The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1917-09-03
LOUISIANA SUGAR AND
FOOD CONTROL
BY Percy Saint.


Mr.. Herbert Hoover, Food Dicta-
tor of America, is most valuable
Official. His highly specialized mind
together with his extraordinary in
dustry and skill will be Of invaluable
service to this country. Mr.. Hoover
is also one of the conspicuous unset
fish patriots of America; he is sacri-
ficing his valuable time-and it IS
said, very handsome salary-to
serve America and democracy. No
man is more appreciated than Mr..
Hoover; he ranks with President Will
son and Mr.. Dawson of the Red
Cross-and justly so; to borrow
from the contemporary classes,
America takes off her hat to Mr..
Hoover. with great pride.
Mr.. Hoover's speciality is organiza-
ton and management on the very
largest possible scale, in this respect,
we have not had in this country, his
superior; but his highly specialized
and trained mind does not compre-
hend-and should not be expected
to-all industrial and economic mat
tiers with which this country and her
people are forced to deal. Mr..
Hoover has said that wheat should
not ell for more than 1920 per
bushc. during the war, as this will
reduce flour to $1,000 barrel and
bread to SC. loaf to the consumer.
A few days ago, Mr.. Hoover fixed
the maximum price of sugar at 7.25
per pound This is as much as the
sugar planter could expect. But
later on, last Friday or Saturday, he
startled US all by saying that the
sugar planters of Louisiana should
go out of business, as the American
people were tired paying high prices
for sugar. In this, Mr.. Hoover is
not understandable. Wheat at his.
price, based on food value, would
make sugar worth lie. per pound.
Dollar wheat made the great north
Wet a very rich section; reducing
sugar in the same proportion, to 5H,
cents would make the sugar section
prosperous, under normal conditions.
but not very rich section-that is
not rich in proportion to the dollar
wheat section. BY reducing all
food stuffs. clothing and metal stuff,
sugar could stand a corresponding
reduction.
If the Congress takes Mr.. Hoovcr's
advice. and puts sugar in Louisiana
out Of business, it will deprive the
Federal government Of about $685.
100000, and will deprive the state
government of Louisiana of it's
greatest agricultural assessment
value; it will Gus the parish assess
ments in the sugar parishes about
60 per cent. This, Mr. Hoover
should probably not be expected to
know. If the American people are
tired of paying so much for sugar,
what hidden and subtle influence
keeps them from being tired of pay
ing so much for steel, iron, cotton
and wool fabrics? What of the bill |
lions paid to the powder, shot and
shell trust, the steel trust, and an
other trusts? This, Mr.. Hoover is
supposed to know.
We Americans are willing to sacri-
flee lives and money in the trenches
q Europe that this world may BIT
safe for democracy; we seem willing
to send all foodstuffs we can rake
and scrape to Europe for the Allies
and we are doing it; but Mr.
Hoover tells us to send all our wheat
to Europe at 1920 bushel, and for
US to eat mush from corn we are
expected to pay for at the rate Of
$3.50 per barrel And after the
war, when the wheat farmers and
merchants. the steel, iron and pow
der magnetes and a few others have
accumulated billions in war profits
the Louisiana and Texas cane grower
should be put out of business
Cooperation in time of peace is
not one of Mr.. Hoover's specia,ties:
he has not specialized in this ecoro-
mic and industrial branch. We ILL
have to live and eat after the war,
while we are paying our honest null ,
tibillion dollar war debts, but if the
sugar industry is destroyed, and this |
policy of destruction is carried to
is honest and logical conclusion by {
outing other industries out of bust s
less for the same reasons suggested
y Mr.. Hoover. the United States