The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1917-12-26
HOOvER'S SUGAR
DEFENSE ISSUED
Was PutAside by Senator Reed
as Unimportant.
REAL SCARCITY OF COMMODITY
Food Controller Declares Larger I'M
ports Would Seriously Handicap
Troop Movement.

Washington, Dec. 26-President
Wilson gave to the American people
, the statement by Herbert Hoover,
food administrator on the sugar situ-
alton which Senator Reed, of Missouri,
/ rejected as being "of no value nor in
terest."
BY this action the president, it was
said on all sides, takes the position
that Mr.. Hoover suffered unfair treat
ment at the hands of Senator Reeds
committee. and he relieves Mr.. Hoo
yer by assuming himself anv respon-
! sibility for discourtesy to the COM
mittee.
Senator Reed informed newspaper
men who asked to see the Hoover
! statement that it was of no value.
! Mr.. Hoover contended and the presi-
! dent now indicates his concurrence
that the governments side of the
; sugar situation as revealed by the
I testimony of Claus H. Spreckles, Earl
! D. Babst, George NJ. Rolph and others
should be given to the American peo-
| pie while the facts are fresh in mind.
! In Mr. Hoover's statement, he at
| tributes the shortage here to the
heavy movement of sugar from the
western hemisphere to Europe, and
asserts that without the fixing of
prices by agreement sugar would have
been selling for twenty-five or thirty
cents pound. and more than two hun
dred million dollars probably would
have been profiteered from the Ameri-
can people by this time. When the
hearing is resumed, it is understood
Mr.. Hoover will be permitted to tell
his story.
1t was known in Washington that
| Mr.. Hoover had presented to the presi-
dent on Saturday a full and frank
statement of the treatment accorded
him and Judge Curtis H. Lindley,
chief counsel of the food administra-
ton, at the capitol. 1t was said that
! the president was inclined to the be-
lief that to make the statement public
without giving Senator Reed oppor-
| tunity to do so would be discourteous
to "a committee of congress, but when
|s2p1mitt.e rejected fatly the Hoo
Yer statement Saturday afternoon ii
different light was placed on the
whole matter and the president be-
l1eved that in view Of circumstances
the matter should be given to the
| public
| Mr.. Hoover's statement was given
/ TO the newspapers through the COM
mlttee on public information, the food
| administrators statement avoids per-
sonalities, making no mention of Mr..
| Spreckles and referring only briefly
to Mr.. Rolph to defend him against
| charges made at the Reed committee
hearings.
He says:
First. Statements, as made at the
hearing, that there have been or will
be ample supplies of sugar available
are mot only wrong and opposed to
every fact. but If believed and acted
upon by the American people. meal
culable harm to the nations war ef-
forts will result.
Second. II American consumption
is not curtailed and it becomes neces-
sary to withdraw ships from the trans
portation of troops and supplies to OBJ
tain Java sugar 1t will mean 10000 |
less American troops in France next
year
Third. Transportation congestion |
has resulted in insufficient sugar sup
plies in many sections Of the United |
States, but has cumulated the short
age in the northern and eastern states.
Fourth. The drain Of the allies on
Cuban and American sugar denuded
the United States of a margin Of
about 100000 tons necessary to main
tain normal consumption
Fifth. Without legal power to fix
prices the food administration through
voluntary agreements with sugar in
terests, saved the American people
from twenty-fve-cent sugar during the
shortage.
Sixth. A committee of English,
French and italian officials, American
refners and the food administration
has been organized to handle shipping
n sugar supplies next year.