Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1918-02-04
SUGAR CONTROL
SAVED MILLIONS
American Consumer Profited by
$4,000, 0,O00-FrenCh Stu
alton Helped.
HOME PRICE HELD AT 9 CENTS.
This Naticn's ~ugar Supply Reduced
to Seventy Per Cent. Of Normal.
Java Stocks Unavailable.


declared the other day.
He pointed out that sugar was sell
/ ing for II cents a pound last August
and that it would have advanced to 20
cents pound, with the world short
age as a stimulus, had not the food
administration secured the co-opera-
thla of the refiners and wholesalers
a,Ad fixed II sugar price that today en-
a9les housewives to buy sugar at from
84s to cents a pound,
'I1very l cent raise in sugar from
[September 1 to January 1 means $1S,-
100000 to the American consumer"
lIr. Hoover said. Numbers of gen
tiemen win tell you that 20 cent sugar
would have prevailed and the public
robbed of $1S0,000,000 this year if we
had not taken these actions" Later
Mr.. Hoover called attention to the fact
that uncontrolled sugar advanced to
IB5 cents pound during the Civil War.
France Got Our Sugar.
! Today the American public has been
1nllotted 20 per cent? of its normal sup.
Iply. Before the war the average an
aual household consumption here was
BJ pounds a person. In England the
annual consumption during the war is
a pounds, and in France each person
* allotted a little over one pound
month.
"In August the French government
found itself unable to maintain. even
This ration" Mr. Hoover declared.
San appeal was made to America.
France needed 100000 tons. We
agreed to fill this demand and up to
December had shipped S5,426 tons. In
the meantime an appeal was made to
the American public to reduce its sug-
ar consumption, and requests were
made to distributors to supply the
confectionery and sweet drinks trade
with 80 per cent. of normal supply.
This has been generally followed, al
though such regulations were volun-
Itary, as the food administration had
no authority to Impose them"
Domestic Price is az to 9 Cents.
Retail grocers throughout the eoun-
try are supposed to take a profit OF no
more than so cents a hundred-half
cent pound-on sugar. By reason OF
food administration regulations, bind
ing refners and wholesalers, the re-
taller is able today to buy sugar at
from s to S1a cents a pound This
enables him to sell to the housewife at
S15 to cents q pound.
There have been some violations of
the sugar rulings, Mr. Hoover said
recently: "SaleS of sugar from 16 to
20 cents per pound have been reported
and followed up vigorously and stop
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 ar
gravated cases, and we have issued
warnings to first offenders in a great
many instances through our local adj
ministrators.
Effect on Military Situation.
American sugar stocks could be fill
ed to normal very soon if ships could
be sent to Java, where 250,000 tons of
sugar is waiting for shipment. But
! lIS SllljpiilS Slthhllpi 10 SO uSubC tAicAt
the nation cannot spare the eleven
ships needed TO transport this sugar
1t would take the boats one year to
haul 250,000 IONS. In the same time
they could he. used for Transporting
| 200, 900 soldiers to France.
The food administration believes
that the American public will diminish
its sugar consumption by 10 or 15 per
cent. when it is made clear that such
sugar saving is a patriotic act and
when it is understood that there are
plenty of sweeteners available to take
the place of sugar, such as honey or
corn syrup.
Why Shortage Exists.
The three great sugar producing cen
ters of the world are Germany, the
West and East Indies. German sugar
is, OF course, used at home. The East
Indian sugar is unavailable because of
The ship shortage.
While U boats made big inroads on
The worlds shipping, France and Italy
ceased to be self sustaining in sugar
manufacture England in the mean
time was cut Off from German sugar
100000 tons a year-because of the
war. The result has been that the al
lied nations have been forced to turn
TO America and the West Indies for
their sugar.