Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-16
u. S. GRAIN LOANS
/. TO Be DISTRIBUTED
Federal Board Prepared to
Assist Wheat Farmers
During Low Prices.
BY JOHN F. SINCLAIR.

BY JOHN F. SINCLAIR.
Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, November 16.-These
are. the DAYS when the Federal Farm
Board is doing some real thinking.
Wheat prices have been going down
because the foreign demand has been
less than the supply. Argentine wheat
is being shipped into London and Liver
pool in competition with Canadian and
American wheat.
So the Farm Board is loaning on the
basis of SIPS a bushel for No. North
ern at Minneapolis, in spite of the fact
that wheat prices have dropped below
that figure from to 10 cents buShel.
Reports coming from North Dakota
indicate that the farmers in that State
are borrowing a dollar q bushel on their
wheat. although they would get only
about 90 cents If they sold 1t locally.
The Farm Board, believing prices too
low, announced that 1t was willing to
loan up to 100000, 900 to farmer or
carnations and individual farmers who
still owned grain.
The Farmers National Grain Cor
poration is humming with activity this
week, for it expects to handle the loans
made by the Farm Board in the future.
In the Canadian West, where prices
are from 10 to Is cents a buShel higher
for the same grade of wheat than in
the United States, the elevator and
storage conditions are serious. Just
how much wheat is in the farmers
hands in the United States is prob
lematical, but some estimates place the
figure at from so to so per cent OF the
crop in North Dakota.
iVnrpO0l nrinpQ will he UafPhad In
the Northwest with an anxious eye
until this price situation clears up.
Inventory Situation.
Harry w. HoSford of Cleveland be-
lieves this is the time TO watch the
inventory situation.
Il think It will be discovered that
the public Is very well tnventoried
and does not need or want TO buy any
ness man. And q great many Christ
mas inventories will be left intact in
the stores; also the inventories of the
jewelry stores and other luXuries.
1T may be discovered that motor
companies, which feel they have kept
their inventories in god shape, will find
they have two or three million second
hand, used, repoSsessed cars In their
inventory"
It is true that during the first six
months of 1929, 1,634,392 cars were
sold on credit in the United States.
OF these AZ per cent were used cars.
At present the individual dealer in
used cars is bearing the brunt OF the
over supply. The opinion seems to be
that there are conServatively between
soc, 900 and 10000 automobiles taken
in trade, which have not been reSold
by the dealers.
Naturally automobile production will
lag until the used cars now on the
market decrease.
Just how long that will take depends
largely on the trend OF business during
the next three months.
Social Service Costs.
Sir Arthur Balfour, late chairman Of
the committee on industry and trade
for Great Britain, estimates that the
per capita cost of social service for
the population of Great Britain Is now
nearly $50. This is almost twice as
much as in Germany, second nation OF
the world in such expenditures.
Today the cost of these services IN
Great Britain stands at the staggering
figure of $l,716, 100000. OF that amount
the principal benef1ciaries, 17,OOOOOO
working people, are contributing $780,
OOO, 900, less than 9 per cent.
The figures are hard to comprehend.
In 1925 and 1927 the sum paid out for
these services covered by insurance was
$676, 382 900. An addition to the $780,
coo, 600 contributed by the working
people, the employers contributed $145,-
100000, and the tax and rent payers
S401 ,201 900. Other social services came
to 81 ,239, $4,000.
The unemployment, old age, and
widows pensions will cause a big jump
in this huge figure during the present
labor government.
Dress Contest.
A novel, economical dress contest was
held in Mexico City by newspaper.
Many young women, mostly OF the
middle classes, entered the competition.
The contest was divided into several
groups cotton, wooden and SILK
dresSes-baSed on motifs derived from
Mexican regional costumes.
Dresses had to be made and worn by
the competitors themselves, and mate
rial of domestic manufacturer was pre-
ferred.
A cotton dress won the prize. 1t was
made of domestic material woven at a
Mexican mill equipped with American
machines. It was stylish, little home
made frock and cost only IS cents in
United States currency, according to a
report by A. r. Nufer, commercial at
tache in Mexico City to the United
States Department of Commerce.
Today there is a rapidly growing de-
mand in Mexico for greater variety in
modes of dress among women of the
lower classes. The urge for better and
more attractive things has been pro-
nounced during the last five years.
Gas Industry Income.
Within the next five years the total
gross income of the gas industry should
exceed $1,000 100000 annually-double
the figure in 1920.
Natural gas, averaging rs per cent
of the gas produced during the last 10
years, has been moving ahead OF manu-
featured gas since 1928.
At that time the total yearly income
in the gas industry was 1868 ,000, 900.
This moved to $875 900 900 in 1928, and
by 1880 1t should pass the billion-dol-
lar mark.
The market for natural gas is ma
ton wide. The supply is available
around the oil fields mostly in the
Southern section, particularly in Okla
homa, Louisiana and Texas. But long
distance transportation of gas under
pressure has proved feasible, so natu-
raj gas will eventually be piped to the
threshold of all important cities in the
Nation, and will compete for indus