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About The gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925 | View Entire Issue (March 28, 1918)
THE GAZETTE-TIMES, HEPPXEB. OREGON, THCRSD AY, MARCH 28, 1918. PACK THREE Uncle Hooverizing 1U22S alionsvl Means something more than theorizing. It means practical observance of the laws of conservation three times a day. A -T-. m yoifrt s JiV3 A'. The bulk of our wheat must cross the Atlantic to feed the allied armies. Therefore the Amer ican people at home must' save by substituting for wheat. We can use CORN MEAL-Both yellow and white, Hominy OAT MEAL, rolled oats and bar ley flour CREAM OF RICE, whole rice and buckwheat flour Have you tried the new Potato Flour? This is one of the newer substitutes proving popular in the kitchen. THE SAM HUGHES CO. "House of Reliable Merchandise" w 'ITH the Deering Combined Harvester you can harvest your crop for one-half the ex pense you can any other way. Two men is all that is necessary to put your wheat in the sack. The machine cleans the grain in perfect manner, takes out and saves all weed seed and leaves straw in bunches to be easily taken care of. Can furnish them with or without an engine. Will have to have your order early in order to insure getting the machine. The factory is lim ited to a definite number of machines and when that number is reached there will be no more for anyone. fc Give Us Your Order Now GILLIAM & BISBEE Our Dollars Are Called To The Colors The Third Liberty Loan Our terms of peace are written so clearly that all the world can see. There is no thought of conquest; only the demand of freemen that for us and for all the world shall he free. The United States is to show the world that America, in Liberty's cause, responds more free ly to each call for the sinews of war. And let us also show our country that Morrow County is in the forefront. Let us each subscribe to a Third issue Liberty Bond the biggest one we can. Without charge the services of this Institution are extended. FARMERS & STOCKGROWERS NATIONAL BANK Heppner Oreg on orBLINQ the farmer'! share of the wheat dol lar Ii one of the war time Joba Uncle Sam baa done alDce food control became possible. After M Ave months of grap pllng with the problem, Dncle Sam It now trans laUng Into the pockets of both produc ers and consumer benefits derived by the Nation. He baa shut off specula tion, produced a free market and movement of all grade of wheat, cot expenses and Induced a normal flow of wheat In natural directions, and ef fected a thousand other economies. The Food Administration Grain Cor poration, which supervises the sale, or itself buys every bushel of wheat pro duced In the Nation In Its progress from country elevator to foreign buy ers or domestic consumers, marks a new step toward national efficiency. How In four short months It has been done Is told in the following episodes wherein two bushels of wheat traveled to market One fine fall afternoon, Col. B1U Jenkins, who farms somewhere In Mis souri, loaded bis wheat Into a wagon and drove along the black road that led across the prairie to town. When be reached the co-operative elevator of which be was a stockholder, be pulled up on the scales, checked bis gross weights carefully, and began to unload. The manager came out and asked: "When you want to sell this wheat?" T dunno," be answered. "One time's about as good as another these days. T won't weigh any more later," he added, with a dry smile. "Wheat shrinks a lot," admitted the manager. "I bear the Government wants as much wheat as It can get Just now understand the Allies do eat a terrible lot of It since the war." "What's wheat to-day?" asked Col Jenkins, getting interested. "Well, let me see," parleyed the manager. "I guess this wheat'd be a good No. 2 under the new grades." "Grades? What about grades? That Food Administration seems to mix Into mighty nigh everything from rabbits to axle grease." "Bold on, Colonel," said the eleva tor man, good-naturedly. "The Food Administration is not to blame. Con gress passed the act and told the De partment of Agriculture to fix the grades. They became effective last July. I sent out a letter on It" "Well, I guess you better sell for the best you can," said the farmer. "I am needed at home," And be drove away. A New Order In the Grain World. BTgtTVj ONVERSATIONS of this FJji kind might have taken I I 'rM place in almost every I V town in the great grain belt of the Nation affr ays .