldiers at the rate of $300,000,0 900
annually, this could be settled with
out any change in tax levies. 1t
would require half as much annual
1y to reimburse the soldiers as it
would to reimburse 10 million wheat
growers under the plan we have out
lined. Let it be understood here
that we are not asking for adjusted
compensation for the farmer in the
sum of $4,000, 100000 with interest
and also rs cents a bushel to equalize
differences brought about by the
tariff, high freight rates, deflation
and other things but we are asking
for just one of these. But, even IT
he could get them both, it would be
less than what is due him because of
the losses sustained for the last three
years. We mean by this, if the wheat
grower could get a bonus of rs cents
per bushe1 for three years to equal
ize differences sustained during the
war and also rs cents per ,bushel to
equalize differences now existing be-
tween the price of wheat and what he
must buy, drought about principally
by class 1egislation) it would be less
than what is due him. And this is
no lie. A bonus, then, of rs cents
per bushe1 is not half as much as is
due the wheat grower. Now if Uncle
Sam is just half honest he will come
through with a rs cents bonus for
three years. After that the farmers
hope to be sufficiently organized to
regulate prices-not without help
from the government, however. Now
if people really believe the farmer
can organize and fix his own price,
and if they really. want him to get
the cost of production plus a reason
able profit, why do they oppose gov
eminent price fixing, since it would
not cost the people any more than |
for the farmer to fix it? If the farm |
ers should fix the price, the full price |
would surely be passed on to the |
consumer in higher prices for wheat, |
flour and bread. But under our plan |
the government would merely fix the |
bonus per bushel Wheat would sell |
at the export price in competition |
with the world just as it is selling
now. Then the farmer would pre-
sent his certificate of sale to agents
If the government and get his bonus
If rs cents per bushel, or 20 cents,
f cents should be charged off for
commission. But the government
made $50O00,OO0 off the farmers
wheat during the war This would
pay the government agents quite a
While in disbursing the bonus. But
t still remains a fact that ~ = iilee,L
covers can not tx price above
WAT the liverpool market will JUS
fly, Gas long as we have wheat for
xport) without a tariff on wheat
efficient to keep out foreign wheat.
he idea that there will be a better
emand and better prices in Europe
or our surplus wheat is, in our
pinion, without the slightest founda-
ion. We could give our surplus
way easily. Plenty of people in
Europe and elsewhere to consume
lore than We have to spare, if we
Tou1d give it to them. But Europe
ill never pay us enough for our
heat to cover the cost of production
, long as we have to pay such enor-
lously high prices for supplies and
IL labor. 1t is claimed they are
arvesting wheat in Autralia for
he. cent per bushe1.
Europe, exclusive of Russia, pro-
lced 211, 100000 bushels more wheat
lis year than last. The European
'op is estimated at 1927, $4,000 bu-
le1s. They are now above pre-
ar production. Russia is not back
pre-war production. But will ex-