The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-05-22
Shows That Consumption of
/ Sugar Has Greatly In
= creased Since 1865 .
REDUCE IT'S USE
BY ONE-THIRD
People Would Be Just as Well and
Prices Would Be Reasonable In
creased Consumption Came Before
National Prohibition.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Copyright by The Reformer.)

/
American people want to bring down
the price of sugar, they have very
simple remedy available. David Frank
lin Houston, secretary of the treasury,
who used to be secretary of agriculture,
and who is just now trying to exert
the influence of the treasury depart
ment in the movement to cut down the
cost of living, is the author of the sug-
gestion that the best way to handle
the sugar question is to point out some
salient facts about sugar consumption
that will probably be amazing to the |
average householder.
| . Did you ever look over the data as |
| to the amount of sugar folks used to
eat 10 and ID years ago9' remarked |
Secretary Houston to the writer as he |
took from the shelf in his Office a thick
volume called The Statistical Abstract
of the United States, and opened it
to page SCI.
Down the page of figures is the aver
age amount that was consumed by ev-
cry individual in the United States
since 1865 In that year, dividing the
total amount consumed by the popula-
tion of the country, approximately IS
pounds was eaten At the end of 1878,
this had gone up to 43 pounds. Ten
years more and the per capita eonsump-
ton was "a pounds. In 1895 it was CO
pounds and in 1905 it was II pounds.
From that year the amounts vary be
tween 20 and so pounds and in the
year 1918 when the food administra-
ton was urging conservation, the per
capita consumption was II pounds.
CHOW, what do YOU think was the
average consumed last year?' contin-
ued Secretary Houston. cit was 93
pounds, surely there is no necessity
for such large consumption We
used to get along on less and if we
could only conserve a third of %
pounds per individual, the price of
sugar would come down Immediately.
''It isn't at the breakfast table
where the over consumption of sugar
occurs. 1t ism t the sugar we take with
our coffee or with cereals that counts
up But we eat so much more cake
and pies and ice cream and candy.
Time was when children were eau
toned against too much sweets. But
their elders aren t observing the rule
themselves. We could get along and be
just as healthy as people have been foI
the last 40 years If we consumed less
4 sugar. If each individual ate one-third
Il less there wouldn't be any trouble
II about the price.
II Indeed, Secretary Houston empha
sized that it was to large extent out
side the home in the restaurants, cafes
soda fountains and pastry shops where
= the consumption of sugar had risen al
, though the extravagant use of pies anC
other sweets in the home was by II,
means small factor in the 90 pound.
per capita consumption last year.
Nobody on the other hand, excuse.
the profiteer who has taken advantage
of the demand for sugar to raise price:
but if the demand hadn t existed, tn,
profiteers would never have had thei
/ opportunity Some people here are in
clined to think the coming of nationa
prohibition has had a good deal to de
with the over consumption of sugar
but it will be observed that the fgurt
] 90 was the average for the year l9l!
before prohibition applied to the mor'
! populous sections of the United States
OF course, in many cities like New
York, the candy shop and soda foun
tain has taken the same quarters pre-
N1OuSlY occupied by the Saloon ana uec
Grated them so handsomely as to at
tract constant flow of people who ar
tempted to eat candy with their lunch
cons. The government used to be abb
| to control the amount of sugar tina
could be used in candy but government
control of food consumption is thln3
of the past. Very few efforts are mad
toward conservation. 1t is true thu
the food administration didn t appi.
its power of law but depended upol
publicity and the power of appeal t
get the cooperation of the American
. people but the licensing system wa
as effective as any statute could be
! The government, therefore, can onl
point out the facts from time to tim
to the American people. And Secre
/ tarv Houston believes that if the faith
ers and mothers viii search their recol
1 lections Just triae they will REGAL
that the world and the United State
l particularly got along just as wei
and perhaps better, in the 80 years be
! fore the European war by eating les
sugar than do nowadays And |
everybody conserves just one thirc
/ there will be more available for tn
tIwhple country and the government wi
be better able to check up on the profit
| Ger whose argument today is that tn
great demand is what fixes his price