The Tupelo journal., 1918-02-08
AMERICAN SUGAR
SENT TO FRANCE
American Price RigidIy Regulated
by United States Food
Administration.
CONSUMERS HERE PAY &c.
Sugar Cost IS Cents q Pound During
Civil War-Refiners' Profits
Now CurtaiIed.

Is selling tOudy
America at from 8h to 8 cents a
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 h 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 $4,000 ons Of sugar have
been shipped to France in the last
four months the retail grocer's sugar
price Is around s to 81 cents. He
should sell this sugar at Sh to y
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 OF
sugar rose suddenly to IL 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 Sk and 9 cents
and keeping it from advancing to ~
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
sugar for even their present meagre
and depressing ration unless they send
ships to remote markets for 1t. IT we
in u 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 var
"If we send the ships to Java
for ESQ, 900 tons Of sugar next year
we will have necessitated the en-
pIoyment Of eleven extra ships for
one year.. These ships-if used in
Transporting troops-would 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 n~eighboring 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,-
600 tons. The Italian production has
fallen from 10000 tons to $4,000 tons.
Thus three countries were thrown
upon East and West Indian sources
for 1,925,OOO 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 o 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.
'In spite of these Shipments" Mr..
Hoover stated the other day, THE
English government in August reduced
the household sugar ration to a basis
of "a pounds per annum per capita.
And in September the French govern
ment reduced their household ration
to 13 2-1O pounds a year. or a 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 l. The French request was
granted because the American house
hold consumption was then at least 55
pounds per person. and It was consfd-
cred the duty OF maintaining the
French morale made our course clear"
Today the sugar situation may
b. summarized by stating that II
America will reduce it's sugar on
sumption 10 to IS per cent. this
nation will be able to send 10000
more soldiers to France.
Sugar today sells at seaboard re-
fneries at SIPS a hundred pounds.
The wholesale grocer has agreed to
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-
lation was made by the food admins
tration, which now asks the housewife