The St. Johns herald., 1918-02-28
AMERICAN SUGAR SENT ID FRANCE: American Price RigidIy Regulated by United States Food
 Administration. CONSUMERS HERE PAY Sc. Sugar Cost 35 Gents a Pound During Civil War-Refiners' Profits
 Now CurtaiIed.
CONSUMERS HERE PAY Sc.

Sugar is selling today throughout America at from S15 to 9 cents pound to the consumer, even though there is a world shortage which has reduced this nations sugar allotment to 70 per cent. of normal.
 Through the efforts of. the United States food administration the sugar market has been regulated as far as the producer, refner and wholesaler is concerned. The food administration has no power to regulate retail prices except by public opinion. Even though more than S5,OO0 tons of sugar have been shipped to France in the last four months the retail grocer's sugar price is around 8 to S1a cents. He should sell this sugar at S1A to 9 cents, the food administration believes, and asks the American housewife to pay no more than this amount.
 Last August when the food admin istration was organized the price Ot sugar rose suddenly to II cents a pound. During the Civil War sugar cost the consumer 35 cents a pound. By regulation of the sugar market and reducing. the price to S1a and 9 cents and keeping it from advancing to 2O. cents the food administration has say ed the American public at least SlSO,- 100000 in four months, according to a statement made by Herbert Hoover the other day.
 "It is our stern duty to feed the al- lies, to maintain their health and strength at any cost to ourselves" Mir. 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.
 "If we send the ships to Java
 for 2sO,0C0 tons of sugar next year
 we will have neeessItated the en1-
 pIeyment Of eleven extra ships for
 one year. These ships-f used in
 transporting troops-wouId take
 150,oO0 to 2o0,0o men to France"
 Reason for World Shortage.
 As Mir. 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- tion has dropped from 750,000 to 21O,- GOO tons. The Italian production has fallen from 210000 tons to 75,00O tons. Thus three countries were thrown upon East and West Indian sources for l, ,925, ,O00 tons annually to maintain their normal consumption.
 Because of the worlds shipping shortage the allied nations started drawing on the West Indies for sugar 1; East Indian sugar took three times the number of ships, since the dis tance was three times as great. Sud denly the west was called on to fur nish and did furnish 1,420,000 tons of sugar to Europe when 300,O00 tons a year was the pre-war demand. The allies had drawn from Java 100000 tons before the shipping situation be- came acute.
 "Tn spite of these shipments" Mir. Hoover stated the other day, "the English government in August reduced the household sugar ration to a basis of 24 pounds per annum per capita. And in September the French govern ment reduced their household ration to 13 2-1O pounds year, or bit over 1 pound of sugar month. Even this meagre ration could not be filled by t;,e French government it was found earlv in the fall. America was then asked for 100000 tons of sugar and succeeded in sending S5,000 tons by December 1. The French request was granted because the American house hold consumption was then at least ,; pounds per person, and it was cOnsid cred the duty of maintaining the French morale made our course clear
 Today the sugar situation may
 be summarized by stating that if
 America will reduce it's sugar con-
 sumption 10 to IS per cent. this
 nation will be able to send 100000
 more soldiers to France.
 Sugar today sells at seabOard re