Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-03-17
Japs Now
Have Goods;
We Haven't
Shortages Due TO Lack
Of Foresight 4
By HUGH s. JOHNSON

since me great imitation OF 1870.
OF course, this argues p great
shortage of available supply but
such is not the case.
The worlds greatest supply ~
sugar comes from Cuba. where
almost 100000 tons were raised
in the heyday of 1929. Our
other sources were Puerto Rico.
Hawaii and. until recently, the
Philippines.
We raised. in the United
States. al the maximum. 2,400,-
600 tons or less than s per cent
Of all in 1899. II was also about
30 per cent Of the production OF
Cuba, Puerto Rico and Hawaii.
DUT we did not permit the full
- production of these island
associates Of ours 10 come in
freely We have even some times
treated Hawaii as though she
were not part Of the u mite d
States IN this regard
Rv various devices Of quotas
and tariffs on this off shore
sugar throughout these years.
we have sought 10 initiate the
price IN American farmers IN
the beet sugar states and LoulSl-
ana (cane sugar. IN order 10
create a higher market.
II was something like our
buying almost useless silver AZ
ariifcially inflated prices for
the purpose of politically APP
pcasinC the SparSely settled
Silver-producinC States-or put
ting an excise tax on the
importation Of the strategic
material, copper
WE EVEN went 10 the point
W ~ putting our domestic
production Of beet and cane
sugar ON a quota system TO cut
The production and thus, by
creating an artificial domestic
shortage. increase tho price IN
tho American consumer With J..
all that the consumer * now
10 60 on sugar ration, not
withIandlng that there is now
no real shortage even nt domeS-
tic sugar
Something Of this same NEGRO
nancy is true Of petroleum. We
not only have plenty Of pctro-
lcum actually flowing for our
own uses. but We have vast
but unknown quantity Of II
'pinched.ln" the ground 70 avoid
oVerproduCtion and waste.
The reason for this Is more
understandable II Is a growing
shortage not ri oil. but ~
tanker transportation 10 our
Allies due 10 submarine sink
lngS and a shortage Of steel for
pipe lines from the Gulf.
VET oven here We arc not
i doing all tina, ingenuity can
invent rs has been repeatedly
urged in this column. a Consid-
cradle quantity could bc trans
ported on wooden bargcS on IN
land waterways.
one of our greatest problems
seems still 10 be strategic ma
torialS, and wc arc doing too
little about il The sinking ~
n single cargo ship loaded with
hauNIte some time ago was p
FAR greater catastrophe than the
loss Of several oil tankerS. II
makes ono wonder why II al
least wasn't better protected.
Mr. Jesse Jones VIII doubtless
spend some uncomfortable mod
mon'S explaining why We didn'tN
get INTO our stocks AT least
year supply Of rubber and tin
before tho ocean routes wero
closed
4 6 TT Is there IS a good deal
"A Of doubt whether the
"Scorched earth policy was
applied effectively hv the United
Nations IN tho Dutch East
Indies 10 tho lost oil. rubber
and TN sources. We used 70
take so per cent nj the output
Of the latter two. 4 rubber tree
produces between three and four
pounds Of rubber in a year.
You can't destroy a tin de-
post and no hastily retreating
army could destroy 100000 rub
Der trees. not 10 mention many
times that number. Japan now.
doubtless has all tho tin, rubber
and oil she needs and we don't
So Mr. Jones Will also have
20 explain why, when authorized.
no established for Bolivian tin
orc. only ono little tea pot
Smelter al his home town ~
Houston for a Dutchman and
let tho rest Of the orc 60 IN
England 10 he SmCltcd.
The goat in all our conserva-
ton measures. whether for
sugar, rubber. tin, copper oil or
what not. seems 10 he the
American consumer and Yankee
ingenuity and invention is taxi
ing holiday for the duration"
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