- er August 10 j for revo lution In grain market ing was taking place. Uncle Sam bad started on this remarkable ex periment; he was going to see wheth er wheat could be marketed minus rake-offs to the speculators. This necessitated complete control by the Government of storage facilities, trans portation and distributive agencies, and the marketing machinery for wheat and rye. Everybody was troubled; most of 11, the officials of the Food Adminis tration Grain Corporation who had undertaken, without salary, and at the sacrifice of their personal connection with the grain trade, to whip Into shape the forces that would drive for ward the big business machine tor marketing American wheat A single control; and a $50,000,000 nonprofit making corporation to do the work. This work is a necessary arm of the Food Administration, allowing the Government to do business quickly and without red tape. Its stock Is held In trust by the President of the Unit ed States. For the time of the war It will supervise the rate or purchase the part commercially available of the 600,000,000 bushels of wheat and the 60,000,000 surplus of rye grown in America In 1917. Its Job Is to find a market for every bushel, Irrespective of class and grade. Under its patron age, wheat screenings are moving Jupt as easily as No, 1 Northern, It must also work out satisfactorily the local prices for wheat at each of almost 80,000 country elevator points, adjust thousands of complaints, organize the gathering and analysis of date, Inspect concerns reported as dealing unfairly, solve vexatious disagreements among the trade, and deal effectively with the allies' purchasing agent and the neu trals who may desire to purchase. - In the early days, following the de termination of prices for 1017 wheal by the President's Fair Price Commis sion, confusion existed In every part of the wheat-producing regions. This was Intensified by the inauguration of the new grain grades, as promulgated by the Department of Agriculture, which took place about the same time, and led to diverse complaints and a feel ing among farmers that the Grain Cor poration of (he Food Administration was responsible for both the price as determined and stricter observance t grain grades. But the corporation was responsible for neither act It Is pure. ly an administrative arm of the Gov ernment formed to buy grain er super vise its sale at the prices determined by the commission, and It must do It work on the basis of the new grade. But to return td our farmer and hi expectations of price. Introducing Twe Bushels of Wheat Lying side by side In his wagon had been 2 bushels of wheat that fate had marked for strangely different end. They were very much alike, those bushels of wheat end to look at them you would not have suspected the strange and wonderful adventures In tore for them. let one wa destined to travel abroad for consumption In France; the other to find Its way Into Georgia, where It was milled and it floor finally reached a New lork baker on the East Side. But In the sum of the travels made by the two, as we shall follow them, will be un folded the International panorama of wheat marketing In time of war. Finding a Price at a Country Point High war costs of production gave our Missouri farmer much concern a to his returns and accounted for bis depression over the prospects of bis wheat "grading down" ; for that meant a reduction of 3 cents per bushel un der the No. 1 grade. But It graded No. 2. The elevator would also deduct an additional 5 cents a bushel to cover the fixed charge made In this locality for handling and selling. The 6-cent charge Included the commission of 1 cent per bushel customary In 1917 among commission men for selling the wheat to domestic millers or foreign buyers. The elevator man waa none too sura a to how to get at the price which this wheat should bring. He knew considerably more about human nature than freight rates and decided to "check up" the problem to the nearest cone agent of the Grain Corporation. So he wrote a letter to the representa tive stationed at St Louis. That let ter was referred to the traffic expert In the New York office, who transmit ted the following rule for determining the price of wheat at any country point: . I There la only one price for wheat at a country point That price la always to be arrived at by taking as a basis the price at the most advantageoua primary market where we have fixed a price and deducting the freight to that market and a fair handling profit That Is the price te be paid for wheat at any station, regardless of the point to which It may be shipped. Working out the price which should be paid for wheat at your station Is a fine occupation for an off day. If you cannot find the answer, write to the Food Administration Grain Cor poration in New York City and it traffic expert will give you aid. Finding the Price of No. 2 Wheat at Ilkeston. AKE an actual example; An elevator man In