Great Falls daily tribune., 1919-08-31

| Washington, -. c.. Aug. 2S-The
dealer who seeks to profiteer in sugar is
showing poor Judgment. In the case of
almost any other commodity, it is a
question just what is fair price and
what constitutes profiteering. But, al
| though most people do not seem to real
! ize it, sugar is still being sold under the
war time regulations made by the food
administration, and vigorously enforced
| by that organization during the war.
| The food administration is now mere
whispering shadow of it's former self,
but this sugar agreement remains as q
monument to its days Of glory. and
makes it easy for the department of JUS
| tice to get the man who seeks to gouge
the public on sugar prices. Three whole
sale dealers have recently been arrested
and one Jobber has had his license re-
voked, for charging excessive prices for
| sugar.
| Our desire IL to secure a fair price
| to the consumer said Attorney General
Palmer ~ announcing q rigorous en-
| forcement of sugar regulations. 'We
/ do not wish to pursue wholesale pol
| icy of recommending cancellation of il
censes. Where trade adjusts itself to
! fair price for the future, past violations.
unless flagrant, viii not ordinarily be
made the basis Of recommendation by
the licenses"
Any housewife who pays more than
/ cents pound for sugar is over
charged, according to the food admins
tratlon. The producers and reflners are
getting the same price for sugar today
that they received during the war. That
price is to continue in effect for the re-
mainder of the year by agreement be-
tween the refiners and the government.
II more than II cents is charged the
consumer, profiteering is going on, and
the government agents will take sum
mary action against the profiteers.
Reports have reached the food admin
| istration that retailers have been get
| ting as high as 16 cents pound for SUI
gar in Chicago. Many cities report that
the retailers are charging II and Is
cents, while right here in Washington,
under the very nose of the food admin
istration, grocers are charging as high
as 1872 cents.
There is positively no Justification for
an increase III the price of sugar at this
time. Last October, the sugar equalza-
ton board, which is a part of the food
administration, purchased the entire
domestic and Cuban crops of raw srgar.
; The Cuban crop alone is estimated at
more than four million tons. Dne-thlrd
Of this crop was allotted to Great Brit
ain. There remains abotIt one million
tons Of the American portion OF the Gu
ban crop. and this is now available for
distribution in this country Just rs fast
as it can be shipped and refined
The equalization board sells raw SUI
gar to refiners at 7.2S cents q pound.
Refiners are uEder contract with the
board not to charge more than nine cents
II wholesalers The latter are allowed
maximum margin of profit of ,;S cents
Ser 100 pounds for handling while the
retailers are permitted to make profit
Of one aud e-haif cents n pound. max
ing q fair price Of II cents 10 the Goa
sumeT,
Every sugar dealer In the countr3
binds himself ta live Up 10 the price ar
rangemeHt made by the food admins
tration, when he takes out license 10
deal III sugar This license can he re-
vaked at any time by the food admins
tratition for the violation Of any OF the
conditions Of salf aud distribution Food
Administrator Hooypr's large organiza-
tion has been reGuced 10 a skeleton, and
because Of the lack ef agents 70 see that
tile regulations are lived up TO, many
dealers have been able to do a little
cheating.
When there WAS a scarcity Of sugar
reported in certain parts of the country
few months ago. the iobbers immedi-
ately took advantage Of this situation 70
boost the price. This was in direct vio-
Iaton Of the terms Of their agreement.
But it is certain that the price of sugar
would have been even higher in this
country If it had not been under govern
ment control all through the war.
While there is an obviauS scarcity OF
sugar in this country. the sweet tooth
which endured such great hardships and
privations last winter being compelled
to use one teaspoonftll Of sugar in the
morning coffee instead of two, need not
be anduy alarmed. Government agents,
who are ID touch with the sugar situa