The Carlisle independent., 1918-07-11
AMERICAN SUGAR
 SENT TO FRANCE
American Price Rigidly Regulated by United States Food
 Administration.
CONSUMERS HERE PAY Sc.
Sugar Cost 35 Gents s Pound During Civil War-Ref1ners' Profts
 Now curtaiied.

America at from 8h to cents pound to the consumer, even though there is world shortage which has reduced this nations sugar allotment to TO per cent of normal
 Through the efforts of the United States food administration the sugar market has been regulated as far as the producer, retiner and wholesaler is concerned. The food administration has no power to regulate retail prices except by public opinion. Even though more than S5,000 tons of sugar have been shipped to France in the last four months the retail grocers sugar price is around s to Sta cents. He should sell this sugar at Sts to 9 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 pound. During the Civil War sugar cost the consumer 35 cents a pound. By regulation of the sugar market and reducing the price to BE and 3 cents and keeping it from advancing to 20 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.
 "It Is our stern duty to feed the al ta nfoin strength at any cost to ourselves" MT. Hoover declared There has not been, nor will be as we see it, enough sugar for even their present meagre and depressing ration unless they send ships to remote markets for it. If we in our greed and gluttony force them either to further reduce their ration or to send these ships we will have done damage to our abilities to win this war.
 "If we send the ships to Java
 for 250, ,00o tons of sugar next year
 we will have necessitated the em-
 pioyment of eleven extra ships for
 one year. These ships-h used In
 transporting troops-wouid take
 150, 900 to POO, 900 men to France"
 Reason for World Shortage.
 As MF. Hoover pointed out, the United States. Canada and England were 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 absorbs sugar of surround ing countries.
 England can no longer buy 1,4OO, 900 long tons of sugar each year from Germany. The French sugar produc- tion has dropped from 750,000 to 21O,- 900 tons. The Italian production has fallen from 210,OO0 tons to 75,O00 tons. Thus three countries were thrown upon East and West Indian sources for 1,925,O 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 tance was three times as great. Sud- denly the west was called on to fur nish and did furnish J, 100000 tons of sugar to Europe when 300,000 tons a year was the pre-war demand. The allies had drawn from Java 100000 tons before the shipping situation be- came acute.
 "In spite of these shipments" Mir Hoover stated the other day, "the English government in August reduced the household sugar ration to basis of 24 pounds per annum per capita And in September the French govern ment reduced their household ration to 13 2-10 pounds year, or bit over. 1 pound of sugar a month. Even this meagre ration could not be filled by the French government it was found asked for 100000 tons of sugar and succeeded in sending 5000 tons by December 1. The French request was granted because the American house. hold consumption was then at least B pounds per person. and it was consid- cred the duty of maintaining the French morale made our course clear"
 Today the sugar situation may
 be summarized by stating that if
 America will reduce it's sugar con-
 sumption 10 to f5 per cent. this
 nation will be able to send 2D0,0 ,000
 more soldiers to France.
 Sugar today sells at seaboard re- fneries at $7.25 a hundred pounds. The wholesale grocer has agreed to limit his profit to 9 cents hundred plus freight, and the retail grocer is supposed to take no more than 90 cents q hundred pounds profit This regu- lation was made by the food adminis- trntion. which now asks the housewife to reduce sugar consumption as much as possible, using other sweeteners, and also reminds her that she should pay no more than 9 cents pound for sugar
 N~~k.~e