The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-04-12
e CENT SUGAR
IS PREDICTED
New York Spectators Are
Asking Fl and % Cents
in Ton Lots or More ~.
DEMAND INCREASES
SUPPLY SHORTER

Cuban Crop Reported $4,000 Tons
Short of Predictions = Heavy Pur-
chases by England Makes Planters
Dictators of Prices.
NEW YORK, April 12.-Following the
sensational rise in the price of raw sugar
to II "a cents pound spectators are
asking and receiving from 81 to % cents
pound for refined sugar in quantities of
a ton or more
This means that housewives are likely
to be forced to. pay as high as % cents
pound in few days st
The sharp increase in raw sugar is at
| tributed in large part. to manipulation of
the market by spectators, coupled with |
an increasing demand and shortage Of
supply on the Cuban crop, which has
placed large manufacturing sugar interests
| in a position where they are outbidding
| each other.
| Sugar men said the big refineries had a
| supply, some of which had been purchased
ON the recent high market which was far
short of the demands upon them. Con-
sequently the refiners refuse to sell ex-
cept to regular customers and then only
in small quantities.
So few have the sales been that quota
tions in the wholesale market are only
what are known as nominal" These
show that what sugar the refinersNare sell
ing is somewhat lower than the present
price of raw sugar.
| According to well informed traders the
reflners have been holding back on their
4 ,,1a t1a no
lief that when the period of flush produc-
ton came the planters would be forced to
reduce prices But there have been such
heavy Cuban purchases by England and
other European countries that the planters
I have been placed in position to dictate.
Coupled with this the report has come
from Cuba that the crop Is $4,000 tons
short of what was. predicted on Jan. /.
This means a total Cuban supply of APP
proximatelv 4446,000 tons which, added
to the domestic beet-sUgars and the Porto
4 Rico and Philippine imports, gives $751; :
Z 600 tons. Deducting the sugar which viii
j be exported, on the basis OF the 1919 fig
! ures. this means that the United States
is facing a shortage of 10000 tons on its
! total consumption, instead of an excess OF
/ Ia 600 tons, which was anticipated earlier
III in the wear. -. > - -..J4sf as .'if -,Yf
| Figures of Cuban exports, however, do
4 not indicate there has been any sugar
= shortage to date which would justify the
high prices. According to the Federal Re
porter the total exports from Cuba to the
United States since Jan. l were LOCI 04g
tons, as against $4,000 tons in the same
period of 1919 and 800 tons for 1918
Figures on the share OF this which was
exported are not available, but the III
crease in the 1920 receipts over those fol
the same period Of 1919, were taken by
: some to indicate that spectators have
hold of large quantities for just such 3
rise in prices hes nowroecarred. Since
the Sugar Equalization board, went out
Of business on Jan. l the government ha'
not attempted TO exercise any control ovel
the price or,tl6ssales of sugar, either raw
or refined.
Sugar operators say that the increase,
demand brought aoout by prohibition ha
been another big factor in the incrcas
price Because o: tic increased f,sEs
moonshiners are nyw, according to cred
ibIe reports, buying Sugar direct instea,
= Of taking time 10 convert the suglr II
grams Moreover. dea -crs in lower Wa
street assert that practically every co,ui
tt:' hclise near New Ioik has its n~,vai'
still V hIch is using soft sugars.