The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-01-03
Plan Is
FOR GOVERNMENT
TO PURCHASE ALL
SUPPLIES
Would Pay Cost Plus Fair
Profit and Pool the En-
tire Output
WILL BE SHORTAGE
FOR NEXT YEAR
Some Refiners Lose at Fix
ed Price, While Others
Make Big Profits
1Rv Associated Press.l

4
Washington, Jan. 3.-Governmeni
purchase and sale to consumers Of al
sugar used in the United States and
control of the amounts and kinds Of
food to be served in public eating
| places. were advocated to meet the
abnormal war conditions by Food
Administrator Hoover yesterday In
testimony before the senate commit
tee investigating sugar. He said ad-
ditional legislation comforting upon
the food administration such powers
should be enacted by congress.
Food conservation came up only
casually during an all-day eXamina-
| ton Of Mr.. Hoover, but the admin
strator revealed that results from
conservation plans formulated for
hotels and restaurants had been dis
appointing because of the deliberate
failure of some to cooperate with
the administration. Those seeking to
help had been forced to abandon
their efforts, Mr.. Hoover said, in or
der to meet competition. The wit
ness believed housewives generally
were conforming to the conservation
recommendation.
Chairman Reed of the committee,
who has been the chief critic or the
food administration in the senate
did not question Mr.. Hoover, Sena-
tor Lodge conducting the eXamlna-
ton most of the day. Late In the
session, however, Senator Reed anu
Mr.. Hoover engaged in a rather
heated discussion when the witness
asked to have admitted to the com
mittee records the statement on the
sugar situation which Mr.. Hoover
sought to submit before the holidays
and which later was made public at
the White House.
Chairman Reed said he wanted to
examine the statement overnight,
and that the question of admitting
it to the records would be determln-
ed later. Mr.. Hoover finally declared
with an apparent show of heat that
he did not care whether 1t was in
troduced or not"
Shortage in SIGHT.
Mr.. Hoover said the sugar supply
for next year promised to be SOO,UuU
tons short of the estimated demand,
but it was hoped to solve the short
age by conservation and limitation
of supplies to manufacturers or non
essential foodstuffs. While he
InOuRlL !
limit the per capita consumption to-
three pounds a month, the witness
said he did not consider the principle
of limitation of personal consump-
ton sound because attended to cause
discomfort among the people.
The administrator explained his
desire to have the food administra-
tion's view Of the sugar situationI
presented early in the investigation
by saying that testimony before the
committee that there was plenty OF
sugar in the country, was not prov
ed by the facts as he knew them,
and tended to offset the administra-
tons campaign for conservation. Hel
said he regarded ii as vital that his
statement should counterfeit the
testimony as quickly as possible and
Thought his own statement on the
situation would be more convincing
than that of George NJ. Rolph, head
of the administration sugar divi-
sion.
Government Pool.
In urging government purchase OF
sugar, Mr.. Hoover explained to the
that through that method
alone could refiners be paid an
equitable price. He said some beet
factories are making huge profits at
the TBS cents a pound agreed upon
for beet sugar, but on the other
hand, factory in Michigan land
one or two" in Colorado, actually are
losing money at that price. His plan,
he said, is for the government tol
purchase from beet factories at diff
ferent prices based on the cost OF
buy cane sugars at prices
on the same basis, pool the entire
lot and sell to the consumer at one
price.
The witness denied that the Cuban
price had been fixed by committee
formed of refiners at a price ad-
to them. The price, $50
cents a pound, he said, was fixed byI
the state department and the Cuban
Mr.. Hoover defended the food adj
action in naming the
president of the American Sugar Re-
timing company, an officer Of the Ar
buckle Refining company and Mr..
RoIph as the American member OF
The commission, saying this country
could be represented properly only
BY refiners.
eve are primarily dependent in
these times on patriotic men who
their businesses" said
he administrator.
Much was said yesterday Of econom-
C soundness of price fixing. Senator
Lodge cited authorities to show that
It had failed and read some of Hoov-
er's testimony at the hearing on the
food bill, in which he was quoted as
saying price fixing had been a fall
are in England. The witness ex-
planned that when he so testified,
England did not control commodi-
lies on which il attempted to fix
prices. He argued that price fixing
If government controlled commodi-
les was advisable to meet an emer
gency. Mr.. Hoover maintained that +
he food administrators action on
sugar has prevented prices from