New-York tribune., 1919-11-22
Wartime Powers Given
to Attorney General bv
President i'm Effort to
Avert Imminent Famine
Ali Stocks To Be
AIlocated by U. S.
Price To Be Advanced to
l4c Pound, Retail, I'm
der Government Plan

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21.-presidcnt
"''soh' by executive order, to-day re-
vived the wartime powers of the Food
Administration and placed the govern
ment again in control of the nations
1ood supply, in an effort to avert q
sugar famine. Full powers of Food
administrator were conferred by the
PRESIDENT on Attorney General Palmer.
although at present Mr.. Palmer in
tends to exercise his authority only in
relieving the sugar shortage and will
Lot put into operation all the ma
chlnery permitted under the Prcsi
dents order, he is prepared to exert
the full pressure of all the broad
power in him to meet similar short
ages in other food supplies.
Mr.. Palmer's staff will begin imme-
dIately to build up sugar distrib
utlng system which will allocate all
sugar stocks in the country. II will
provide an equitable system of dis
trlbuting supplies and will defeat anv
concentration or boarding, officials
said.
Plans. tentatively decided upon, pro-
vide Tor increasing the price of all
sugar. excepting the Louisiana crop.
lor which price Of seventeen cents
already has been fixed to twelve cents
pound. wholesale, or fourteen cents
a pound retail
Expect to Avert Famine
Through this increase new sources
of supply are expected to be opened.
Wlth assurances that fair margin
OF profit, said to be about Sl54 a hun
dred pounds, would be allowed, sugar
refiners are ready to enter the Cuban
markets and purchase all available
stocks. 1t was stated. Thus. officials
oelieve, the increased price will avert
shortage which threatens to become
famine during the next sixty days.
Immediate actron also is contem-
plated in curtailing the consumDti0n
OF sugar by manufacturers whose prod
ucts are not regarded as essential
food. This will apply particularly to
soft drink dealers and candy manu-
facturers. The abnormal increase of
sales OF these articles and the conse-
Quent heavy drain on the sugar sup
plies is traceable, officials declared,
Although it has not been definitely
determined, the cut in sugar supplies
to these classes of trade probably will
be about 60 per cent. Officials indi-
Gated that if the eXlgencies of the sit
uatlon demanded, they would reduce
the allowance to soft drink and candy
plants to 25 per cent of their normal
requirements.
TO Enter Cuban Market
Arrangements have been completed.
subject to changing conditions of the
sugar situation, whereby beet and cane
sugar refners will enter the Cuban
markets Immediately The depart
mcnt however, will exact signed
agreement with firms entering that
trade to consign all of their purchases
to this country. This will mean that
Anne rcan dealers will get a large pro
portion of the 4 O0O, 900 tons of raw
sugar yet available in Cuba, officials
said
Normal consumption of sugar in the
III other years about 100000 tons
were imported from the Cuban fields,
to which was added the average pro-
duction Of approximately 600 600 tons
of native grown, but officials were
alarmed lest European dealers should
continue their heavy purchases, already
in excess of 1000 600 tons in Cuban
markets, and deprive this country Of
the full supply it usually gets there
The rehners who have agreed to go into
the Cuban trade have been urged, it
was said, to use all haste. that the
stocks may not be exhausted before
this nation is supplied.
The danger of sugar famine will be
greatest next month, it was said. as
stocks are rapidly being depleted and
in many sections already exhausted
and the necessity for garnering all
available supplies from outside be
comes daily more urgent