The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1918-09-11
MERCHANTS MUST
keep COMPLETE REC
Ord OF SUGAR SALES
State Food Administrator Sackett
Says GrOcers Must Keep Careful
Record Of Customers Buy
ing Sugar.

Merchants are admonished to keep
complete records of sugar sales in a
bulletin just issued by Federal Food
Administrator Fred M. Sackett to the
County Food Administrators of Ken
lucky. The bulletin carries the in
formation that unless merchants COM
ply with this requirement 1t will be
impossible for the Food Administers
ton to consider their applications for
increased sugar allotments, and that
consequently the consumers may suf-
fer.
Food Administration suggestions
concerning merchants records are ex-
ceedingly explicit, They are embod-
led in the single sentence. Every
merchant must keep an alphabetical
record of all sugar customers, which
record must show the number in the
family and the dates and amounts OF
all sales" Nevertheless, Food Adj
ministration inspectors have report
ed a very general failure on the part
of the merchants to comply with this
request.
Some of the merchants simply keep
record of sales from day to day
which is neither permanent nor in al
phabetical order. With only such q
record to resort to, inspectors find ii
impossible to trace the full sugar pur-
chase record of any family.
Some merchants start a proper al
phabetical record, but they write il
with a lead pencil on an ordinary
scratch tablet. 1t is difficult to deci.
pher the entries, and because the pa
per is of poor quality and the page:
small, the record is not permanent.
Almost all the merchants in coun
ties where inspections have been made
were found to have kept no record a
all of sugar sold on canning certifi
Gates. They proceeded on the theory
that the certificate itself was theil
record. AS matter of fact, the mer
chants turn these certificates into thu
Food Administration in exchange fol
certificates enabling them to buy more
sugar, and consequently after they d.
so their record is gone.
Numerous merchants have com
planned that they were not being al
lowed enough sugar to care for thei
customers. Then when an inspector
went to investigate their application
for increased allotments he fount
them without a permanent record
Needless to say, no such merchant
were permitted additional sugar.
"The sales of sugar as shown b!
the merchants record, together witt
an amount still in stock, must balance
with the total amount OF SUI
gar the merchant has received" Mr.
Sackett has explained to the admins
traitors.
If loose-leaf or card index RECORD
is not used, the merchant must use G
heavily bound book, it is explained by
the Food Administration. This book
must be left in the store at all times
and kept in such a place that all
clerks know where it is, so that If an
inspector calls while the proprietor is
out he will not be delayed. When an
inspector calls and the record is not
Immediately available, the merchant
will be considered as lacking in CO.
operation. And in view of the fact
that the keeping of a sugar record is
compulsory, and that most of the mer-
chants as a rule gladly cooperate
with the Government, it is not believ-
ed that the Food Administration will
hesitate to apply stringent remedies
to those who continually declined to
keep the required record.
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