New Britain herald., 1918-08-22
SHOULD SELL SUGAR
 FOR FALL CANNING
Recent Warning No Excuse for Stopping Sale, Retailers Informed

Hartford, Aug. Because they are unlikely to get certificates for any more sugar until about October i is no reason, in the opinion of the food administration, why Connecticut re- tallers should refuse to sell sugar for legitimate canning purposes. It was made clear at the office of the federal 1ood administrator for Connecticut to- day that the recent warning to retail CTS 10 go easy on their present sugar stocks, because they might not get any more during September. could not properly be construed as an excuse for refusing to sell sugar for proper pur- poses or for any technical hoarding by the retailers themselves
 As for canning, at this time of the year, the Food Administration is well aware that\unfortunately there is very little fruit in Connecticut which may be canned and surplus fruit cannot DC claimed as a, reason for obtaining unnecessary large quantities of sugar TOT canning. The Food Administra- tons liberty canning certificate sys- tenn, founded on the honor of the person who signed the certificate, has been f1agrantly abused in Connecticut and throughout the country and the Food Administration says it has a mass of evidence to prove this con- tention. It is claimed that people who never before bought sugar for canning and who this year did no canning or preserving whatever made frequent use of the sugar canning cer- tit1cates on which to secure 15 or more pounds of sugar at one time. Some retailers aided and abetted these evasions of the regulations by carelessly failing to police their own business.
 For this reason the Food Adminis tration says that the whole sugar sit uaion is up to the retailers and to the consumers, both of which classes generally speaking are known to be fairly well equipped with sugar for weeks to come. Because of the un- warranted expense of several million dollars to install and maintain a card system, the Food Administration is disinclined at this time to put people on a, sugar card system. Ii was also pointed out a t the Food AdminiStra- ton office today that every country which has tried the card system, Eng land, France, and even supposedly laWabiding, verboten- observing Ger many, has had poor success with the card system. The Food Administra- ton does not believe that quiCk-Wit- ted Americans. released from their honor pledges to observe rules and regulations would have much diff culty in the fascinating game of beat ing the card system, especially when q. premium is put upon cheating and deceit instead of, as at present, on loyalty and honor.
 Tn making public roday a letter which he was sending to all the re- tail groCers of Connection, Federal Food Administrator Robert Scoville, explained that the people of onnecti- cut must be guided by the special rules and regulations prescribed for this jurisdiction, regardless Of more or less inaccurate and misleading stories published outside of the state especially in New York and Boston newspapers MT. Scovil1e reiterated former statement that dealers and consumers may always accept as of flcia1 whatever is printed in Connec- Icut newspapers as coming from the office of the federal food administra- tor in Hartford.