Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-04-16

In an effort to determine whether
or not people have safeguarded their
canning interests during the coming
summer by buying sugar in quanti-
ties the Let's Fletcher Company has
sent out to local consumers post
cards with reply card attached. ask
ing the consumer if he has bought
fifty pounds of more of sugar.
As is usually the case, the inten-
lions are misconstrued as trying TO
pry into private business. whereas
is reality the wholesa -ers are trying
TO help the consumer. Names are
not requested on the reply cards, yet
one Customer sends his card back
with the curt None of your bust
ness
Wants to Know How to Buy.
The Wholesale campany's object in
inquiring into the sugar situation
locally is to know just what to do in
buying high priced sugar. Some
iobbers have laid off, sugar because
it is high, and wnen they do this the
consumer is going to be out of sugar
unless a supply is bought. While
merchants do not advise buying
more sugar than is needed during
the Gaming season, they have advised
their customers to lay aside enough
to see them thru, and to use it only
for Gaming requirements.
If the consumers in Marshalltown
have bought heavily OF sugar for
canning purposes, it behooVes thG
Who'll esaler, who must supply the re-
taller, to ascertain if he can about
how much has been bought. SO lndt
the wholesaler will know now to pay.
Some one has to take the bull Dy
the horns" said Manager W. L.
Smith. of the Let's Fletcher Com
pany, or the consumers OF MARSHAL
town and its trade community would
not have sugar. l was in President
Let's office not long ago when he
bought S772,000 worth of sugar In a
single order. That sugar didn't last
over night, for the different houses
needed all of t,sand the merchants
in their respective towns were ask
ing for all they could get. In fact
now we have no sugar in the mousse
at any time, for it never leaves The
cars. being delivered to retailers as
last as we can get 1t.
Small Margin OF Profit.
The sugar is handled Oh a small
margin of profit according to the
retailers. Sugar that cost dealers Is
cents a pound is being retalled at 20
The local price now ranges from "a
to %, according to what the retailer
had to pay.
Sugar has been offered wholesalers
during recent days at "A cents. Ina'
means that the consumer, II ne
bought this sugar. would have TO pay
u cents, at the least Calculation.
Word from a Waterloo jobber yes
terday was to the effect that there
was no sugar there and the Water
loo man said there was none IN
Dubuuue. A Des Moines baking
Company, writing Let's Fletcher
Company on the presumption that
they had plenty of sugar, paced an
order for 100 bags, and never even
asked the price.
Will Affect Many Things.
The consumption Of sugar In TINS
country, which is greatly IN excess
Of what it WAS before the war: the
destruction of sugar beet helds III
France and Belgium and the aban-
donment' of their cultivation in Ger
many. are among the causes Tor
-worsd shortage. Prohibition is sald
to contribute to the Increased con-
sum- tion for men who nave peeh
users of liquor now demand more
candles and sweets. This country
has been the largest consumer or
sugar of any in the world. and pre-
war consumption OF elShty-one
pounds per capita increased IN l9l'
to ninety pounds. The total sugar
consumption in this country now Is
said to be 100000 tons annually
and is constantly increasing.
A great many staples Will be al
fected by the increase in the price OF
sugar. Among them will be syrups
of al kinds, candy, gum, soft drinks
canned fruits, preserves, catsups'
cookies, cocoanut and sweet choco-
lates, ana cane nno1:S.
Answer the Cards.
When the situation as it affects the
consumer is understood, it is likely
that people who have received the
sugar questionnaires will send their
replies promptly. The information Is
wanted as a guide to buying solely,
and If the wholesaler does not buy
the retailer can not buy, and If the
retailer is without sugar the con-
sumer will be. The cards, therefore.
are in the interests Of the consumer
as well as the wholesaler and re-
taller ..