The Washington times., 1920-01-04
And Hcp IT Comes About That Everybody G.
BY Rene Bache.

- spoonIW Qi eo8eS tVi - vsoeAA"ss
- cup Of oeGssl Candy you can buy IN
uSIIpited quantities If you can pay the
pftoa II you want to pay for 1t you can
Liz your msrkst-basket MI y viu
sSSdy, take Il home and cens back TOR
.ssse as often as you like.
yfut no sugar. Not even sprinkiins for
ma schildren's breakfast cereal. And no
Sdxxr to make dessert for dinner.
.sScbyiously there is something all wrong
~xsat this. Candy is luxury pare and
rfnple; sugar for the household b . prime
nrressary. Yet sugar is denied to the
nanerican housekeeper. while snyhody can
xct all the candy he wants II he b able 70
wy his sugar in this extensive form
Why?
--The answer is that 1t is all matter Of
commercial pull" The candy-mAkers
hase the pull; therefore they can get un-
knitted sugar. The housewife has II not.
md so she cannot get this nscsssary OF
NE, even In small quantity. Or. shs u
allowed to buy sugar she can eAsAia oaH
xlIttle.
The entire sugar supply a Ahs country
isscontrolled by the Sugar Trust That
xigantic ccaeern 4 h baiiness - make
money The e~stomsrs n when 4 V
interested srs n big customers. the psopae
VINO buy its produet In enormous ssasaf
nss.
SIts biggest sastonsrs ars the candy
makers. Therefore their osaers must b
nlled frst: and ~ tAsss y not enossA
gsisar left over 10 supply The Sssds a the
people-wel. tAak h ne psopass nis
sertune: II does ~ hethsr shs Sugar
Trust. !.
: While tho war vas SONG q ~ sasar
shortage became - bad thak ~ Govern
rpent felt obliged 10 take the matter IN
hand, with view TO regulating the ~
tribution OF sugar. II Aaa had = - hand
ever since; but with WHIST rsaslfF Moth
ing much. The Sugar Trust. apeasently, y
too strong for the Gevesnneat.
The Government controa of saSsS he'd
the price down To eleven cents--ese there
was little or 10 sasnr - b had! The
sugar control h 70 b Continued . while
longer, but VIII - % any sccdf
It is said ta,at ths sasar Trust has IT.
eye on a price u tventy-Avs cents
pound or even mses for Sugar. TIE Cav
ernment nance q price that doesn't suit
the trust what h 70 nrevent coatinnsd
sugar "faminer'
,q The manufacture q sirups Or sweden
ing soft drinks (bottled or sold by the
glass) is a huge ana rapidly-Guvns busf-
ress. Those engaged In u are among the
largest customers Of the Sugar Trust; they
get all the sugar they want.
- Prohibition has greatly increased the de-
fnand for soft drinks. There Is no limit
ON the supply of those beverages, and the
corner drug store has plenty Of soda sirups
(made from cane ssgar). sveu though not
a pound of sugar can be obeamea Dy any
household on the same block.
The neople of the United States normal
" consume about A,4O0,oe0 tons Of sugar
. annually. We Americans are the greatest
consumers of sugar In the wcglA Of this
vast quantity fully one-third GOES to the
makers of candy and sirupe Under ordi-
nary conditions there would b plenty left
over for household use; but at the present
time the supply is short, and the family
must go without, or, at best. get along
with a niggardly and insufficient allow
ance.
Everybody must have taken note Of the
recent growth of the candy trade. Candy
shops everywhere have multiplied, and
other stores innumerable have adopted
candy as side line The demand for
candy undoubtedly has been greatly in
creased by the alcoholic drought; for
sugar, being highly concentrated fuel for
the body machine, Is a powerful stimulant.
~" Mistress Housewife, as an individual
sugar-buyer, does not interest the Trust.
Why should 1t bother about her or her
little family? The grocer does not really
care very much. II he does a large busi-
ness he could sell good deal Of sugar to
retail patrons, but the profit on 1t Is small
and scarce worth the trouble, Under exist
ing conditions II Is easier for him to say
no sugar" to his customers than to go
out Of his way to try to get II.
= The Trust has q strangle hold, and
henceforward its operations are not to be
interfered with, beyond requirement that
II shall equitably distribute It's product
geographically. II can make It's own price
because 1t has no competitor. II absolute
ly controls the entire sugar output of the
United States-the beet sugar Of the West
and the cane sugar Of I,ouisiana-apd also
that of Cuba, where It owns half OF the
sugar plantations and holds mortgages on
the other half. The sugar crops of Hawaii,
Porto Rico and the Philippines are gath.
roI for leo ,,pn av,I