20 GRAZING FEES — GUARANTY PBICE ON WHEAT. 



not pay anything but the fair price that had been fixed by this com- 

 mittee. That resulted, therefore, in absolutely a fixed price. JNo 

 grain dealer could sell his wheat to a mill for any more than he 

 could get from the corporation. If he did, the mill had to report it 

 immediately, and pay for having done so. They had to remit 1 

 believe, 1 per cent. Where they bought wheat from a gram dealer 

 or farmer they had to pay to the milling division 1 per cent for having 

 done so. By that means they controlled absolutely the price of wheat. 

 There was' no other agency through which to sell it, except the 

 Grain Corporation or those with whom they had contracted and 

 who had contracted to pay only the price fixed by this committee. 

 So there was no chance to get any more for the wheat. 



Now, the grain dealers have figured their losses on the basis of the 

 actual cost of their wheat and the price they had to take for. it when 

 they sold it to the grain corporation or the mills. They are not asking 

 for any -loss in interest. They are asking for no commission. .They 

 are simply asking to be reimbursed for the actual difference m the 

 value of the wheat between the price they paid for it and the price 

 they got for the wheat when they sold it. The money loss is all they 

 claim. 



"We make the point that there was no other way for us to do busi- 

 ness except on the basis of the market. We make the point that those 

 in authority led us to believe that there would be no fi^ed price, that 

 there was going to be no attempt to fix a price, that there would be 

 no power to fix a price. And yet they did fix it. Acting in good 

 faith, performing our duties as loyal citizens of this country, we put 

 that wheat into the channels of trade at a time when it was of vital 

 necessity to the country to do so. 



The fixing of the price resulted in loss to us. It was done with 

 good intent; we do not question that. We feel that those men who 

 were acting in the capacity of food administrators did what they 

 thought was tight and for the common good. We question the wis- 

 dom of it, but they did what they thought was right, and in doing 

 so they caused the grain dealer a heavy loss. And the public profited 

 by it. To the extent that they made the loss for the grain dealer, 

 the public profited by it. The farmer profited by it because he got 

 the big price. 



Mr. McLaughlin of Michigan. When did he get the big price ? 



Mr. CusMENT. He got the price we paid him for the wheat on the 

 advancing market. 



It is very clear that the loss Avas occasioned absolutely by the fixing 

 of the price. It is equally clear that the public benefited by it. 

 Now we come to this committee and we ask you to give us relief, to 

 reimburse our dealers who sustained those losses. 



The exigencies of the war made it necessary for the Gpvemment 

 to take over a great many factories in this country and operate them. 

 In doing so they reimbursed those people whose factories they took. 

 They paid them rentals. Where they made changes in the factories 

 they paid them damages, and they made good every loss sustained by 

 those whose factories they have taken. 



The exigencies of the war made it necessary for the Government 

 to construct cantonments all over this country. In doing so they paid 

 a fair rental for the land used. After the cantonments were aban- 

 doned they sent their commissions around and arrived at the dama.irA 



