1
AMERICAN SUGAR
SEfJTME
American Price Rigidly Regulated
" by United States Food
Administration.
CONSUMERS HERE PAY 9c
i
Sugar Coct $5 Ctnti Pound During
Civil War Refiner Profit
Now Curtailed.
Sugar la selling today throughout
America at from 8 ',4 to 9 ceuts a
pound to the consumer, even though
there ta a world shortage which hai
reduced tlila nation sugar allotment
to 70 per cent of normal
Through the effort of the United
State food administration the augur
market has been regulated as far a
the producer, refiner and wholesaler
la concerned. The food administration
ha no power to regjilate retail price
except by public opinion. Even though
more than 83.000 ton of sugar have
been shipped to France In the last
four months the retail grocer's suir
price la around 8 to 84 cent. He
should aell this sugar at 8tt to 9
cents, the food administration believes,
and asks the American housewife to
pay no more than this amount
Last Aagust when the food admin
istration was organised the price of
sugar rose suddenly to 11 cents a
pound. During the Civil War sugar
cost the consumer 85 cents a pound.
By regulation of the suiar market and
reducing the price to 8tf and 9 cents
and keeping It from advancing to 20
cent the food administration has sav
ed the American public at least $180.
000 000 In four months, according to
a statement made by Herbert Hooter
the other day.
"It Is our stern duty to feed the si
lies,, to maintain their health and
strength at any cost to ourselves,"
Mr. Hoover declared. "There has not
been, nor will be as we see It, enough
sugar for even their present meagre
and depressing ration unless they send
ships to remote markets for It If we
In our greed and gluttony force them
either to further reduce their ration
or to send these ships we will have
done damage to our abilities to win
this war. . . " ,. .
"If we send the ships to Java
for 250,000 tons of sugar next year
we will have neceuitated the em
ployment of eleven extra ship for
one year. These ships If used In .
transporting troop would take
150,000 to 200.000 men to France.1
Reason for World Shortage.
As Mr. Hoover pointed out, the
United 8tates, Canada and England
were sugar Importing countries before
the war, while France and Italy were
very nearly self supporting. ' The main
sources of the world's sugar supply
, was Germany and neighboring powers,
the West Indies and the East Indie.
German su?ar Is no longer available,
as It Is nsed entirely In Germany,
which also absorbs sugar of surround
ing Countries.
' England can no longer buy 1,400,000
long tons of sugar each year from
Germany. The French sugar produc
tion has dropped from 750.000 to 210,-
000 tons.1 The Italian production has
fallen from 210.000 tons to 75,000 tons.
Thus three countries were thrown
upon East and West Indian sources
for 1,925,000 tons annually to maintain
their normal consumption.
Because of the world's shipping
shortage the allied nations started
drawing on the West Indies for sugar;
East Indian sugar took three times
the number of ships, since the dis
tance was three times as great Sud
denly the west was called on" to fur
nish and did furnish 1,420.000 tons of
sugar to Europe when 300,000 tons a
year was the pre-war demand. The
allies had drawn from Java 400,000
tons before the shipping situation be
came acute.
"In spite of these shipments," Mr.
Hoover stated the other day, "the
English government In August reduced
the household sugar ration to a basis
of 24 pounds per annum per capita.
And In September the French govern
ment reduced their household ration
to 13 2-10 pounds a year, or a bit over
1 pound of sugar a month. Even this
meagre ration could not be filled by
the French government It was found
early In the fall. America was then
asked for 100.000 tons of sugar and
succeeded In sending 85.000 tons by
December 1. The French request was
granted because the American house
hold consumption was then at least 55
; pounds per person, and It was consid
ered the duty of maintaining the
French morale made our course clear."
Today the sugar situation may
be summarized by stating that If
America will reduce It tugar con
, lumption 10 to 15 per cent this)
nation will be able to send 200,000
more soldiers to France.
jJuKar tod;; .sells at seaboard, re-
flnorle sf fT.23 l kttnifretf pounds,
The wholesale grocer has agreed to
limit his profit to 25 cents a hundred
plus freight, and the retail grocer Is
supposed to take no more than 50 cents
a hundred pounds profit. This regu
lation was made by the food adminis
tration, which now siks the housewife
to reduce sugar consumption as much
as possible, using other sweeteners,
and also reminds ber that she should
pay no mors than 9 ceuts a pound for
sugar.
. Control of Cane Refiners' Profits.
"Immediately upon the estab'lsh
ment of the food administration," