Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-12-02
SUGAR SHORTAGE
IS STILL ACUTE
Twenty-Five Cents Worth 6
Day Is Still Limit to
Each Customer.
WHOLESALERS DENY CHARGE
Say They Are Not Bootleg
ging" 1t; Government Is
Fixing the Price.

| NotwithstandinE the beet sugar crop
is now coming on the market. the
SUGAR scarcity remains about as acute
as 1t mas been fer several weeks
| Tulsa wholesalers and jobbcrs are re-
teNins supplies as the government
sugar committee at Oklahoma CITY
confirms their orders and shipments
A. fast MS these come In the whole
ealers and jobbers parcel them 1Ut fer
distribution among local retailers In
proportion to the latter's needs. Sonia
retailers are allowed larger allow
anCeq than others because Of the diff
ference in the size OF their trade.
Every retailer In the city. however.
Is sticking 10 the sales limit to con-
, aumers which il 25 cents worth a
dav. Some retailers are restricting
their trade 10 pound 10 each indi-
Niduai purchaser every ~ hours.
The retail price is 10 cents general
Is turnout the city. Virtually every
groccrvman is PTking this price
which they regard as reasonable
profit TO them.
The government price as fixed bv
the food administrator at Washington
for manufacturers Is still s7.'b per
hundred pounds and II will remain att
=
the food administration in authorizing
raise The freight price to Tulsa
is 80 cents and the wholesalers or
iobbers profit is % cents on the hum
dred pound sack which. with the war
tax OF cents on bills of lading.
makes a gross amount Of t1.93 per
hundred pounds to the jobbers. -!
/ At 10 cents a pound the retailers
collect a profit Of t2.07 on the hun
!. 1 l,t.
Gardcd as excessive profit because OF
the larger overhead expense retailers
have to bear. The time of their clerks
n measuring out Gmall packages, the
cost Of paper bags and other expenses
% heavy and II is estimated that IL
costs the retailer 20 per cent to do
business.
Local jobbers deny published -,
rorts that they are 'bootlegslng'
sugar and say they know nothing
about IT, f.. r. Jones. manager OF
the Hale Halsell Wholesale Grocery
company. said
"Our books arc open to anyone who
wishes to examine them. II any job
Der Is secretly supplying candy
| makers with more sugar than they
are cnte<~d 70 | know nothing about
| 1t Only two candy manufacturers
| got any of our last car of sugar and
| We 10 not make speciality OF hand
/ ling sugar but try to supply our trade
| when we get n shipment we parcel II
| out I'm accordancVe with the ndivtd-
| ual needs of our customers but in no
! case havo VIC given any retailer more
| sugar thaa he Is entitled to receive"
! In some cities candy manufacturers
! hNve been buying from iohbers sup
! plies of sugar In addition to TIE
4 ht. hA
crnmcn.. and this has caused the
food administration to issue warn,
| ing to these confectioners that their
| acts will he investigated and II II Is
found that they are guilty of this
practice they will he cut Off entirely
from any sugar supply and Will have
to suspend business
Some weeks ago the candy manu-N
facturers wore notified that they
would have to curtail their output 30
Ter cent and thus reduce their sugar
| consumption accordingly ON Novem
her 3 the food administration issued
| a statement that II had Information
thHt certain candy manufacturers
were buying privately from iobbers
in addition TO the 80 per cent the
sugar manufacturers are permitted to
allow them. The candy makers were
warned that they must not do this
under penalty OF being cut off entirely
Under the provision of the food ad-
mnistration law, the government did
not attempt to supervise or control
retailers leaving II to their patriot
Ism and sense of Justice to sell Only
at prices that will yield them custo-
mary profits.
The government. however has is
sued a warning that II any retailer at
| tempts To collect eNorbitant profits on
any food staple. licensed wholesalers
and iobhers will be prohibited from
selling them supplies. In this man
nor the government has determined
| that rctailers shall toe the mark and
tote mir with the public.
| Every wholesaler and iobher and
.rvcry retailer doing as much as $1O0,-
| 00O business a year Is required under
the new government law TO take out a
| federal license in order TO continue in
| business This gives the go, crument
ran absolute power and control over
the food neccssarieS and supplies for
, In controlling the wholesalers and job
hcrs II can control the retailers, and
force them to observe the spirit of the
food conservation laws
ANY wholesaler or johher who
should disobcy n government order to
not sell sugar or other supplies to a
designated retailer would lose his H.
ccnse
The federal trade commission will
send inspectors to all parts of the
country who Will call on retailers and
! investigate the profits they are taxi
| ing These inspectors will tell the re-
! tailers what they must do and II they
dent do II the wholesalers and job
! hers will be notified to sell them no
more supplies