The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1918-08-22
THE REASON WHY.

Several months ago we were asked to
conserve in the use of sugar Tor two
months till the new crop came forward
TO the market AT the expiration OF that
time sugar was still scarce and we were
asked to conserve little while longer so
that sugar could be saved for preserving.
Fhe berry season has now passed and
meanwhile we have been able to obtain
very little sugar for any purpose and the
scarcity is now so great that Mr.. Endl-
colt, the Food Administrator for the
State of Massachusetts,, has asked that
adults in his State abstain entirely from
the use of sugar for two months 1t is
possible, if not probable, that from a
scarcity we are to enter upon famine
as far as sugar is concerned. STATISTICS
show that something like this was in
evitable and those who had conservation
In charge should have been able to foresee
it and should have made the facts known
to the public, instead of letting things
diff along till most people felt that they
had been deceived. In 1915 the United
States produced POI, 708 tons of cane
sugar, 5000 tons of maple sugar and 625.-
3l4 tons of beet sugar, total of 842, O22
TONS Add to this 506 555 tons, the sur
plus from Hawaii, 331, 1903 from Porto
Rico, and 44,52O from the Philippines
and we have total of 1, TIA, 300 tons as
the entire sugar resources of the United
States in 1915. During that year our
consumption of sugar was 3, TAB, 139 tons,
Of which we had to import 2,018, 849 tons.
Cuba produced surplus of about 2,000,-
300 tons and we there obtained most of
0ur importations. This year we get very
little from there and the chief reason
ttor this is that we fixed the price of
sugar. The worlds price for sugar is
higher than our price, and Cuban sugar
IS going, most of it, to the worlds mar
aet We cannot get sugar from other
large sugar producing countries for these
three reasons: Our price is less than the
worlds price, the production in sugar
raising countries is much less now than
u was three years ago and ships are lack
ing for treighting Much can be said in
criticism of the price fixing of COM
-nodities, but in this case it certainly has
-Gevented profiteering and sky rocket
prices, and opinions differ as to whether
we should have economical or bought
Cuban sugar at high price.
The sugar produced in Germany in 1915
was 2, 1872, 1879 tons; in Austria, 1919, 1853
IONS, in Russia l, 1888, 754 tons; in France
g78, 1888 tons; in Java 1881, 1870 tons. AL
most half the worlds sugar was pro-
duced in these countries The first four
countries are not now producing any sur
plus sugar, and, as we have said, that of
Java is too far away to be available in
any large degree to us or our allies. So
it is perfectly easy to understand why
sugar is scarce in the United States and
1hat it will not again be abundant for a
long time Our present allowance of 2
pounds a month per capita will require
1,25O,OOO tons year. We produced this
year about $50, 600 tons. The writer has
no means of knowing how much we
shall get from Hawaii and Porto Rico, but
probably just about enough to insure our
ability to maintain our present allow
ance were it not for the necessity for
sending large quantities from our supply
ITO our Allies and to our soldiers, who must
not be put on short rations of sugar or
any other food necessity. MIR. Endicott
has probably examined the sugar ques-
lion in the light of existing conditions
and therefore realizes that if we are to
supply our soldiers with sugar we must
ourselves abstain from it's use, If not
now, in the not distant future.