The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-01-03
HOOVER ADVISES
SUGAR MONOPOLY
AND FOOD POOLS
Administrator Examined by Sen
ator Lodge for Senate
Investigators.
HOOVER CLASHES WITH REED
Sugar Supply Three Hundred
Thousand Tons Short OF
the Estimated Demand.
HOOVER CLASHES WITH REED
the Estimated Demand.

"uoHAu6LVA, jail O.-uOVCTullolt
purchase and sale to consumers of all
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 Ad.
ministrator Hoover in testimony
before senate committee investigating
sugar. He said additional legislation
comforting upon the food administra.
ton such powers should be enacted
by congress.
Food conservation came up only
casually during an all day examina-
tion of Mr.. Hoover, but the admins.
traitor revealed that results from con.
servation plans formulated for hotels
and restaurants had been disappoint.
ing because Of the deliberate failure
OF some to cooperate with the admin.
istration. Those seeking to help had
been forced to abandon their efforts,
Mr.. Hoover said, in order to meet
competition. The witness believed
housewives generally were conform
ing to the conservation recommends.
tons.
Questioned by Lodge.
Chairman Reed, OF the committee,
who has been the chief critic OF the
food administration in the senate, did
not question Mr.. Hoover Senator
Lodge conducting the examination
most of the day. Late in the session,
however, Senator Peed and Mr.. Hoov-
er engaged in a rather heated discus
sion when the witness asked to have
admitted to the committee records tho
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 determined later.
Mr.. Hoover finally declared with al
apparent show of heat that he did not
care whether it was introduced or
not" ..e..
Hoover and Reed Clash. ....-
Mr.. Hoover said the sugar supply
for next year promised to be three
hundred thousand tons short Of the
estimated demand, but it was hoped
to solve the shortage by conservation
and limitation of supplies to manufac-
turers of non-essential foOdstuff,.
While he thought it might be necess-
airy to limit the per capita consump-
ton to three pounds month, the wit
ness said he did not consider the prin.
ciple of limitation of personal con-
sumption sound because it tended to
cause discomfort among the people.
The administrator explained his de-
sire to have the food administration S
view Of the sugar situation presented
early in the investigation by saying
that testimony before the committee
that there was plenty of sugar in the
country was not proved by the facts
as he knew them and tended to offset
the administrators campaign for con-
servation. He said he regarded as Wit.
al that his statement should counter
act the testimony as quickly as pos
s;D!e and thought his own.
Statement on the situation would
be more convincing than that Of Geo.
NJ. Rolph, head of the administration
sugar division in urging government
purchase of sugar y ~.
g Huge Profits.
Mr.. Hoover explained to the com
mittec that through that method alone
could refiners be paid an equitable
price. He said some beet factories
are making huge profits at the 1925
cents a pound agreed upon for beet
sugar, but on the Cther hand factory
in Michigan and lone or two" in Col
Drado actually are losing money at
that price. His plan, he said, is for
the government to purchase from
beet factories at different prices
based on the cost Of production, buy
cane sugars at prices on the same
basis, pool the entire lot and sell to
he consumer at one price.
The witness denied that the Cuban
)rice had been fixed by q committee
ormed of refiners at price advant-
lgeous to them. The prices, AGO
;ents a pound, he said, was fixed by
he state department and the Cuban
government. aE&te
Defends Food Board.
Mr.. Hoover defended the food adj
action in naming the
PRESIDENT of the American Sugar Re
lining company, an officer of the Ar
'uckle Refining company and Mr.
1olph as the American members of
he committee saying this country
ould be represented properly only by
efiners 1--WE are primarily dependent |
n these times on patriotic men who
Understand their businesses said the |
administrator.
. Much was said today of economic
oundness of price fixing. Sen. Lodge
ited authorities to show. that it had
allied and read some of Hoover's tes-
imony at the hearing on the food bill,
n which he was quoted as saying
rice fixing had been a failure in Eng I
and. @ ~
Price Fixing.
The witness explained that when he
o. testified England did not control
Commodities on which it attempted to
tx prices. He argued that price fix
1g of government controlled conlmod-
les was advisable to meet an emer-
ency. Mr.. Hoover maintained that
lie food administrations action on