The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-09-03
THE BISMARCK TRIBUNE SATURDAY, SEPrEMBER3 1882

wheat raised constitutes the surplus.
Then let the government purchase
one-third of this surplus and compel
the farmer to keep the other two
thirds on his farm. Let each farmer
be given card, witnessed by some
reputable person, not the farmer him.
self, on which is stated the exact
amount threShed and the number OF
bushels the farmer can sell on the
open market. Let these tickets be
made something like railway ticket
and whenever the farmer sells load
of wheat, the amount is punched on
his card. Elevators can keep dupli-
cate sets of cards and when the en-
tire amount has been sold the cards
can be turned over to the government
for future reference. No farmer
would be permitted to sell bushel
of wheat without his card, so "smug-
Cling would be practically impossi-
BILE. In this way the tariff would be
permitted to work and the farmer
would receive not the world price,
but an American price for his wheat.
The amount purchased by the gov
eminent, which would be one-third
of the surplus raised, would be stored
for future use and never sold on the
open market. 1t would only be used
in times of need and distress, to fur
nish seed, if necessary, and otherwise
put to good use. Of the two-thirds
of the surplus which must be retained
by the farmer, he could do as he
pleased with it except sell it on the
open market. Use it for livestock
and poultry feel etc. The wheat he
would be permitted to sell would prove
far more profitable than if he were
permitted to dispose of all his crop
and, too, this would act as preven-
tative as to increasing his wheat acre
age, as the more raised the larger the
surplus he would be compelled to
keep.
OF course there would be rules and
regulations. Perhaps it would be
found best to permit each farmer to
sell certain number of bushels be-
fore taking into account the surplus,
thus making those raising huge
amounts of wheat keep larger per-
centage off the market than the man
raising but a few hundred bushels.
This would all have to be decided
later. But, at least, this method or
one something like it would take care
of the surplus which nobody wants
and which only serves to destroy the
market for the whole crop.
A profitable price on wheat would
be beneficial to all other farm crops
a e wall q G tho -, W Of ", oonoro1 This
is amply proven by the actions of
the stock market. When wheat goes
up stocks and other commodities go
up with it, When 1t falls they go
down, too. Unless we have some way
of taking care of the surplus, by re-
moving it from the market and put
ting it where it can do no damage,
every so-called wheat price-raising
scheme will prove boomerang. Put
q high price ca wheat without re-
strictionS and the market will not
only be flooded-it will be swept
away. Make each farmer responsible
to a certain degree for the surplus he
raises and he will think twice before
increasing his wheat acreage, or, per-
haps, even putting in as much as he
has been raising.
The question might be asked, would
the farmer be willing to abide by any
such rules and regulations regarding
his industry. The answer should be
found in his present beggared condi-
ton, the ruinous markets for his pro-
duce and his sorry appearance in gen.
eral. I, for one, never could see any
sense in England and other foreign
countries paying their resident farm
erS we'll over one dollar per bushel
for wheat, while offering but a pit
lance for that raised by other coun-
tries. But as long as we were willing
to raise huge surplus for Liverpool
and other foreign markets, who can
blame them for taking advantage OF
the situation? If we can only get rid
of that old man of the sea, the sur
plus, and let our markets function as
they should, every citizen of the
country will be benefited, not only
the man on the farm What do 9TH
ers think of this plan?
A NORTH DAKOTAN.