The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1928-10-10
HERBERT HOOVER'S
FARM RECORD

From the day when Herbert Hoo
yer was appointed United States
Food Administrator, August 10, 1917,
and throughout his entire subsequent
career as Secretary of Commerce,
there has never been time when the
security of American agriculture and
the welfare of the American farmer
has not been a guiding principle OF
his official life.
The story that Hoover fixed the
price of wheat" has been so often
disproved that only the barest outline
need be given here. The price of
wheat was fixed by an Independent
committee which President Wilson,
on authority Of Congress, called for
that purpose. By this committee the
basic price was fixed at 1920 per
bushel.
Mr.. Hoover was not member OF
the committee and took no part in
fixing the price. But he did take
large part in holding the price of the
1917 crop to 1920, when the Allied
buyers had united and planned to pay
no more than $1.5O at Chicago.
For the 1918 crop Congress had al
ready fixed a price of $500 per
bushel. Early in 1918 the President,
at Mr.. Hoover's request, extended
the 1920 price to cover that years
crop. In July, to offset an increase
in freight rates, the price was in
creased to 1926 In September that
price was extended to cover the 1919
crop.
The armistice occurred on Novem-
Der II, 1918. Yet the Grain Corpor-
alton maintained the minimum price
of 1926 for wheat up to June 20,
1920, or more than a year and a half
after the war was over. That it was
freely allowed to go above this figure
is proved by the fact that during the
whole period Of the Grain Corpora
tion the average price of wheat at
Chicago was S2.45 per bushel.
On his control of hog prices, Mr..
Hoover's record was still more re-
markable, because it was supported
by no Congressional authority. On
the advice of committee of livestock
! men, he promised the farmers, No
vember 3, 1917, that the minimum
average price of hogs in Chicago
would not go below $3.50 per hun
! dredweight In October, 1918, that
price was increased to $3.50.
/ Then came the armistice, Novem-
Der II, 1918, and with it Mr.. HoOver's
great fight for the American farmer
began. The Allies refused to accept
shipments which they had ordered
before the armistice. Mr.. Hoover
/ fought the British, French, and TIA
liam governments to make them re-
spect their orders, and he kept the
stream of pork flowing across the
ocean at the guaranteed price.
The Allies still maintained the
blockade against Germany until peace
should be signed. They even con.
tinued to blockade the northern neu-
trals-Norway, Sweden, Denmark
and Holland-for fear food would
!, leak through these countries to Ger
many.
For four months Mr.. Hoovel
fought to have these blockades lifted
, so that American food products could
be disposed of and these starving
people fed. Finally, in March, 1919
due almost entirely to Mr.. Hoover's
individual efforts, the food blockade
: was lifted and the markets of Europ
, were opened to American food.
5 During all of those months Herber
D. Hoover maintained the $3.50 pric
+ for hogs, until government contro
t was ended on March 6. He disposed
n of our surplus wheat holdings at TIT
guaranteed price without loss to TIL
r government. 1t was triumph O
r constructive leadership.
Since becoming Secretary of Com
r merce in March, 1921, here are SOM
of the ways in which Mr.. Hoove