The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1918-01-31
AMERICAN SUGAR
Sent / 70 FRANCE
msrican Prlce Rlgldly Regulated.
BY United States Food
Admlnist atlon.
CONSUMERS HERE PAY 90

esear COST 90 osnts a Pound During
Civil vvar-Rehnsrs' Profits
New ourtaIisd. L
sugar u selling today throughout
Ansr1ca at from 81 to 8 cents .:
pound to tho consumer, even though
thsrs y . world shortage which has
reduced this nations sugar allotment
. 70 Per cent % normal.
Through tho efforts Of the United
States food administration the sugar
market has been regulated as far a.
~ producsS rennsr and wholesaler
y concerned. The food administration
has no power to regulate retail prices
oncspt BY public opinion. Even though
more than 5000 tons Of sugar have
boen shipped to France In the last
dur months the retail grocer's sugar
pgice u around 8 to 81 cents. He
mould cell this sugar at 81 to 9
ooots, the food administration believes,
9nd~asks tho American housewife to
pay no moro than this amount.
last August when the food admin
ietration was organized the price Of
sugar rose suddenly to IL cents q
pound. During the Civil War sugar
cost the consumer 8b cents pound.
d regulation OF the sugar market and
reducing the price to 81 and 8 cents
lnd keeping It from advancing to 20
eonts the food administration has saw,
n the American public at least $780,
10000 In four months, according to
statement made by Herbert Hoover
~ other day. r. !. ~. ..ss
n - our stern duty to feed the al
eoA TO maintain their health and
strength at any cost to ourselves"
u. Hoover declared. '@There has not
been, nor will be as. we see it. enough
sugar for even their present meagre
ind depressing ration unless they send
ahips to remote markets for It. If we
n our greed and gluttony force them
hther to further reduce their ration
y to send these ships we will have
oono damage to our abilities to win
this war. jE ..
+ ~ we send tho ships to Java
for 26o, 900 tons Of sugar next year
W. will have necessitated the en-
pleyn,snt Of eleven extra ships for
( enc year. These shlps-If used In
Z Transporting troops-wouid take q,
sso. 600 - 100000 men to France"
4 i Reason for World Shortage.
,t,.. A. Mr.. Hoover pointed out the
United States, Canada and England
were sugar importing countries before
the wal, while France and Italy were
very nearly self supporting. The main
sources Of the worlds sugar supply
w.s Germany and neighboring powers,
the West Indies and the East Indies.
German sugar il no longer available,
% It 10 used entirely In Germany,
which also absorbs sugar of surround
Ing countries. %Es....:s& m .ss-..5
England can no longer buy 1,400, ,00
long tons Of sugar each year from
Germany. The French sugar produc-
tion has dropped from 10000 to 210.-
600 tons. The italian production has
fallen from 210.000 tons to $4,000 tons.
Thus three countries were thrown
upon East and West Indian sources
for 1925, 600 tons annually to maintain
their normal consumption. =*
Because Of the worlds shipping
shortage the allied nations started
drawing on the West Indies for sugar.
6ast Indian sugar took three times
the number Of ships, since the dis
tanco 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. ....s. :. 49, =. y = 49,
. 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
10 1S 2-10 pounds year, or q bit over
I pound of sugar 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 $1,000 tons BY
December 1. The French request vas
Kranted because the American house.
hold consumption was then at least %
pounds per person, and It was consid-
cred tho duty Of maintaining the
French morale made our course clear"
Today the sugar situation may
bO summarized by stating that II
America will reduce Ito sugar con-
sumption 10 TO 10 per cent. thls
nation wilt be able to send 100000
more soldiers to France.
Sugar today sells at seaboard 70.
dnsries at $7.25 hundred pounds.
The wholesale grocer has agreed to
limit his profit to Is cents q hundred
plus freight, and the retail grocer 10
supposed to take no more than 80 cents
= h,,nHrnd nounda nrnf1t This roor.