The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1919-10-30
ARMY SUPPLY OF
!. SUGAR RELIEVES
ACUTE"SH0RTAGE
Dver 5o,oooo,ooo Pounds Of Staple Re-
] leased During Last Few Weeks;
Other Military Stores Sold to
Relieve Situation.

fl hcllSNS SlAudeiOHs
\ Washington, Oct. SO.-ln the con
troversy over the living cost and
particularly the sugar shortage the
country is now undergoing 1t has
developed that the country might
,haye been in actual sugar famine
several weeks ago, but for the eff
forts of the war department which
has released more than 50,000000
hounds Of sugar for sale to the pub
.lic during the past few months. AS
a result the army is now existing on
la reserve of less than two and one
.haf months supply and every soldier
.from the chief Of staff to the buck
privates is having his sugar supply
rationed. The normal sugar reserve
fcf the army is at least three months
tsupply and usually nearer six months
Supply, but the department has cut
tthis way below normal to meet the
lclvil demands
! Anticipating a possible recurrence
5this year Of sugar shortage IN the
early fall at the end of the preserv-
sing season, Secretary Of War Baker
had special survey Of the army
! supply made early in the summer
land determined that about twenty
five thousand tons of the army re-
serve could be released in an emer-
gency. This sugar was released
Aithrough the United States sugar
equalization board as the demand for
At was felt, in several large lots, in
1spite of the anxieties expressed by
many army officers. Had it not
-sbeen for these releases from the ar.
lny's stock to public use it is dec ar-
ed the public would have felt the
shortage much sooner and the pres
ont shortage would have been con
ssiderably more acute than IL actu-
ally is sef
This development is regarded as
Aimportant here in view aof the recent
sattempts to lay on the shoulders Of
the war department the blame for
athe present higher cost Of living
Through publicity emanating from the
( partisan congressional war investi-
eating committees it has been charg-
n cd that the secretary Of war and the
& selling force of the war department
: had deliberately connyed to boost the
sliving cost.
From information coming from the
cffice Of the director of army sales
in France and also from the Parker
selling commission in Paris it is evil
dent that any sales made to France
were made on a purely commercial
basis with the purpose Of driving the
hest commercial bargain possible in
getting rid of surplus war material
on the other side that could not have
been practically brought back to
4 this country
The sales department Of the army
has got rid to date cf approximately
q billion dollars worth cf surplus war
material. that the army would new
er have use for under peace time
circumstances. On these sales it has
realized recovery of about rs per
cent of the original cost of the ma
: terial. estimated as an extremely
nigh percentage Of recovery. The
bare commission, which has also
been the subject of partisan attack,
vent to France and has thus far sue
ceeded in making some excellent ar
rangement for the sale of surplus
war materials for which there was
no market on this side This com
mission ha sheen principally engag-
cd in finding a market in industrial
iy reviving Europe for materials
. CHIEFLY Of an industrial character,
such as cotton linters, machine tools
and ether articles which had been
produced in this country to continue
-the war emergency production scale
and build it to it's maximum efficien-
cy. With the country reyerting to a
reace time industrial basis it was
found that the American industrial
plants were already overtsocked with
equipment authorized for sale abroad. |
This commission was specifically in
:structed, not to sell any staples that
could be used in this country as a
help toward driving down the cost Of
living.
CARD OF THANKS