The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1918-01-26
American Price RigidIy Regulated
by United States Food
Administration.
CONSUMERS HERE PAY &c.
Sugar Cost IS Cents a Pound During
Civil War1-Refiners' Profits
Now Curtailed.

pound 10 the consumer, even though
there is a world shortage which has
reduced this nations sugar allotment
to 20 per cent. of normal.
Through the efforts of the United
States food administration the sugar
marker has been regulated as far as
the producer, refiner and wholesaler
is concerned. The food administration
has no power to r~t7culate retail prices
except by public opinion. Even though
more thai $4,000 ions of sugar have
been shipped TO France in the last
four months the retail grocer's sugar
price is around 8 TO So cents. He
should sell this sugar at 81 to 3
cents. the food administration believes,
and asks the American housewife to
pay no more than this amount.
Last August when the food admin
istration was organized the price of
sugar rose suddenly to II cents Il
pound. During the Civil War sugar
cost the consumer - cents a pound.
BY regulation of the sugar market and
reducing the price to So and 9 cents
and keeping 1t from advancing to 70
cents the food administration has saw
ed the American public at least $780,
100000 in four months, according TO
a statement made by Herbert Hoover
the other day.
ut is our stern duty to feed the al
lies, to maintain their health and
strength at any cost to ourselves"
Mr.. Hoover declared. There has not
been. nor will be as we see it. enough
sugar for even their present meagre
and depressing ration miles they e
ships to remote markets for it. If we
in our greed and gluttony force them
either TO further reduce their ration
or to SEM these ships we will have
lone damage to our abilities tn win
this war
"if we send the ships to Java
for 25o,0c0 tons of sugar next year
we will have necessitated the en-
ployment of eleven extra ships for
one year. These ships-if used in
transporting troops-would take
$50. 600 to 200, 600 men to France"
Reason for World Shortage.
AS Mr.. Hoover pointed out, the
United States, Canada and England
we're sugar importing countries before
the war, While France and Italy were
very nearly self supporting. The main
sources of the worlds sugar supply
was Germany and ~neighboring powers,
the West Indies and the East Indies.
German sugar is 10 longer available,
as it is used entirely in Germany,
which also ahsorbs sugar of surround
ing countries.
England can no longer buy 100000
long tons of sugar each ear from
Germany. The French sugar prOduc-
lion has dropped from 100000 to 30.
coo tons. The Italian production has
gallen from 210.000 tons to 10000 tons
Thus three countries were thrown
upon East and West Indian sources
for 1,925,O00 tons annually to maintain
their normal consumption.
Because of the worlds shipping
shortage The allied nations started
drawing on the West Indies for sugar;
East Indian sugar took three times
the number Of ships, since the dis
iance was three times as great. Sud
denly the west was called On to fur
nish and did furnish 100000 o of
sugar TO Europe when 100000 ions a
year was the pre-war demand The
allies had drawn from Java 100000
tons before the shipping situation be-
came acute.
I'm spite of these Shipments" MIR.
Hoover stated the other day, the
English government In August reduced
The household sugar ration to a basis
of "a mounds per annum per capita.
And In September the French govern
ment reduced their household ration
10 10 2-10 pounds a year. or a bit over
pound of sugar a month. Even this
meas gre ration could not be filed by
he French government it was found
early in the fall. America was her
asked for 100000 tons of sugar and
succeeded in sending $4,000 tons by
December !. The French request was
aranted because the American house
hold consumDtion was then at least 55
pounds per person. and 1t was consid-
cred the duty Of maintaining the
French morale made our course clear"
Today the sugar situation nay
be summarized by stating that it
America will reduce its sugar con-
sumption 10 20 IS per cent. this
nation will be able to send 100000
more soldiers to France.
Sugar today sells at seaboard re-
sineries at $7.25 a hundred pounds
The wholesale grocer has agreed to
limit his profit to % cents a hundred
plus freight, and the retail grocer ia
supposed to take no more than 80 cents
q hundred pounds profit. This regu-
latiOn was made by the food admins
ration, which now asks the housewife
30 reduce sugar consumption as much
a. possible, using other ~sweeteners,
and also reminds her that she should
-tly no more han 9 cents a pound for
SUGAR.
Control of Cane Refiners' Profits.
immediately upon the establish
xlVuf of the food ndminiSfSat ion p" MIR