The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1918-01-24
SUGAR CONTROL
SAVED MILLIONS
AMERICAN CONSUMER PROFITED
BY $3.50, 900, O,O00--FRENCH STU
ALTON HELPED.

1
BY $50. .0OO, ,000---FRENCH STU
ALTON HELPED.
Sugar control has saved the Amer
lean public $1SOOOO,O Herbert Hoov'
er, United States food administrator
declared the other day.
He pointed out that sugar was sell
ing for IL cents a pound last August
and that 1t would have advanced to ~
cents a pound, with the world short
age as q stimulus, had not the FOOD
administration secured the co-opera-
ton of the refiners and wholesalers
and fixed a sugar price that today en-
ables housewives to buy sugar at from
81 to 8 cents a pound.
Every cent raise in sugar from
September / to January / means $1S,-
100000 to the American consumer,
Mr.. Hoover said. Numbers OF gen.
tlemen will tell you that 20 cent sugar
would have prevailed and the public
robbed of $1SO,OOO,0O0 this year If we
had not taken these actions" Later
Mr.. Hoover called attention to the fact
that uncontrolled sugar advanced to
IS cents pound during the Civil War.
France Got Our Sugar.
Today the American public has been
allotted 20 per cent Of its normal sup
ply. Before the war the average an
nual household consumption here was
IS pounds a person. In England the
annual consumption during the war is
"a pounds, and in France each person
Is allotted a little over one pound
month.
I'm August the French government
found itself unable to maintain even
this ration" Mr.. Hoover declared.
"An appeal was made to America.
France needed 100000 tons. We
agreed to fill this demand and up to
December had shipped s5,426 tons. In
the meantime an appeal was made to
the American public to reduce Its sug'
ar consumption, and requests were
made to distributors to supply the
confectionery and sweet drinks trade
with 80 per cent. Of normal supply.
This has been generally followed. al
though such regulations were volun-
tary, as the food administration had
no authority to impose them"
Domestic Price is sIz to 9 Cents.
Retail grocers throughout the coun-
try are supposed to take profit OF no
more than 80 cents hundred-half a
cent q pound-on sugar. BY reason OF
food administration regulations, bind
inc reiners and wholesalers, the re-
taller is able today to buy sugar at
from 8 to 81 cents pound This
enables him to sell to the housewife at
81 to 8 cents pound.
There have been some violations OF
the sugar rulings. Mr.. Hoover said
recently: "Sales Of sugar from 10 to
20 cents per pound have been reported
and followed up vigorously and stop
ped and Is evidence itself Of the prices
at which consumers would have been
mulct had we not intervened. We have
forfeited wholesalers licenses in ag-
gravated cases, and we have Issued
warnings to first offenders In great
many instances through our local ad-
ministrators."
Effect on Military Situation.
American sugar stocks could be I'LL
ed to normal very soon II ships could
be sent to Java, where 2500O0 tons Of
supar Is waiting for shipment But
the shipping situation is so acute that
the nation cannot spare the eleven
ships needed to transport this sugar.
1t would take the boats one year to
haul 25O,OOO tons. In the same time
thew could be used for transporting
100000 soldiers to France.
The food administration believes
that the American public will diminish
its sugar consumption by 10 or 10 per
cent when it is made clear that such
sugar saving is a patriotic act and
when 1t Is understood that there are
plenty of sweeteners available to take
the DldCe VI ou6ohs SuSh $40 NN~s -
corn syrup.
Why Shortage Exists.
The three great sugar producing GEN.
ters of the world are Germany, the
West and East Indies. German sugar
is. Of course, used at home. The East
Indian sugar is unavailable because OF
the ship shortage.
While U boats made big inroads on
the worlds shipping, France and Italy
ceased to be self sustaining in sugar
manufacture. England in the mean,
time was cut Off from German sugar
1.4OO 900 tons a year-because Of the
war. The result has been that the al
lied nations have been forced to turn
to America and the West Indies fol
their sugar.
EvApE RIGID FOOD CONTROL.