GRAZING FEES — GUAEANTY PEICE ON WHEAT. 21 



done to the property, with a view to settling for the same. In the 

 construction of those cantonments they paid the full market price to 

 the lumber dealers for the lumber that was used. When they em- 

 ployed labor to build those cantonments they paid the men three 

 times what they had been getting in industrial pursuits at that time. 



Through the exigencies of the war it was necessary for the Gov- 

 ernment to make contracts for stupendous quantities of munitions, 

 guns, and*^ar equipment of all kinds. Through the sudden termina- 

 ation of the war upon the signing of the armistice it was practicable 

 and wise to cancel those contracts. The Government did so and im- 

 mediately, I understand, reimbursed those people with whom they 

 had the contracts for their extraordinary loss arising therefrom. 



Through the exigencies of the war the wool was taken from the 

 woolgrowers at less than its market value, and, I understand, there 

 is now pending in Congress a bill to give them relief for the differ- 

 ence between the market value of their wool and the amount that 

 was paid for the wool. 



Through the exigencies of the war it was thought necessary to take 

 the railroads of this vast country over. The Government guaran- 

 teed a reasonable retui-n on the investments, and in turning the rail- 

 roads back to their owners they gave further guarantees. 



In the institution of the Food Administration the Government 

 gave them almost unlimited power over the grain interests of this 

 country. The grain dealers suffered greatly, in more ways than one. 

 They suffered, however, in common with all the citizens of this coun- 

 try, and they claim no exemption from the sacrifices they made. But 

 the Food Administration, through the fixing of the price of wheat, 

 to the extent that they cut the price under the price that was paid by 

 the dealer for the wheat, confiscated the property of the citizens. 

 It was nothing less than confiscation. 



That same Food Administration entered into contracts with the 

 millers of this country, by which the millers did not lose one dollar 

 on the amount of wheat they had on hand at the time the Govern- 

 ment fixed the price. 



Mr. Young. How did they do that? 



Mr. CLEMENT. Through a contract by which they provided that 

 the miller should mill his wheat and sell his flour on the basis of 

 cost plus 25 per cent profit for his flour. 



Mr. yoTJNG. In other words, if all the wheat that you gentlemen 

 had on hand had been sold to the millers and in the millers' posses- 

 sion there would have been no loss sustained by reason of the fixing 

 of the price on the wheat then in existence ? 



Mr. Clement. Absolutely not. 



Mr. Young. But on that that was caught in your hands and that 

 had not been disposed of you suffered a loss ? 



Mr. Clement. Yes. 



Mr. Young. Whereas, as to that in the millers' hands they gave 

 the millers 60 days in which to grind it on the basis of the price they 

 had paid? 



Mr. Clement. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Tinchee. Why don't you tell the whole story? Why don't 

 you say they made a contract with the miller by which they let him 

 make 25 cents a barrel on the wheat he had on hand and the wheat 



