The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-09-26
,,.tls Hope for Relief for Another
Month and Perhaps Not That
Soon According to Broker
Here.
Rect CROP WILL HELP
.a,.ries are Just Now Shipping
same of Their Orders and New
Demands are
Heavy.


j., sugar shortage, which is being
,aIt in Keokuk and otner cities, for
month or perhaps longer. For the
srst time in their history some OF the
Kaokuk jobbers are out OF surplus
sugar. and there is an acute shortage
- az far as it affects the factories
n.hirh use this commodity. Not until
,he beet sugar crop is refined will
more he any decided relief, and that
oannot come for another thirty days,
occording to N. II. Pyle, broker, who
hos adyices from all points In the
country regarding the sugar situation.
last spring the refineries warned
mo buyers that there would be a
shortage and told them they should
stock up. The consumers didn't figure
that way, principally because it
meant the tying up Of big sums OF
money for long period, and then no
one really expected anything like the
situation now to develop. But the
shortage Is here, and is being felt
more keenly than ever in the history
Of local jobbing houses, one Of the
jobbers said recently.
Beet Sugar Is Hope.
The beet sugar crop which Will
begin to be sliced about the 10th OF
october will be about the only ray
Of hope in the situation. 1t will take
at least twenty days, however, before
any OF this sugar can get on the
market here, and help out. Some OF
the local concerns have sugar order
ed, but which they have not received,
and the orders were placed twenty
days ago.
There has been little relief so .ar
to the acute situation In refined
sugars and there is a continued
clamor for supplies from a large TART
Of the trade, both for shipment of
back orders, some purchased as far
back as June, and for new purchases
Sugar is badly needed for actual do
nestle consumption, but the demand
b likely to be abnormal for months
b come, owing to the consumer pass
hg through the second period of
scarcity and not wishing to be caught
again. Likewise there is a big pos
sibility of higher prices for the COM
modify.
Prices May Go Up.
The demand for sugar is greater
than 1t was even in the days of war
time restrictions People are putting
up preserves and fruits, and one
Keokuk factory has thousands Of
cases OF fruit waiting to be put up
when they can get the sugar In
order to supply the daily demands on
the grocery store as well as the
manufacturers demands, the sugar
supply in Keolcuk is being seriously
stretched, it is said.
1t is expected by the brokers. that
the domestic demand will continue in
excess of the supply until the beet
factories enter the market freely, for
there are no invisible supplies and
1920 IL not before, according to the
letter sent out by one brokerage
firm to Mr.. Pyle here. The beet
people may not sell at the present
price. It is said.
Jobbers are Helpless.
we simply can't get the sugar"
was the way jobber put 1t yester-
day In speaking Of the shortage.
For the first time in their history,
some of the Keokuk Jobbers find
themselves without bag of surplus
sugar in their warehouses" another
OF them said.
heokuk housewives are asked to
get along with as little additional
sugar as possible until the new crop
comes along, when the situation may
DE somewhat eased up. A number of
people are stocking up by buying the
unit Of purchases every day. This
makes an unnecessary drain on the
small surplus and is unfair to the
consumer who really is short of the
commodity