New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1917-11-10
THE SUGAR SITUATION.

So many different points that the
straight and narrow path OF JUS
tee TO all concerned is difficult to
travel. BY common consent, MI.
Hoover is presumed to have N
view exact justice to all con-
cerned. but his knowledge OF the
various interests that are con-
cerned in sugar control would
seem TO be very limited. In the
first place he appointed M. Babst
of the American Sugar Refining
Company. a corporation charged
and convicted OF all manner OF
breakages of the law Of the land,
Mr. Jameson, Of another similar
corporation or estate, and hnally
Mr.. Rolfe OF San francisco,
identified with the sugar trust as
far as popular rumor indicates, 20
form sugar distributing commit
tee under the purview of Mr..
Hoover. the national food con-
troller. and to this subcommittee
there have been added two Eng
lishmen in order to have an inter
national committee, and III order
to have but single sugar buyer.
Now these men whose corpora
tions have been actually convicted
Of the crimes charged to thea,
have succeeded in getting the Gu
tire control of sugar so far as the
United, States is concerned, ana
practically of the entire sugar
world As it would seem from
our New York telegram in this
issue. the fact is admitted now
in New York by the appointment
Of Mr.. Mott, the American Sugar
Refining Company's sugar buyer,
as the international sugar buyer.
The salient features of the work
done by these queer appolntees
were first, to establish a pure
white sugar price for the new
crop. Their financial control OF
the beet sugar industry gave them
the opportunity to do this: as has
already been stated in our journal,
and these beet men were declared
10 be patriotic and all the world
knows that sugar beet growers
were never asked to consent, but
were forced to consent to accept
the prices for beet sugar upon q
white sugar valuation a cent and
a quarter q pound below the cur.
rent market at that time. Hay-
ING done this the combine or the
board then began to consider the
ultimate effect of this. Finding
that the beet crop was delayed
and that the Louisiana crop
would not appear on the market
within a month Of the dates that
theythey had 50 persistently as
serted, and finding that their pur-
chases Of sugar in Cuba and else
where were Of such magnitude
that they could not stand the 10
price without a very considerable
loss, then the sugar control board
composed Of these same refiners,
quietly changed the directions.
As to beet sugar. that they had
asserted would reach the At
lantic coast very soon. they drew
an imaginary line from Chicago to
st. Louis and the Mississippi to
New Orleans, West of which the
7.25c price should obtain, and
East Of which the 1856 should OBJ
tain.
This came in time to take care
81 the American Sugar Refining
Company's sales Of white sugars
at which price they were not de-
livering, but made it the basis Of
the grades, high and low, ct
which they would deliver. The
other appointee Mr.. Jameson of
the Arbucle refinery found that
they had sugars which they could
deliver hut could not do SO with
ont violating the agreement to
which he was party. unless like
Mr.. Babst. on . more recent o.
casion. who asserted that when
the question Of prices came up ne
was absent from the session OF the
sugar control board. Mr.. Jane.
son got Sl1s cents until sold out IF
white sugar. and then reduced
their sugars to 1856, the compact
price. with no white sugars 70
sell.
For some years. when the Lou
isiana crop began to arrive. there
was a demand for it in Texas and
elsewhere. Orders came at once