The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, September 13, 1917, Page 10

A FOX IN THE POULTRY YARD X -0 v o gt Ao s AY Here is another fine cartoon by Baer, congressman elected by League members. It is about the war—it tells Baer's view on one phase of the war. When Uncle Sam and the allies overthrow the Kaiser or make conditions such that the German people do that themselves, and they establish a free and representa« tive government, the president tells us we will have peace. But that peace is going to be delayed if IMPERIALISTS in this country OR IN ENGLAND succeed in making the German people think we want to crush them and destroy or dismember their country. IMPERIALISM is a fox in the chicken yard and it is R menace to all peoples, and there are imperialists in every country. or dismember their country, and we must force our allies also to take this themselves. - We must persuade Germany—the German people—that we do not want to exterminate them ground, if the world is ever to have peace, and the German people are to assert Five-Cent Bread—Why Not ? ITH the price of No. 1 North- ern wheat fixed at $2.20 at Chicago, the five-cent loaf of ‘bread should be the rule again. This is not the state- ment of a writer unacquainted with conditions surrounding the milling in- dustry. It is the statement of Dr. E. F. Ladd, president of the North Dakota agricul- tural college, member of the price-fix- ing committee and sponsor of the most searching investigations made in this country of the milling industry. In an interview, given out after his return from the committee meeting at Wash- ington, D. C., President Ladd said: “In fixing $2.20 as the basic price for wheat at Chicago, the committee did -so with the full belief, from data which it had, that this would allow the pro- duction of a 14-ounce loaf of bre~g for five cents. I am siill firmlyf§t the opinion that this can be done. “One thing is certain, beyond the question of a doubt. This is that a 12-ounce loaf can EASILY be * produced for five cents, provided the millers and bakers don’t make any more profit on their flour and bread than the farmer is making on his wheat.” President Ladd went on to show de- finitely just how this could be done, on the basis of the Chicago figures. “Investigations have shown,” he said, *“that the average grade of wheat that has been” milled in the past, under the old grades, was slightly lower than No. 3 Northern. Under the new grades it is expected that the average of wheat milled will be No. 4 or slightly better. No. 4 is 10 cents per bushel lower than No. 1 The committe figured that 9 cents under the price of No. 1 would represent about the average cost at Chicago of the wheat that the miller will use. This would make the price at Chicago $2.11 per bushel.” COST OF MILLING ESTIMATED BY LADD Dr. Ladd’s investigations have shown that on' the average it takes four and one-half bushels of wheat to make a barrel of flour. Taking $2.11 as the average market price of the wheat that goes into flour would make the cost of four and a half bushels $9.491%. Some mills have claimed that the cost of milling per barrel is as great as 80 to 85 cents. Dr. Ladd cited, how- ever, the experience of the Maine mill at Phelps, Minn., which has been mak- ing good money grinding wheat for farmers at 15 cents a bushel and giv- ing back not only the flour, but also the bran, shorts and middlings. This would make the cost of grinding a bar- rel of flour at Phelps 673 cents. The larger mills at Minneapolis, un- doubtedly, can operate with less ex- pense than the Phelps mill. However, will include red dog, bran, shorts and screenings.” Dr. Ladd gave these figures to the writer of this statement and told him to do his own figuring. So the writer deducted $1.25 from $10.17, the cost of the wheat and milling, and got $8.92 as a result. This is the cost of a barrel of flour to the miller after deducting what he gets for the by-products. Then the writer asked for some more figures. “College investigations show that a barrel of flour will make 261 full pound Dr. E. F. Ladd, member of the wheat price- fixing committee, says $2.20 No. 1 Northern wheat should assure a 14-ounce loaf of bread for 5 cents. In any event, says Dr. Ladd, a 12-ounce loaf can be produced for 5 cents, if only the millers and bakers are content to fore- go war profits. BUT The big millers and the foc;d administration say the public must not expect anything better than a 16-ounce loaf for 10 cents. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? taking the 6715 cent cost of milling, and adding that to the cost of wheat, makes a total cost of $10.17, which probably is an outside figure. FIVE-CENT LOAF EASILY POSSIBLE “A conservative figure for the value of feed by-products made from the wheat going into a barrel of flour is $1.25,” Dr. Ladd stated. “At $30 a ton the value of the feed made from four and one-half bushels of wheat would be $1.11; at $40 a ton the value would be $1.48. Feed has been around ithe $40 mark but probably will be reduced somewhat. A fair figure is $1.25. This PAGE loaves,” said Dr. Ladd, “or 298 14- ounce loaves, or 845 12-ounce loaves, “As a matter of fact, the bakers’ flour put out by the mills and used by the bakers, under their methods, will do better than these figures indicate, The price-fixing commission had before it at Washington a statement from a Kansas City miller who ‘guaranteed that every barrel of his flour would make more than 300 14-ounce loaves, stating that the average shown under tests was 314 lpaves. But take our figures and see what you get.” So the writer worked on the propo- sition of making a 14-ounce loaf to gell for b cents. This is what he got: 298 loaves at 5 cents.....,..$14.90 TEN Cost of wheat and milling.. 8.92 Leaving for cost of baking and profit to miller and baker: Tl st s veeee..$ 5.98 This looked like a pretty fair profits Then the writer worked on the propo= sition of selling a 12-ounce loaf for § cents. He got this: 345 loaves at 5 cents ........$17.25 Cost of wheat and milling.. 8.92 Leaving for cost of baking and profit to miller and baker= iy e bl sistareta e $IIB S FOOD ADMINISTRATION FIGURES STARTLING This looks like a fair profit, nearly 100 per cent on the cost of wheat divided between the miller and the baker. The food administration is re- ported in press dispatches, however, as stating that the best the American public could hope for, with $2.20 for No. 1 Northern wheat, is a 16-ounce loaf for 10 cents. Taking the figure of 261 16-ounce loaves to a barrel of flour this gives: 261 loaves at 10 cents ......$26.10 Cost of wheat and milling.. 8.93 Leaving for cost of baking and profit of miller and - baker o sk 317118 Dr. Ladd pointed out, in connection with these figures, that the actual cost of wheat and milling would prove con« siderably less than the figure quoteds This is because the so-called “bakers’ patent” flour does not contain the most valuable and costly materials coming from the flour mill. From each flouf mill there are a number of spouts con~ taining flours of different grades. The most valuable of these go to the flours sold as ‘“first patents,” making the price of these flours somewhat above the average, while the others go to the “bakers’ patents” which, therefore, fof strict accuracy, should be quoted at & figure considerably less than the $8.93, -which was taken as the cost of ana average barrel in this figuring. A further item to be considered is that the cost of wheat at Minneapolis is three cents less per bushel than at Chicago. This makes a further saving of 13% cents on a barrel of flour for the Minneapolis millers.