The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-12-17
SPRECKELS SORE!
Profits Cut-That's why He
Attacks Hoover.
Sugar King Rebuked by Food
Administrators Reply.

Washington, Dec. 17.-C a
made by Claus Spreckels, president of
the Federal Sugar Refining company,
before a senate investigating commit
tee that the food administration is re-
sponsible for sugar shortage, drew
| from Food Administrator Hoover a
vigorous attack on Mr.. Spreckels.
/ An open intimation is made by Mr..
Hoover that Mr.. Spreckles' testimony
was inspired by the fact that the food
administration cut profits in sugar
| transactions.
| 1T requires no proof from me-" said
/ Mr. Hoover, Ito establish that Mr..
/ Spreckels, a leading sugar refiner, is
| sore at the food administration and
would like to see it destroyed. L real
! ize that Mr.. Spreckels' balance sheet
! last, for refiners' profits have been
! regulated. Furthermore, his balance
sheet would have looked better this
year if the price of last August had
| not been reduced and held fast, in
! the face of a partial shortage that
promised a fair opportunity for so
cent sugar and much increased
profits.
Expects Others to Join Attack.
Mr. Spreckles, therefore, has reason
to feel badly. There are other citi-
! zens who will feel the same way and
! assaulting the food administration.
While many feel badly, still the vast
majority of men and women of our
| business community and of our farm
ers are sacrificing their profits daily
to the nations necessities without
complaint, for many are sacrificing
more than their money-their sons
I'VE have had two months of par
tial sugar shortage and No
wonderland will also have Deem
before
comes. The American people have
had 500, 900 tons of sugar in these two
months-that is 70 per cent of their
normal supplies in each month, and
if cars are available they will have
20 per cent in December. Owing to
car shortages, the shortage has been
most acute in the northeast and about
200 cars are today blockaded from
that region.
This 10 per cent is twice the
French ration. In the meantime we
have given France a good part of the
80 per cent and we are proud of it.
This supply to France was given de
liberately and the American people
were told of it at the time. We have
also agreed to draw 10000 tons for
our friends in Canada. have yet to
meet an American citizen who would
have had it otherwise.
Requisitioned so Million Pounds
"As to the food administration
stopping the sources of supply, the
fact that all available supplies have
been brought here that ships and cars
could bring; and that it has already
been eaten is sufficient answer.
II Mr.. Spreckels knows the bitterness
of the ten-Year fights between pro-
ducers and refiners-between differ
ent refiners-and if he looks back
over the last three months he will OBJ
serve a desire of many of these ele-
ments to use the food administration
as club to settle their long standing
bitterness and if Mr.. Spreckels will
tell US where there is any sugar to-
day that ships can be obtained to
carry or cars can be obtained to deliv-
er, it will be delivered at once with
the same resolution that we have re-
Questioned or distributed over 60,0OO,-
600 pounds of embargoed sugar since
October l. In the meantime the
100000 tons of sugar in Java is as
remote as cheese out of the moon
unless we wish to take bread ships
from our own soldiers and the allies tc
| provide ourselves with candvo