Show fixed price for wheat protects farmer from danger of overproduction by DR WATERS Pr president eident of kansas state agricultural collep college today there is only one side on which any loyal american may b be e found and that is the side of the stars and stripes since we are at war it is necessary for us all to make sacrifices and the smallest sacrifice anyone can make is the sacrifice of money price fixing is a new business to a democracy like ours and it necessarily causes some confusion and dissatisfaction Bomel at first particularly since it has had to come in a year when the available wheat supply was the lowest in many years and when the demand was perhaps the highest on in history the farmer cannot help feeling that his product under unrestricted strict eted ed sale would bring a much higher price than the government dares to 40 fix it is to be remembered however that the fixed price of in chicago is for the entire 1917 crop and continues in effect until july next nex when the guaranty of not less than 2 fixed by congress becomes operative moreover while the world is short of available wheat there thera actually exists a surplus of this crop australia has a reserve of bushels which is being offered at 1 a bushel and there is the prospect of an additional surplus of bushels at the coming harvest in that country in india there is in sight a surplus of nearly bushels and in argentina of approximately bushels if active fighting should cease and peace negotiations begin these supplies added to what is obtainable in canada and the united states would be thrown immediately on the market depressing the price here as well as elsewhere to probably 1 a bushel this does not take into account the vast resources of wheat in russia which cannot be reached in time to affect the sale of the 1917 crop the government price recently fixed protects the american farmer against any decline in the wheat market while the present guaranty is based on a small crop and will furnish no subsidy to the farmer but will rather call for a sacrifice on his part we are likely to have under normal crop conditions a billion and a quarter bushels next year under the government guaranty this will be sold for at least 3 2 a bushel |