Sikeston, Mo., wanted to know what pries No. 2 wheat should bring at his station wben No. 1 wheat it New York City was $2.28 per bush el. Here I how he went about It : The freight rate from Sikeston to New York being 16.98 cents per bush el, he deducted that from $2.23 per bushel and found the price at Sikeston to be $2.1102. From this he deducted 1 per cent per bushel for the commis sion firm's charges, which put the net price f. o. b. Sikeston at $2.1002. He next compared this price with what be could get If be sold at St Louis, bis nearest primary market At St Louis the basic price Is $2.18 per bushel, and the freight rate from Sikeston to St Louis 6 cents per bush el. This would make the Sikeston price $2.12, less 1 cent per bushel for selling charges, or $2.11 net The St Louis price would therefore govern, being advantageoua to the Sikeston seller. If our Imaginary 2 bushels of wheat had started from Sikeston, since It was a No. 2 grade, we must deduct 3 cents per bushel, which would bring the price f. o. b. the elevator point to $2.0802 per bushel. As our Imaginary elevator man Is charging 5 cents per bushel for handling, which Includes the commission fee Just mentioned, we deduct an additional 4 cents to arrive at the price the farmer received. This price would be $2.0402 at the elevator. Some of that 4 cents will return to our farmer If the elevator prospers ; for It 1 owned co-operatively. When Farmer and Elevator Man Dis agree. Had this elevator been owned by pri vate firm or person, or had It been a "line" plant, Col. Jenkins would not have been so bland and trustful. He might have refused to sell at all and arranged to store his wheat qr he might have taken it over to a com petitive concern which offered a high er price; for the Food Administration has not yet attempted to regulate the prices paid farmers for wheat at coun try points. It does, however, offer to sell for any farmer or farmers' organ Ization wheat - offered at terminal points, but makes a commission charge of 1 per cent for It services. UR delay in getting this wheat started across the world wa occa sioned by the uncer tain Judgment of the manager. He sent a sample on to the St Louis tone agent for test which verified bis Judgment as to grade. He then went about hla usu al duUea, cleaning the grain, Oiling his bin, and shipping out as regularly as be could In maximum carload quantl ties. In order to economlre the use of cars in Ume of congestion. He wa careful to keep hi record very straight as to date and quantities of wheat purchased, on hand, and shipped out (or the Grain Corporation requires weekly report and fuU details of transactions. ,- Selling Wheat to Government BOUT 29 days after the farmer brought In hi wheat there came a re- nnpnt tn thle elovntar fnr i a carload to be purchas j " " ed by the Grain Corpora- tlon. So one of our wheat bushels was poured into a car which miraculously had appeared on the siding at a time when car shortage was troubling the entire commercial world. Inquiry might have shown that rect supervision. The corporation! charges each miller 1 per cent of thai value of the wheat be grind to coves the costs of administering the corJ poratlon ; for the $50,000,000 capital Ij to be returned to the United State) Treasury, unimpaired. I The agreement ba It compensaW tlon, however, for the policy of Unclej Sam is to provide each mill with all wheat possible. To do so, every mllS signing up wa required to furnish an estimate of Its possible milling capacM ty for the sea son. This oation-wldaj survey of milling BcItles, when bali anced against th available aupply OH wheat, enables the Grain Corporation to equalize supplies In a way neve done before. In fact, the schedule 0j prices arranged for the primary man kets had for an object this equallzM tlon. For Instance, If the proprietor! of an elevator at Maryvllle, Mo, 4dj miles northeast of St Joseph, and 45flj miles from Chicago, desires to market wheat he has available these markets a St. Joseph, Mo.; Kansas City, Man St Louis, Mo.; Chicago. HI., and Newt York City, N. Y. To ascertain thj most advantageous price for him, hj would work It out on the basis of thai following table: I From this table you can see what 4 8 A - Loading Wheat at an Atlantie Port for the Allies. I the Grain Corporation was making a large purchase for the Allies and was utilizing Its knowledge of available stocks by having on the Job a trans portation strategist Edward Cham bers, vice president of the Santa Fe. Mr. Chambers was assisting the Food Administration and has a remarkable "way with him." Kven before he was called to assist Mr. McAdoo, the Direc tor General, his suggestions to the rail roads had a wonderful