Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-10-17
SHORTAGE OF SUGAR
CAUSES SLIGHT RISE
This, Too, in Face of Mr..
Hoover's Request to Pay No
More Than for Last 80 Days.
LOCAL PRICE AT VARIANCE

\ temporary shortage OF sugar.
which. according to the food admin
:stration, exists north of Savannah and
east OF Pittsburgh. caused rise of
half a cent a pound In some = The re
tail stores in Washington today. al
though a statement made public by
Herbert Hoover's Office asks the con-
sumner not to pay more for sugar during
the present shortage than 1t has been
paying during the last thirty days. and
adds:
we also trust that jobbers will re-
fuse to sell sugar to any retailer who
advances the price"
A canvass of some of the large gro
Gerry stores in Washington today. oper-
ating altogether about fifty establish
ments In various parts of the city.
showed sugar prices ranging from SO
to Sl1 cents a pound, one chain of
stores making price of ten pounds for
SO cents Several of these stores have
been charging si2 cents a pound for
some time. but others raised their price
only yesterday or today. Some small
stores Were found to be charging 10
cents pound
One store called was a large estab-
ltshment in the downtown district
where it was said their price for sugar
had been 81, cents for several weeks.
Another store less than two blocks
distant quoted a price Of cents. An
other offered to sell ten pounds for SO
cents: store No. quoted cents fiat.
and No. wanted 81: cents. Further
Public Gets Official Warning.
The statement given out by the food
To- vl,S IT,,
the public to be less prodigal in its use
OF sweets, and says that unless we can
secure a wider and immediate reduc-
ton of the sugar consumption in candy
zee cream and sweet drinks 1t viii be
necessary next year to curtail the sup
plies to these industries as has been
done all over Europe"
The shortage in the northeastern
states is due. the food administration
says. to the failure Of the public out
side Of few loyal homes to reduce the
and to the unusual ex-
ports to France in order that the French
people may have their meager ration of
one pound of sugar per person per
United States is more than seven
pounds per person per month, and a
saving OF one-third of the candy and
sweet drink consumption would have
'ores'atied the present shortage.
Agreement With Some Producers,
Attention is called to the fact that
by agreement the price of beet and
Hawaiian sugar has been fxed a. ~
,ents a pound, Atlantic and Pacific sea-
board basis, under which the maximum
-e tail price at interior points should be
81 cents, while by an agreement with
he cane refners and Cuban producers
he price of cane sugar has been held
Down so that it should reach the con-
sumner at about cents a pound. The
notes that It still Is
awaiting a reply to its appeal to the
LOUISIANA producers to join in the
agreement
There will be temporary shortage
IN the supply of sugar to the area north
of Savannah and east of Pittsburgh"
the food administrators statement
said, during the latter part of October
and the month of November. pending
the arrival in the market of new sugar
The beet sugar factories in the western
states are rapidly coming into action
and, together with the Hawaiian pro-
auction, will be able in a short time to
take care Of the sugar supply in the
area west OF the territory referred to.
Beet Sugar to Help Situation.
LAS the production of beet and Ha-
Faiian sugar increases, the areas sup
piled from this source will gradually
extend eastward. and beet sugar should
reach the Atlantic seaboard by the end
Of November. The rapidity with which
this sugar invasion from the west can
lake place will be largely controlled by
he economies shown in the consumption
Of sugar by the people in the western
area. and the food administration makes
a special appeal to them that they
should vigorously reduce the consump-
ton of sugar. more especially of candy
and sweet drinks, in order thar the
northeastern states may be supplied at
the earliest possible moment.
Practically all of the cane sugar in
the hands of the reffners and the pro-
iucers has now been distributed to the
jobbers and retailers at the prices
during the last two months
or upon a basis that should reach the
In the neighborhood of 8
cents per pound.
Therefore, IL by virtue of the short
age in the eastern states. the price of
sugar should increase, 1t is only proof
that 1t has been increased at the hands
Of the handling tradesnot at the hand
OF either the producer or the refiner
lie not to pay more for sugar during the
present shortage than it has been pay
ing during the last thirty days When
the supply OF beat sugar reaches the
seaboa-d, it should be avail
able upon a less basis than the cane
prices above mentioned.
Furthermore, the food administra-
tion requests that all jobbers in the
west. as we'll as in the east should
distribute their sugar with care
among the retailers in much reduced
quantities. and that the retailers, in
limited quantity TO any one customer.
We ais" trust that jobbers will refuse
to sell sugar to any retailer who ad-
yanceS the price.