The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1918-01-28
SUGAR CONTROL
SAVED MILLIONS
American Consumer Profited by
$3.50, 600, 600 French Stu
alton Helped.
HOME PRICE HELD At CENTS.
This Nations Sugar Supply Reduced
to Seventy Per Cent Of Normal
Java Stocks Unavailable.

Sugar control has saved the Amer
ican public $3.50 0oo. 900, Herbert Hoov-
er, United States food administrator.
declared the other day.
He pointed out that sugar was sell
ing for IL cents pound last August
and that 1t would have advanced to 20
cents a pound. with the world short
age as stimulus. had not the food
administration secured the co-opera-
ton of the refiners and wholesalers
and fixed a sugar price that today en-
ables housewives to buy sugar at from
-Sh to cents pound
Every / cent raise I'm sugar from
September 1 to january I means $16,-
OOO, 900 to the American consumer"
Mr.. Hoover said.s Numbers of gem
tlemen will tell you that 20 cent sugar
would have prevailed and the public
robbed of $50, 100000 this year II we
had not taken these actions Later
MIR. Hoover called attention to the fact
that uncontrolled sugar advanced to
35 cents pound during the Civil War.
France Got our Sugar.
Today the American public has been
allotted 20 per cent OF its 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.
"a pounds, and In France each person
is allotted little over one pound a
month
in August the French government
found itself unable to maintain even
this ration" Mr. Hoover declared.
IAN appeal was made to America.
France needed 100000 tons. We
agreed to ill this demand and up to
December had shipped So, 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 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 is sLs to 8 Cents.
Retail grocers throughout the coun-
try are supposed to take profit Of no
more than 30 cents hundred-half q
food administration regulations, bind
ing refners and wholesalers, the re-
taller is able today to buy sugar at
from to 81 cents pound. This
enables him to sell to the housewife at
81 to 8 cents 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 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 ag-
gravated cases, and we have issued
warnings to first offenders In q great
many instances through our local adj
illustrators.
Effect on Military Situation.
American sugar stocks could be GIl-
ed to normal very soon If ships could
be sent to Java, where 25o, 900 tons oe
sugar Is waiting for shipment. But
the shipping situation is SO acute that
the nation cannot spare the eleven
ships needed to transport this sugar.
It would take the boats one year to
haul 10000 tons In the same time
they could be used for transporting
200, 900 soldiers to France.
The food administration believes
that the American public viii diminish
it's sugar consumption by 10 or 10 per
cent when It is made clear that such
sugar saving is a patriotic act and
when It IL understood that there are
plenty of sweeteners available to take
the place OF sugar. such al honey or
corn syrup.
Why Shortage ExIsta.
The three great sugar producing cen
tiers 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 o boats made big inroads on
the worlds shipping, France and Italy
ceased to be self sustaining In sugar
manufacture England I'm the mean
time was cut OF from German sugar
1, 4O0, 900 tons ear-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