Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1918-02-01
SUSAR CONTROL
SAVED MILLIONS
American Consumer Profited BY
$4,000, 000-French Stu.
alton Helped.
HOME PRICE HELD At 9 CENTS.
This Nations Sugar Supply Reduced
to Seventy Per Cert. Of Normal
Java Stocks Unavailable.

Sugar control has saved the Amer
lean public 1s0.0oo,0 900, Herbert HooV'
er, United States feod administrator.
declared the other day.
He pointed out that sugar wns sell
Ing for ii cents q pound last August
and that II would have advanced TO 70
cents a pound, with the world short
age as q stimulus. had not the food
administration secured the co-opera-
ton of the renners and wholesalers
and fred n sugar price that today en-
sbles housewives to buy sugar at from
So to 0 cents pound.
Every / cent raise in sugar from
September l to January l means slo,-
COG. 600 to the American consumer.
Mr. Hoover said. Numbers OF gen
uernen will tell you that 20 cent sugar
would have prevailed and the public
robbed of $3.50, 100000 this year II we
had not tften these actiona' Later
Mr.. Hoover called attention 10 the fact
that uncontrolled sugar advanced TO
35 cents a pound during the Civil War.
France Oo our sugar.
To-day the American public has been
allotted 20 per cent OF It's normal sup
ply. Before the war the average an
nual household consumption here was
IS pounds a person. In England the
annual consumption during the war is
~ pounds, and In France each person
is allotted . little over one pound n
month.
In August the French government
found itself unable to maintain even
this ration" Mr.. Hoover declared.
AN appeal was made 10 America.
France needed 100000 tons. We
agreed 70 all this demand and up TO
: December had shipped s5.4e6 tons. In
the meantime an appeal WAS made to
the American public to reduce Its sug-
ar consumption. and requests were
made 10 distributors 10 supply the
confectionery and sweet drinks trade
with so per cent of normal supply.
This has been generally followed. al
though such regulations were volun-
tary, as the food administration had
no authority to impose them"
Domestic Price 10 oIs to Q Cents.
Retail groeers throughout the coun-
try are supposed TO take a profit of no
more than 50 cents n hundred-haif a
cent a pound-on sugnr. BY reason of
food administration regulations, bind
Ing refners and Wholesalers, the re-
taller II able today to buy sugar At
from 10 So cents u pound. This
enables him to sell TO the housewife at
Sil 10 o cents q pound.
There have been some violations OF
the sugar rulings. Mr.. Hoover said
recently: SALES OF sugar from 10 to
20 cents per pound have been reported
and followed up vigorously and step
ped and Is evidence Itself OF the prices
at which consumers would have been
mulct had We not interviewed. We have
forfeited wholesalers licenses in az
graynted cases. and we have ISSUED
warnings to fest offenders In a greai
many instances through our local al
ministrators."
Effect On Military Situation.
American sugar stocks could be I'LL
ed to normal very soon II ships could
be sent to lava, where 10000 tons OF
sugar is waiting for shipment. But
the shipping situation Is 30 acute thn'
the nation cannot spare the eiever
ships needed to transport this sugar
II would take the boats one year e
haul 10000 tons In the same tins
they could be used for transporting
200 900 soldiers to France.
The food administration believes
that the American public will diminish
its sugar consumption by 10 or Is Del
cent. when II Is made clear that suci
sugar saving Is a patriotic act ant
when II is understood that there Ar,
plenty Of sweeteners available TO TAXI
the place OF sugar. such as honey 81
corn syrup.
Why Shortage Exisss-
The three great sugar producing cen
ters of the world are Germany, th'
west and East Indies. German suga
IN. of course, used at home. The Eos
Indian sugar 10 unavailable because o
the ship shortage.
While u boa Is made big inroads OF
the worlds shipping, France and ltal,
ceased to be self sustaining In suga
manufacture. England In the mean
time was cut of from German sugar
100000 tons a year-because OF III
war. The result has been that the al
lied nations have been forced TO tur
to America and the West Indies 70
their sugar.