Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-06-12
Know the Facts
About
SUGAR
-" HEIRS not to reason why
the,r's but 10 do and die

when Il comes 10 the final test or
folders response TO duty, but one does
not have TO be a deep Psychologist TO
sel that that sort of thing would go
rather better with n regular man
composed army than with an army OF
women II Is not at all to the discredlt
Of woman that she stops to ask why,
and the fact that she has asked why
At every Junoture IN the food thrift
campaign has made that campaign alb
soluteIy Irresistible IN its effect. Once
.s-suade the American housewife OF
he reasonableness OF the food regula-
lion and she Will not only comply with
The regulation. but she will turn around
md fght as hard for II as the Food
Administrator himself And Il might
De added that II you don't explain her
The why's and wherefores-wel. you
won't find an overwhelming amount OF
blind obedience.
So IL was that Mistress American
Housewife just insisted on knowing
why she had 70 use corn meal. and why
che couldn't have all the wheat she
wanted for her family. And It wasn't
very easy proposition 70 explain
There we're questions OF economics and
psychology involed that taxed the I'M
Outstanding even OF students Of national
food relations There were large cues
lions OF shipping and transportation
involved, matters OF chemistry and
dietetics 10 understand. all Of which
would have required a liberal educa-
ton. But the housewife was not only
anxious TO know why. she was deeply
interested and SO far from becoming
confused or bored when the food au-
thorities did begin 70 explain through
the means of magazines and newspa-
pers and through the work Of lectur-
ers and demonstrators. the housewife
actually grasped the situation very
we'll There were some women. Of
course, who said that they thought
women IN general ought 70 take .nose
things on faith, that IT stood TO reason
that the Food Commissioner and his
staff knew more about the situation
than they did. that they were employed
70 study the question and that X vas
d!sIoyal or at leas: rather silly TO ex-
pect 8 lucid explanation; but women
like that were IN the minority The
majority wanted to know all about Il,
and they found out. too.
Now they want 10 know all about
the sugar situation. They want 70
know why they are signing those little
slips with the grocer for their twenty
FIVE pounds maximum OF sugar for
canning. and they want TO know why
they can have only one slip with one
grocer. Is sugar actually scarce. or
are we expected 70 ship II 70 the allies
or are we conserving Il only SO as 10
make possible the canning OF all per
ishable fruits? These are questions
they ask In this case it really doesn' I
80 much matter whether we all I'M
derstand Il or not. for the twenty
five pounds maximum is something We
can't get around Stiu Il Is the Amer
lean way 10 make known the situation
and II ts the American housewives way
10 want 20 know.
Here Is something then that every
housewife ought TO know. There has
been al actual shortage Of more than
two million tons OF sugar annually n
the shortage is likely 10 continue so
long as the war lasts. The reason FOR
this is simple Il Is largely due 70 the
fact that q large number OF sugar mills
and a considerable area OF sugar pro
ducing lands IN Europe have been de-
Btroyed through the devastating effect
Of warfare.
Prior TO the war" says the Depart
rlent OF Agriculture expert '.practi-
cally ell the belligerent countries, with
the exception Of the United Kingdom
and Italy. exported sugar. the totaI
amount being upward OF three million
tons. War. however. has changed the
sugar production map, and at the same
time It has shifted the channels OF
uase. In 1915 II is estimated that the
Allies must import a minimum o.
100000 tons OF sugar.
formerly the United Kingdom anC
France depended TO q considerable ex-
tent upon Germany. Austria Hungary
Belgium. and Russia for sugar. Thes'
sources were shut off by the war The
L nited Kingdom alone thus lost III,
source OF more than half Of her nor
nal supply OF sugar and has turned
70 new as well as other old sources 10,
her supply. The changes thus brough
about have been largely diversion @
the product Of Mauritius TO the Cnitet
Kingdom instead OF to India. and al
expansion Of the imports OF unrcfnet
sugar from Cuba. the Philippines ant
Peru. For refined sugar she drew upol
the United States and Java. How
ever, the Allies can not turn 10 sucl
exporting countries as Java and Mau
rltius without being forced to go
much longer distance and over a NOR
perilous route than across the Atlantic
Il the Allies are compelled to go 4
those countries It will require an extri
amount Of shipping which is needet
for transportation OF American sol
diers and supplies 10 France and Eng
land.
'Russia's exports practically ceases
IN 1914, and she Is now reported a
somewhat short OF sugar ItaIy's crol
decreased last year and her import
have increased largely since the wa
began. Italy's normal consumption
however. is small and her deficit is no
SERIOUS"