Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-05-14
Report on
The Sugar
Situation
Present Allowance
Cause for Little
Real Grumbling
Bv Alexander r, Georpe

BY Alexander r. George
Wide World Features Writer
Getting along on that smaller
sugar allotment shouldn't be too diff
ficult for most American families.
For many 1t will be breeze.
Unless your household has an ex-
eeptionally ravenous sugar appetite
or does 4 large amount Of canning,
the rationing procedure probably
will be more annoying than the &C
tual curbs on the sweet tooth.
Ration allowances are likely to be
changed from time to time, but the
starter of q half pound per person
per week is quite bit OF sweetness.
although heavy weekly quotas of
very rich cakes are out.
Take q family OF four papa,
mama and two children - with a
half pound a week for each of
them. A half pound amounts to
one cup, and there are Is table
spoons or 48 teaspoons of sugar in
= cup. Remember, those are level,
sip'
Let's suppose each member of
the family restricts his use of sugar
on cereals, in coffee, tea and what
not to "A teaspoons a week, or q
little more than q day per person.
Each then can contribute "a tea
spoons or half cup-a grand total
OF 96 teaspoons or two cups Of sugar
for use in cooking.
That would be enough to make
one lemon pie Zone cup of sugar.
and two fairly rich cakes (half cup
of sugar each). Or II the family
votes to make their cooking sugar
60 4 little farther. they could have
an orange custard pie fourth
cup sugar., sweet potato pie lone
fourth cup sugar., homemade
peach ice cream Zone cup sugar.
and q batch Of vanilla waters (half
rup sugar.. No great hardship there.
In addition, the sugar ration can
be supplemented by fresh, canned
and dried fruits. Available also are
such substitute sweets as honey,
cane sirups, molasses, sorghum, corn
sirup and maple sirup Molasses,
cane sirups and sorghum contain
a good deal of body building cal
cium and iron.
Early in the year. Price Admin
lstrator Leon Henderson said it ap-
peared that household consump-
ton OF sugar would have to be re-
duced from the record high Of ~
pounds per capita in ls4l to around
so pounds per capita In 1912, or a
trifie less than q pound q week.
The starting ration of half
pound week would result in a
yearly per capita consumption of
only Is pounds, about half Of that
originally estimated. Indications
now are that supplies in this country
will exceed the original 'conserva-
tive estimate" of $500 900 tons avail
able in 1912.
The Cuban sugar crop is reported
to be substantially larger than esti-
mated early in the year and the
use of sugar in making munitions
has been reduced considerably
through the substitution Of grain
alcohol for that purpose.
If weather and farm labor condi-
tons are favorable an increase in
the production of sugar in the
United States is expected. The dis
tribution of domestic beet sugar may
be somewhat less this year than in
194l. however, as reserves are
smaller. The processing OF sugar
beets starts In the fall, and there
are limitations on the quantity of
new crop sugar which can be de-
livered to consumers before the end
Of the year. :
The shortage of shipping and the
sugar requirements of our Allies, Of
course. remain major problems. 1t
is much easier, however, to ship
sugar from Cuba to the United
States than to Britain or Russia.