The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1931-04-21
new INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCES Might
HELP GRAIN FARMER
Farmers Have Raised More
Than Can Be Used, But Many
Still Go Hungry
URGE LIMITED PRODUCTION
Next World Wheat Conference
Will Be Held in 1892, Prob
ably in Canada

Will Be Held in 1882, Prob.
ably in Canada
London, April al tNEA) - Give
us this day our daily bread"
For 1881 years this prayer has risen
from the lips of all Christian peoples.
And. in a lesser degree. from nom
Christian folk as well.
And the striking fact in the world
OF the present hour Is that the busy
farmers of the grain-raising countries
of the world have raised 50 much
wheat that the supply exceeds the
demand, although In many places on
the globe thousands are hungry for
lack of just this daily bread. The
wheat farmers Of the United States,
Canada. Australia. India and the Ar
gentine cannot dispose Of al their
supply. On the other hand, in a
country like England, wheat is down
40 per cent compared with pre-war
prices, while flour is Is per cent above
those prices, and bread Is per cent
above.
Everywhere the wheat : producing
countries are vastly troubled by the
plight of their farmers and every
where some solution is being sought
Already three great international
conferences have been held and two
more Of importance are on the sched-
ule. There has been much ~elo1uence.
much production Of figures-but 50
far nothing in the way OF a solution
has been found.
Danubian Nations Confer
In the first place. some months ago
the Danubian embarrassing countries
held a conference. It was stated that
the combined debts of the small grain
exporters of the Baltic states, Poland
Hungary and the Balkan countries
amounted to nearly a billion and q
half dollars. These countries nveo
mainly by agriculture. Their confer
ence wound up by an appeal to the
other European countries TO give
them preferential treatment N their
purchase of grain.
Next. a European conference was
held at Paris under the indirect aus
pices of the League of Nations. 1t
really was part Of the series OF con.
ferences started by Aristide BRAND,
Foreign Minister of France, IN ms
scheme for a United States Of Europe.
All European countries except Russia
were represented. The plea OF the
Danubian conference was listened to
but it was at once objected tna'
preferential treatment could Q t0e
given the Danubian countries. be-
cause many of the European nations
In their commercial treaties with the
world, had clauses for the most Ia.
vored nation. Thus, If Belgium hao
such a clause in a treaty with n Ar
gentine. it could not bar Argentine
wheat for the benefit Of Danubian
wheat. The conference wound up BY
adopting some pious resolutions.
Next, a conference was held al
Rome under the auspices OF n In
ternational Institute Of Agriculture
an institution which grew out OF tne
money. the dreams and the llfe-lone
work Of an American, the late Davlc
Lubin. This conference was far more
representative than the one in Paris
because not only was Russia neavily
represented, but so were three Of tht
four countries which account fol
about 80 per cent Of the surplus
wheat now in the marketCCanada
Australia and the Argentine. The
United States had an observer. A
was caustically said-"Thc American
attended, but did not pay for M:
seat"
Limited Production Urged
The Rome conference Immediately
showed the enormous difficulties to bt
encountered in seeking q remedy fo'
a world situation. The french thesis
. was stated by M. Masse. who said tina
dumping and similar evils could onlj
be solved by limiting wheat -roduc'
ton, beginning by stabilizing 1t II
the great producing countries. HI
was Immediately put in his place
when other delegates pointed out the
tnsuperable difficulties Of getting
wheat countries to agree on a ftxec
program. Each would want the max.
imum allotment of acreage .or ii
own country.
M. Perez, representing the Argen'
tine, said n Of the great troubles
was that Russia wa dumping In thu
world market wheat at q price lowel
than the cost Of production, owing Il
its system Of forced labor. Professor
Kritzman, chief of the Bolshevit
delegation, at once took up this chal'
lenge. He denied that there wa
forced labor on Russian wheat farms
He said wheat was suffering from 8
general world crisis. Coffee. sugar
cotton. rubber were all in a bad wa,
and nobody could say Russia wal
producing and dumping those prod
ucts. Actually. Russia was exporting
only about so per cent Of what 1t dc
before the World War and only about
one-tenth of its actual present crop
Russia could not limit its production
in view Of It's rapidly growing popula'
ton and also in view Of the fact tina
by the sale Of its wheat 1t occurred tn
industrial products that 1t needet
from other countries.
fixtures Reveal Situation
Louis Dop, vice president Of the Ia
ternational Institute OF Agriculture
gave the conference some actual rs
ures. He said the needs Of the wheat
importing countries Of Europe wer
some 100. 0 900 quintals. The Danu
ban counrrles could supply > per cen
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