Evening star., 1919-10-11
|SUGARSHORTAGE
At ACUTE STAGE
District Supply Reduced
Practically to One-Fourth
Amount Normally Used.
SALES MUCH RESTRICTED

With normal consumption OF
about $500 barrels of sugar a week,
Washington is now and has for some
time been receiving only about SOC
and 500 barrels weekly Efforts to
relieve this situation thus Ear have
been unayailing, and local wholesal-
ers. jobbers and retailers 4handline
suEAr believe the ekfstinG esiortagl
may continue for some time.
Cartailment of; the normal sugar
in virtual exhaustion of reserve stocks
in local warehouses. Wholesalers
have exertedt every effort to obtain
sugar from the reflneries, but with
no appreciable results.
Men acquainted with every phase of
the sugar situation. nationally as well
as locally, declared today that in
age Is due to nationwide prohibition.
Demand Shows Big Increase.
Since the country went dry. one OF
the largest wholesalers In this city
said, soft drink manufacturers have
doubled or tripled their output. Con-
fectioners are making and selling
more candy than ever before. and
many of them report that their pa
irons include hundreds of men who
never have been In the habit of buy
ing and eating candy. Soda fountain
trade has increased to an enormous
extent. also increasing the demand
for ice cream, as well as for fountain
sirups: Much of this increase, it is de-
clared, is due to the fact that thou
sands OF men who formerly patronized
bars are now satisfying themselves
with candy, and Quenching their thirst
with sodas and other soft drinks.
Representatives of wholesaIe and
retail concerns in other cities have
for some time been canvassing Wash-
1ngton establishments in the effort To
buy sugar here to be sent elsewhere.
In many cases these agents of outside
concerns have offered as high as tx
cents pound for granulated sugar In
Darrei lots. even as little as one or
two barrels being eagerly ;snapped nm
at prices ranging from IL to is cents.
Wholesalers Doling Out Stock.
Wholesalers who have limited sim
plies OF sugar on hand are doline II
out to retail stores a barrel at time.
while retailers who are able to obtain
any sugar AT al are selling no more
than one er at the most two pounds a
day to regular customers Scores of
stores In all parts of the city yesfer-
day and today reported that they had
no sugar whatever. had had none for
week or more, and had no idea when
they would be able to get any.
With a continuance Of present CON
ditions for another week, 1T was stated
today by one of the largest whole-
salers in the city, 1t will be necessary
to cut down to the vanishing point
supplies to bakeries, confectioners
and other large users of sugar. in.
cluding manufacturers of soft drinka
and ice cream.
States Normal Consumption.
"Jobbers and wholesalers in this
territory, said John H Wilkins.
president of the John H. wilkins
Company. today. supply sugar to a
population of about 100000 Normal
consumption-that is, the amount Of
proximately $500 barrels q week. This
includes sugar used in households. by
bakeries. confectioners, ice cream
drinks. -.
''At present not more than 500 barrels
of sugar a week are coming into the
city, and this Is a slight Improvement
over previous weeks. In other words
Washington is receiving only a trffie
more than one-fourth of the amount of
poses in the District.
"'This condition probably. will. continue
to exist for some time. as the action
of the sugar equalization board in es-
tablishing z0ne system covering the
entire country will not become efrective
until October S15, and results Of the
plans operation cannot be expected Inn
mediately.
Under this plan. eastern. refineries
win supply the territory east Of Buf-
falo and Pittsburgh. Western beet
sugar refineries will take care Of the
territory embracing the entire west.
while southern cane sugar refiners viii
look after the south's sugar supply.
More Equal Distribution Expected.
1T is expected this plan will result
In more equal distribution of sugar.
but naturally 1t will require some
time for 1t to begin operating. The
present sugar shortage is not local;
Il affects the entire country. although
Washington probably 10 hit = little
harder than some Other cities.
.Aeanwhfle. all that can be done is
.lcontihned On El1hth PagcS -. ;. !.