The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1918-01-29
AMERICAN SUGAR
Sent TO FRANCE
American Price RigidIy Regulated
by United States Food
Administration.
CONSUMERS HERE PAY 90.
Sugar Cost 35 Cents a Pound During
Civil War-Reflners' Profits
ROW Curtailed-

Sugar is selling today throughout
America at from SIa TO cents a
pound to the consumer, even though
there is a world shortage which has
reduced this nations sugar allotment
to 70 per cent of normal
Through the efforts of the United
States food administration the sugar
market has been regulated as far as
the producer, reiiner and wholesaler
is concerned The food administration
has no power to regulate retail prices
except by public opinion. Even though
more than $4,000 tons of sugar have
been shipped to France in the last
four months tile retail grocer's sugar
price is around 8 to Sb cents He
should sell this sugar at 8la to
cents, the food administration believes,
and asks the American housewife to
pay no more than this amount.
Last August when the food admin
lstratiOn was organized the price Of
sugar rose suddenly to II cents
pound During the Civil War sugar
cost the consumer 35 cents pound
BY regulation Of the sugar market and
reducing the price TO S1a and 8 cents
and keeping 1t from advancing to 20
cents the food administra ton has saw.
ed the American public at least $780,
100000 in four months, according to
a statement made by Herbert Hoover
the other day
1T is our stern duty to feed the al
lies, to maintain their health and
strength at any cost to ourselves"
Mr. Hoover declared. "There has not
been. nor will be as we see it, enough
sugar for even their present meagre
and depressing ration unless they send
ships to remote markets for it. If we
in our greed and gluttony force them
either to further reduce their ration
or to send these ships we will have
done damage TO our abilities to win
this war
az we send the ships to Java
for 25o,ooo tons Of sugar next year
we will have neeessitated the en-
ployment Of eleven extra ships for
one year. These ships--if used in
Transporting troops-would take
$50 600 to 100000 men to France"
Reason for World Shortage.
As Mr.. Hoover pointed out, the
United States, Canada and England
were sugar importing countries before
the war while France and Italy were
very nearly self supporting. The main
sources of the worlds sugar supply
was Germany and neighborlng powers,
the West Indies and the East Indies.
German sugar is no longer available,
as It is used entirely in Germany,
which also absorbs sugar OF surround
ing countries
England can no longer buy / 100000
long tons of sugar each year from
Germany. The French sugar produc-
ton has dropped from 100000 TO 2l0,.
900 tons. The Italian production has
fallen from 21O.O0O tons to 10000 tons
Thus three countries were thrown
upon Eust and West Indian sources
for ,925 900 tons annually to maintain
their normal consumption.
DttduSe VI hiS W"iiu ShipPtnE
shortage the allied nations started |
drawing on the West Indies for sugar |
East Indian sugar took three times
the number Of ships, since the dis |
lance 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 lava 100000
tons bcfore the shipping situation be-
came acute.
an spite Of these shipments" Mr..
Hoover stated Ihs QLAeE- daX .~ths