The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-08-22
DEALERS NOT TO REFUSE TO SELL
 CANNING SUGAR
Food Administration Calls Attention to Situation in
 This State.

Hartford, Aug. 22---Because they are unlikely to get certificates for any more sugar until about October is no reason, in the opinion of the Food Administration, why Connecticut re- tailers should refuse to sell sugar for legitimate canning purposes. It was made clear at the office of the Fed eral Food Administrator for Connecti- cut today that the recent warning to retailers to go easy on their present sugar stocks, because they might not get any more during September, could not properly be construed as an ex- cuse for refusing to sell sugar for proper purposes 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 be claimed as a reason for obtaining un- necessary large quantities of sugar for canning. The Food Admin1stra- tion's liberal canning certificate sys- tenn, founded on the honor of the per son who signed the certificate, has been flagrantly 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 certificates on which to secure 15 or more pounds of sugar at one time. Some retailers aided and abetted these evastons of the regulations by carelesly failing to police their own business.
 In making public today letter which he was sending to all the retail grocers of Connecticut, Federal Food Administrator Robert Sooville ex- plained that the people of Connecti- cut must be guided by the special rules and regulations prescribed for this jurisdiction, regardless of more or less inaccurate and misleading sto- ries published outside of the state, especially in New York and Boston newspapers. MT. Scoville reiterated a former statement that dealers and lconsumers may always accept as off, cial whatever is printed in Connecti- cut newspapers as coming from the office of the Federal Food Administra-
 tor in Hartford.
 MT. Scovilles letter to the retail lgrocers is as follows:
 We find that our reference to the sale of sugar on canning certificates in our letter to you of August fl has
 been misunderstood to some extent Wa did not infend tt0 fOrhi6 inc Sa le
 of sugar on canning certificates, but
 did suggest that the sale of sugar in
 this manner be discontinued except in
 cases where the retailers supply ot
 sugar on hand was sufficient to jus tify such sales. The decision in every
 case is left with the retailer.
 '"The point we wish to emphasize is that we have already issued to the re- taiIers of this state an amount of su-
 gar sufficient to supply our entire
 population with two pounds per montF tper capita for the months of July
 August and September and also a
 reasonable amount for domestic can
 ming. It is therefore evident tha
 there is at the present time, in tht
 hands of the retailers or the consum CTS, sufficient sugar to last until Oc , tober 1.
 We have found that canning cer = tificates are being grossly abused anC I many consumers are using this mean 4 to obtain unrea eaaonably large supple ' of sugar for domestic consumption
 Fifteen pounds may be sold on on
 certificate and no endorsement by tn ,. local Food Director is required unles |, a larger amount is asked for.''