The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-01-03
HOOVER CLAIMS HE IS
 BEING HAMMERED BY THE
 LACK OF PROPER POWER
Food Administrator Tells the Senate Committee He Hasn't Adequate Author ity for Handling Sugar Situation = Resents Sup pression of Statement.

Washington, Jan 3-Food Admin istrator Hoover yesterday defended his efforts to regulate the sugar SUD- plies of the country He declared that in determining the prices of sugar and other commodities he had fol- lowed a principle that no extortionate profits should be made at the expense of the people
 MT Hoover protested against the fusal of the Senate committee on Dec 22 to accept a statement from his explaining the sugar situation, or to allow him earlier in the investiga- tion to appear in person to refute alleged unfair statements by Claus A. Spreckles of the Federal Sugar Co.
 MT. Hoover said he had been ham, pered in controlling the sugar situa1 tion because the Food Control Act did not allow him to control distribu- i tion. He suggested amending the | law so as to empower the government i to purchase the sugar supplies of this 1 country and Cuba at prices to be de- termined, following the plans in vogue with respect to purchase of wheat. With such a law, he said, he would be in much better position 1 to protect the consumers and at the same time arrange for the refners to allow better prices to beet growers and others.
 A large part of MT. Hoover's exam ination was conducted by Senator Lodge. It related to conditions of the sugar trade prior to the war and the testimony of Mir. Hoover before agri- cultural committees of Congress. At one time. MT. Hoover said. he had hoped some new Cabinet officer would be named to take the job and let me out"
 Senator Reed. chairman of the com tn1ittee. who has been the bitterest critic of Mir. Hoover and of the Food Administration. refrained from ques- tioninR him until late in the day. A caustic passage of words between the two occurred when Senator Jones en- deavored to put in the official record the Hoover statement sent the com nittee on Dec. g. but not accepted. This statement later was made public by the President.
 q houe the committee would let it lgo to the public" said MT. Hoover. '"Fhe impression has gone broadcast there was plenty of sugar in the coun- 7 try. It was bringing protests to me, . and was against the propaganda we had sent out. When I learned the committee had refused to make a statement as to whether the state ment should be given out I refused tzJ1 ( %c be discourteous to the committee. It was already in the Presidents hands. If I had known it would not have been discourteous I would have been glad to send it out"
 Senator Reed criticised him for gfv- ing the press a statement about the testimony of MT. Sprecl1les. 'Tt was given wide publicity without an opportunity for me to reply" said MT. Hoover.
 f'The committee heard men who represented you-Mr. Babst and MT Ro1ph,'' said MT. Reed. "'Did you not suggest them to us?"
 ''Mr. Babst does not speak for me- retorted Mr. Hoover. "Hs words, think, would not carry the same con. viction as mine. I gave you the names of two others you did not call too-Mr. Earle of the Independent } and Judge Miller, head of the Louis jana oducers."
 f "Wait a minute" MT. Reed inter l rupted. ''You are evidently in q littl' heat They will be called later"- t MT. Hoover deplored publicity las l spring given to statc ents at execu 7 tive committee hearings about tn, l sugar shortage and the necessity fo } fixing prices.
 He said that one of his first act had been to try and settle strikes il the Cuban cane fields so this coun try's supply might be protected. ] "A few days after I arrived iron . Europe" he added, "the State De e partment asked me to see what coult e be done to settle labor troubles il r Cuba. At my suggestion a represen e tative was sent to Cuba to see wha could be done with the Cuban gov ernnlent."
 Testimony showed soon after the time much of the trouble was cleared up.
 Senator Lodge attacked MT. Hoo | yer $ I0SllI1OuY DSIOtO d OCIk6IC COlIl
 nittee last May, in which he said
 short Cuban sugar crop was feare this year because of labor trouble
 Statistics show that this years cro was the largest on record.
 'When I investigated the Cuba
 situation many sugar men gave
 gloomy outlook of this years crop,
 MT. Hoover replied. My statemer 1 was based on facts drought to my at
 tentien then. Those hearings wer
 in executive session and that Is wh
 I spoke so freely. I did not wish t
 alarm the country"
 MT. Hoover revealed that result
 from food conservation plans formu
 lated for hotels and restaurants ha
 been disappointing because of the de
 libeFate failure of some to eo-operat
 with the Administration. Those seek
 ing to help had been forced to aban
 don their efforts, MT. Hoover said, 1 1 order ito meet competition. He be
 lieved housewives generally were con
 forming to the conservation recon
 mendations.
 MT. Hoover said the sugar suppl for next year promised to be 306,o0
 tons short of the estimated demand
 but it was hoped to solve the short
 age by censervatien and limitation c
 supply to manufacturers of non-es
 sentia1 feedstuffs. While he though
 it might be necessary to limit pc
 capita consumption to three pounds
 month, MT. Hoover said he did no consider the principle of limitation 0
 personal consumption sound as
 tended to cause discomfort among tn
 people.