Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-11-27
Stalling Is Slveet
in Sugar Crisis
Contin"ed From Page One

CUnt!a"ed From Page One
thing hut come to America. Cuban pro
ducprs may charge twelve cents pouhu
for it. hut the distinction is not ne
tween home ""own aud foreign sugar
for American beet sugar producers may
charge only twelve cents pound lor
this sugar.
Politics, YOU may say. remembering
that Louisiana is n good Democratic
state: no. not at all. but the discovery
Of a new economic principle. Louisiana
had only half a crop OF sugar hau
ycar. The American beet sugar men
Ind good crop. Therefore the Louis
lana producer should get double the
price of any one else. That is the reas-
on given. Truly it is.
Nov imagine the pleasure of tn" fair
price committees watching The course
Of Louisiana sugar in the market. Ihey
descend unon n grocer who is charging
twenty i've cents a pound for sugar.
"Ah. but 'hrpplirs the grocer, 'thlS IS
not beet sugar. nor Cuban sugar. but
Louisiana sugar.
Who VIII Tempt the Cuban?
And imagine the temptation twelve
cents will be to the Cuban producer
from whom we must obtain most OF the
sugar for 1920. He will say. 'but Amer
lea is willing to pay twenty cents Tor
Louisiana sugar; let us wait TIL she Wlll
pay twenty cents for Cuhan sugar
And where does this leave the Amerl-
can rrfner. on whose initiative the pros q,
pects of America : having sugar IN la2o
solely depend The price OF twelve
cents per pound is tentative. No one
knows whether il will move Cuban sugar
or not. The American rehner does NOT
know whether he is to be free or reg'l CO
lated For the present he cannot go to
Cuba and nay whatever price is ncccs =
sary and he certain that he can sell II
at profit TO the American people,
J When the o'clock whistle blows
there will be the government fixed price
| Of twenty cents for Louisiana sugar. II
1 bears the governments stamp OF ap-
prOval, If twenty cents is fair price
! for Louisiana sugar why not Tor all
sugar? The reiner win have his trou
bles with the producer.
Meanwhile the Cuban 1920 crop !,
disappearing into the hands of Euro
ppan buyers One third of its 4,OOO.OOt
tons is already taken. If this country
could buy the rest there would be nC
shortage or only slight shortage mex
year. This country's CONSUMPTION i
about 200 900 tons a year, of whlcl
900 900 tons are produced in Louis
lana and on the beet farms of the West
Sugar Troubles Grow Bitter
The American rehner has not ye
successfully entered the market for thu
Cuban crop of next year. Uncertaint!
as TO the government action has KEEP
him out Last summer it was propoSct
that the government should buy the en-
tire Cuban crop.
Last years crop was bought in thi
way for five and one half cents pound
This year the Cuban sugar grower
, twice offered their whole crop again n
reasonable price The sugar equaliza
tion board, wartime organization
twice recommended to President Wilso
, the purchase of the crop. Professo
TausSig advised him not to buy it an
he did not act upon the equa lizatio
( boards recommendation In the en-
when the foreign buyers entered tn
Cuban market the sugar growers theI
2 saw their opportunity.
5 The failure of the president to aC
I cept the sugar growers oirer will be ii
cause of next years shortage. Sint
70 then nothing has been done but pla
r. politics with sugar. The regulation ht
been chiefly pretense and has serve
Y only to prevent the return of free CON
$ petition for the buying of Cuban suga
The final bit of politics, the twenty
r cent price for Louisiana sugar, wi
S make sugar cost this country dear
. 1920, Our sugar troubles are only b'
ginning.