effect In dis couraging their hesitancy as to finding available cars and In clearing up con gestions that looked as though they never could be uncongested. -How Uncle 6am Keeps the Whip Ease In getting the needed cars was one of the advantage enjoyed by this particular elevator after signing the voluntary agreement which ceded to the Grain Corporation the right to con trol storage and direct shipments and sales ef all wheat bought by the pro prietor. While voluntary, this agreement Is almost compulsory since railroads give priority recognition to Grain Corpora tion requests for cars; and elevators or mills outside the official fold must "rustle" for themselves. In return the Government guarantees the elevator proprietor against losses and protects him In every way as to price and pay him rentals for all storage space requi sitioned by It All elevators, local and terminal, must take out licenses or face a shut down. What la the power of the li cense? It requires the operator to lay all cards on the table as to his busi ness dealings. For the time of the war the elevator becomes a public util ity and Its proprietor must furnish In formation as to bis business at any time when required by the Grain Cor poration. Each week be must make and mall reports showing the amount of wheat rye, or tholr derivatives, pur chased, stored, and shipped. Under present license terms, the li censee can keep on hand for only 30 days, unless he obtains a special per mit, any stocks of these grains or their derivatives. He Is also forbid den to contract for the sale of any product which can not be delivered within SO days after the contract I made. How the Wheat Was Milled. 1 Away went our bushel of wheat on Its Journey to the terminal, where It met other bushels of wheat from all parts of the territory that fed this market. There It was regarded for special requirements, marked for Im mediate milling and rolled on to a large mill In Illinois. The miller bought the wheat from the Grain Cor poration, for each miller In the Unit ed States Is under license also, and most of them have filled out another voluntary agreement which hinds them either to purchase nil supplies from the Grain Corporation or under Its (11- wheat would bring at five different) markets If shipped from Mar-vllle Mo.: St. Kansas P. A. O. C. JoBph. City markets. Mo. Mo. Base price 12.15 12.15 Rate per 100 pounds .056 .095 Rate per bssbel 039 Net price I. Ill .056 1.095 St j Louley Mo. ; 12.18 ' .1171, .0701 2.109 New F. A. Q. C. Chicago. York markets. I1L City. Base price 12.20 12.28 Kate pr 100 pounds 1475 3005) Rate per bushel .0885 1801 Net price 1.1116 i 0991 Under these conditions the propi ictor would probably sell at St Jose. Ii on Chicago, according to his inclinat on. The table further Illustrates the equalization of prices and Indicat s W what extent the miller Is prot cted, when buying wheat In any terr.iory. Through this plan dlscrlmlna Ion against the producer, the miller, and the consumer are eliminated so t r as it seems humanly possible und r ai plan of sucb tremendous proportl us. HESE schedules ar ung ed for the va ious! markets are vert ilile "price dams" to pre vent the overflo -lng of the stream of wheat at any s igle market. They also tend to co rect many abuses prevalent In the ,ust, sucb as cutthroat methods adopt I by mills to secure supplies and indlsc tinl nate moving of wheat to terminal . For all practical purposes the v heat business of the country Is apporti tied, and whenever possible mills are sup plied from wheat In the territory near est them. This policy has for a i ob ject the saving of waste In transpor tation. In another way savin; Is made: Formerly large quantltl off undergrade wheats have been dit Icult to dispose of on account of unco ordl nated purchase of the competing mills ; but under Uncle Sam's domination each bushel of wheat must now go somewhere and the poorer wheat will move Just as freely a the more de sirable grades. Limiting Millers' Profit. The Illinois miller who received the) carlot containing our bushel of wht ati milled it promptly and shipped Its flcur to a port for exportation. The miller was permitted by the Food AdmlcIsM tratlon to make a fair profit, not ?x ceedlng a maximum of 25 cents tori barrel on the flour and a maximum profit of 50 cents per ton on the fewl stuffs left over. All mills, however, must fiirulsh at regular Intervals toi the Milling Division full statements oft manufacturing costs, which are scru- tlnlzed carefully. The derivatives oH this wheat the miller sold for dom-s tic consumption, as the policy of that Government Is to keep In the United) States all avnllnhle feedstuffs In on ctj to encouruge live-stock production, j