Rocky Ford enterprise., 1914-09-04
A BATTLE ROYAL
Sugar Producer Yells Why the Price
of Sugar is High.


/ Europe and America are now en-
gagged in battle royal for sugar
That is the primary cause OF the high
prices that now prevail. Gut off by
the outbreak of the war from her sup
ply of 100000 tons OF sugar ordin-
arily secured from Germany and Aus
tria- Hungary, England turned to the
nearest available sugar market, which
happened to be New York. Backed
by cash, assuming all the war risk
involved in shipment and ready to
pay whatever prices might be neces-
sary TO secure sugar, British buyers
invaded the American market. With
in little more than week, they pur-
chased almost 100000 tons of raw
and refined sugar, bidding up the
market nearly 3 cents pound in
the process OF getting it. Their buy
ing subsidized temporarily only when
they found it impossible to secure
further prompt transportation. As
another war measure for securing
supply of sugar, orders were issued
in all the sugar-growing colonies OF
Great Britain forbidding the sale OF
sugar except for imperial use.
AT the outbreak of the war the Wis
ible supply of sugar available for the
American market was barely sufti-
cient to last until the new crop OF
American grown sugar should begin
to become available in October. The
withdrawal OF 100000 tons from this
supply created serious shortage,
and inquiries received in the New
York market indicating that England
would seek to obtain several hundred
| thousand tons more OF sugar, and
| that other European countries might
| cndeavor to purchase sugar here,
| threatened to make this shortage
| much more serious. As result,
American purchasers in the sugar
market. seeking TO protect their own
| trade, entered into active competition
with the foreign buyers in the scram-
BILE for sugar To make the situation
more acute, consumers in all parts OF
the country rushed to lay in supplies
| far in excess OF their ordinary pur-
chases, thus accentuating the scare
Iity.
| The prize for which the buyers OF
| Great Britain and America are con-
tending is the Cuban sugar crop. En-
| gland and the United States each I'M
port annually about R.00O,000 hong
tons OF sugar. The Cuban crop is
about 100000 tons. enough to sup
ply one OF these two big customers,
| but entirely inadequate 10 meet iHc
needs OF both. The prospect, there
fore. is for ken Struggle on the part
| OF these two countries to secure the
bulk OF the coming Cuban crop in
case the war continues for any con-
siderable length of time.
When the present blockade oi ship
| ping is relieved, it is probable that
Great Britain. and possibly also the
United States, may obtain some su-
gar from tropical cane growing coun-
tries other than Cuba. The fact re-
mains, however, that the European
nationsp reducing annually S,OOO,OOO
| long tons OF sugar. or As per cent OF
| the entire worlds sugar supply, are
now at war \ large part OF this crop
| will be sacrificed-how much remains
| to be seen. AT any rate, approx
| mately 100000 tons ordinarily ex-
| ported from these countries is with
drawn from accustomed trade chan
| nels and this means worldwide
| scarcity of sugar while the war con-
tinues and probably for some time
| afterwaTd.
| The one great lesson for the Amer
lean people in the present situation
| is the necessity of encouragin~ and
| developing the production from
| American soil OF all the sugar re-
| quircd by the American people so
that we may be independent of other
nations and our consumers may be
assured OF permanent adequate sup
ply OF cheap sugar.