The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-04-16
SEE SLIM HOPES FOR lNCREASE IN COFFEE RATION
np WILLIAM N. EANDRR

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 Washington, April ie (uP)-peo. ple Who know what they arc talk- tnE about warn against aIly over-ops Nmlsm about the possibility of an inereass tn United States ooflee 70. tens.
 DospiNa recent biz shipments from BraHlL and the fact that some ceitee is now coming tn by train Ah tae way from Central America and Mexico. coifee traders here wafa that as a whole the picture Is not one to warrant too much en. thusiasm.
 we cheer when e few hundred thousand bags of Brazilian coffee arrive in the United States" one dealer said. whereas it should be oeming ln by millions Of bags"
 BraHll Shipments Cut
 1raHil, which formerly sold co per cent or moro of the coffee con. aumed in the United states, due to the shipping shortage Is now barely able Co maintain It's position as the principal exporter to this country. Latest statistics of the Inter. Amer lean 0oifee Board show that up to March 20, leAS, Brazilian eoffees delivered Into the United states to- taled only 2,ieo,t0e bags, Colombia was not far behind with l,967, e97 bags in the same period,
 These statistics, for practical purposes, cover the first half of the current coffee year, which began on Oct. 4, i0A2. They show that at the present rate of shipments, Bra- El win Do able to fill only about half of its basic annual quota of o,S00.000 bags; Colombia, on the other hand, is expected to more than flN It's basic quota of S,l50,000 bags. Under the enlarged revised quotas, Colombia may ship up to S.002,ei6 bags this coffee year.
 AS Q matter of fact, 50 little cof- fec came here from Santos and Rio dc Janelro earlier in lo4S that for c brief period Colombia was in first place as to amount shipped into the United States. The report for the week ending Feb. i3, lo4S, for example. showed that Colombia had delivered l,476,AS0 bags, while BgaHil had delivered only 1883 B29 bags. On Feb. 90 Colombia was stu leading-l,Sls, ,7S7 bags to l,4se,sii. On Feb. 70 the statistics showed Colombia leading by 1881 ,6so bags to l,6e0,767. By March c Brazil had regained its traditional first place position, with shipments totaling l,Be6,S20 to l,006,624 for Colombia Since then Brazil has not lost first place.
 U.Beats Effective
 There official figures arc men. toned here because recently 1t has been said In Rio de Janeiro that the talk" about Colombia having boen ahead oS Brazil in the matter of Ghippipg coffee was pro.Axis prop. Rganda inspired by fifth column lstSl Unfortunately, such was not the ease. There Is nothing that cof- fee-Arinkers in the U. 8. would like mor0 than for Brazil to have always shipped coffee Into the United States In great quantities. The truth however, as admitted by Sec. xetayy oe the Navy Prank Knox, is that the German Usboats have been very effective in the Atlantic. Since Colombia Is nearer the United States, 1t naturally enjoys consid- ernble advantage as to shipping, and it really was ahead of Brazil for Q while this year in the matter of coffee shipments.
 With much of United States ship- ping tied up in conveys to Africa, England, Iceland, Russia, the South Pacific and other areas, and with the submarines still operating ef- fectively. there Is therefore little hope that sufilcient stocks of coffee will be accumulated in this country ct this time to warrant an increase ln the ration.