Mexico Missouri message., 1918-02-14
American Price RigidIy Regulated
by United States Food
Administration.
CONSUMERS HERE PAY &c.
Sugar Cost 35 Cents Pound During
Civil War-Refiners Profits
Now curtailed.

pound TO 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
market has been regulated as far as
the producer, refiner and wholesaler
is concerned. The food administration
has no power to regulate retail prices
except by public opinion. Even though
more than $1,000 tons Of sugar have
been shipped to France in the last
four months the retail grOcers sugar
price is around TO S1s cents. He
should sell this sugar at S15 to o
cents, the food administration believes,
and asks the American housewife to
pay no more than this amount
Last August when the food admin
istratlon was organized the price of
sugar rose suddenly to II cents a
pound. During the Civil War sugar
cost the consumer 80 cents a pound.
BY regulation Of the sr"Hr market and
reducing the price e. 81 and 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.
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 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.
az we send the ships to Java
for 250,0C0 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-wouId take
10000 to 100000 men to France"
Reason for World Shortage.
AS Mr.. 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 no longer available, |
as 1t is used entirely in Germany, |
which also absorbs sugar of surround !
ing countries.
England can no longer buy 100000 |
long tons of sugar each year from |
Germany. The French sugar produc- |
ton has dropped from 10000 to 210,- |
900 tons. The italian production has |
fallen from 100000 tons to $4,000 tons. |
Thus three countries were thrown |
upon East and West Indian sources |
for 1,925,000 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
lance was three times as great Sud
denly the west was called on to fur |
nish and did furnish 100000 tons of |
sugar to Europe when 100000 tons a |
year was the pre-war demand. The !
allies had drawn from Java 100000 /
tons before the shipping situation be- |
came acute.
SIN spite of these shipments" Mr.. /
Hoover stated the other day, "the ]
English government in August reduced !
the household sugar ration to q basis [
Of "a pounds per annum per capita.
And in September the French govern
ment reduced their household ration
to 10 2-10 pounds year, or bit over |
pound of sugar a month. Even this |
meagre ration could not be filled by |
the French government it was found
early in the fall. America was then
asked for 100000 tons Of sugar and
succeeded in sending $4,000 tons by
December /. The French request was
granted because the American house
hold consumption was then at least IS
pounds per person, and 1t was consid- |
cred the duty of maintaining the
French morale made our course clear"
Today the sugar situation may
be summarized by stating that II
America will reduce it's sugar corr
sumption 10 to is per cent. this
nation will be able to send 100000
more soldiers to France.
Sugar today sells at seaboard re-
fneries at SIPS a hundred pounds.
The wholesale grocer has agreed TO I
limit his profit to 25 cents a hundred
plus freight, and the retail grocer is
supposed to take no more than so cents
a hundred pounds profit. This regu-
latlon was made by the food admins
tration, 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 8 cents pound for
sugar.