The Sidney herald., 1957-08-08
Greatest Sugar
Beet crop Is
Seen This Fall

Xcu lids rdu
Denver, Colo, - The u. S. bee
sugar industry is marketing near
record tonnages of sugar and Wi
produce the greatest crop in II
history this fall, offsetting the in
fluences of an eastern price "tu
of war" the American Sugar Bee
Industry Policy committee said to
day July 80.
Harry Clark, chairman of tn
committee which represents ever,
us. beet sugar professor and al
of the grower organizations, lssue<
a statement to anSwer government
and industry charges that the Su
gar Act and beet sugar industry
were responsible for eastern price
hikes.
These charges are utterly with
out foundation" Clark, a Greeley
Colo, sugar beet grower, said in g
statement also signed by Frank A
Kemp, president Of the Great
Western Sugar CO., Denver; Rich
ard w. Blake, executive secretary
of the National Beet Growers Fed
Grafton, Greeley, Colo; Robert H
Shields, president and general
counsel of the United States Beet
Sugar Association, Washington, d,
c., and Gordon Lyons, secretary
treasurer, California Beet Growers
Association, Stockton, Calf.
Beet sugar markeHngs during
the first six months of this year
exceeded those for the same per-
iod last year by more than 10000
TONS" the policy committee said
"Cane sugar sellers, on the other
hand, have marketed 10000 tons
less than at this time a year ago."
The committee said that a De-
partment Of Agriculture report
last week indicated the beet su-
gar crop this year will produce
IAN all-time high quantity OF beet
sugar-2,15o,00O to 100000 tons
of sugar, topping all previous pro-
duction records by 10000 to 2OO,-
600 TONS"
@There has been and is plenty
of sugar available for every ham,
let and every consumer IN the
United States and there viii con-
tinue to be ample supplies to meet
all American demands" the COM
mittee said
Charges of sugar shortages in
the northeast are without founda-
ton, Clark said. Beet sugar has
been offered as far west as Buf-
falo and Pittsburgh at prices lower
than cane sugar but few sales were
made. a clear indication there Is
no shortage
In addition, he said, cane sugar
sellers continue to market hun
dreds of miles westward where
beet sugar supple r available.
Refined cane sugar is being free
" offered in the Midwest at prices
substantially below the basic
eastern seaboard price plus
freight" he added.
Following is the full text OF the
statement:
Just about everybody in the SUI
gar business recognizes that a tug
OF war is going on with respect to
the price level of foreign and do
mestic Offshore raw sugar sup
plies for the United States mar
ket- Various forces and groups,
domestic and foreign, are involv-
ed. In recently published state
ments concerning this situation,
the United States sugar industry
innocent by-stander-and the
American governments sugar pro-
gram have both been accused OF
being at fault "
Specifically, it has been charged
that the 1856 amendments to the
Sugar Act and the increased beet
sugar marketing quotas resulting
from those amendments are re
sponsible for the level OF refined
sugar prices in northeastern states.
1t has been alleged that a short-
age of sugar exists in that region
The beet sugar industry has been
accused of not providing its full
share of consumers needs and, by
inference, of not having the ability
to produce or market its full
share.
These charges and differences
are utterly without foundation.
Here are the facts:
The level of refined sugar prices
in the northeast is basically the
result of two factors, both obvious
ly beyond the control of the beet
sugar industry. One is the cost
of raw cane sugar to eastern cane
refiners, and the other Is n cane
refiners' margin OF spread" be-
tween what they pay for raw su-
gar and the price they charge for
refined sugar.
Today's raw sugar prices are
the direct result of OO The TACT
that nearly all raw sugar supplies
in offshore areas are in the hands
of a few strong sellers, CD The eff
feet on the u. S. market Of higher
prices for raw sugar elsewhere in
the world, and (C) The buying
practices of raw cane sugar pro-
ducers.
There is no shortage of raw SUI
gar available in the northeast.
More raw sugar supplies are avail
able this year to cane refiDers than
were available last year, with no
that consumers r 60
ing to buy DIS much refined cane
sugar as last year. The Sugar Act
still permits refiners to refine and
in the northeast as much
Of the total raw sugar supply as
may be necessary to meet the
needs of consumers in that area.
All evidence points to the fact
that there also is no shortage of
sugar available to the
Eastern refined cane su-
" = -A--~ I~oIc ~