The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-10-22
Is CENT SUGAR NOT
PROBABLE; IT'S USE
Will STOP SANB0RN
Ey WILLIAM r SANeORN..

The men who have been predicting
very high priced sugar, possibly Csc
per pound at retail. should calm them
selves and not let imagination run
riot Long before that altitude coulo
be reached there would be such a
drastic cutting down in consumption
that supplies would accumulate.
The housewife has done her canning
and preserving for the season, and so.
too. have the commercial Gamers,
The demand in recent weeks will not
be duplicated until next spring. We
can get along with less sugar for a
long time, and until the new Cuban
and Porto Rican crops are available in
January. will have to- This more par
ticularly applies to the east and to
seaboard cities. California is cared
for, they having great beet sugar
plants out there, and the cane crops
of the Hawaiian islands to dray upon.
AS to the middle west, we have large
beet sugar factories and the Louisiana
cane output to draw from, and the
pinch of famine conditions should
presently be relieved.
The fact that sugar and coffee have
caused congress some concern of late,
cannot be denied. 1t is becoming not
merely a family breakfast table prob
lem, but has a political angle, par
ticularly as to how greatly the price
of sugar effects the Louisiana planter.
The New Orleans sugar refiners
want the bars thrown down; the rest
of us want the government to retain
control, at least for another year.
This we believe to be the wish Of the
consuming bubble, at least, though the
refiner and jobber have their own
views as to an open market and ALL
the profit the traffic will bear, de-
pending on competitive conditions.
But so far as the jobber is con-
cerned, sugar has never been a gold
mine, and inasmuch as the retailer is
inclined TO make sugar a leader, we
are impressed that each of these are
making as much money per pound"
as they have ever made; but today
the investment is ever so much great
er doubled, in fact.
Oppose Federal Control
A Washington dispatch printed in
the Palladium on Tuesday quotes C.
A Spreckels, New York refiner, as
stating that "one million tons of the
1919 sugar crop will be available be.
fore January l." Mr.. Spreckles
insisted that Federal control has
actually increased the price to the
consumer, which is open to argume-
Mt, and that IF the matter was left
to the law Of supply and demand pric-
es would soon get down to a proper
basis"
Those who have watched the
course Of prices during the last 5
years are aware that we are still liv.
ing under abnormal economic pres
sure, and that supply and demand
nave not always been dominant fac
tors in the cost Of the essentials, but
subject rather to manipulation on a
gigantic scale.
Souiheru cane growers have objec-
f"I 10 Federal control of sugar, exact
~ as the South did as to fixing
prices on cotton, which is still bring
ing &,t>idc figures, with no prospect
Of lower levels on the 1919 crop.
Sugar Board figures
According to the New York Times
Pinch the most. We quote as fol-
Figures Of the sugar equalization
BOARD show that in the Eastern Sta
tes there will be a supply for consunl-
alton Of approximately 100000 tons
20 last during October, November,
and December. In the middle west
tho supply will be about 10000 tons.
IN the East there are 100000
people, with the majority Of the sugar
using factories operating, while in the
West there are 50,O0O,oOO people.
Mr.. Costello said the equalization
Board was trying to obtain the sur
plus Of the beet sugar supply for the
Eaast, and that the negotiations
were going favorably.
The board also is trying to estab-
Lish a zone east Of Pittsburgh and
Pulfalow, west of which no sugar
from Atlantic ports will be sent.
Thus. the supply from Cuba and
Porto Rico will be held as nearly as
possible in the East.
Next year the equalization Board
which has fixed the price Of sugar at
j cents to the consumer, automatic
ally will cease to be a function. There
Is bill n Congress to continue the
board another year"
Palmer Acts
The department OF justice took a
hand in tho attempt to relieve the
situation, on Monday. Attorney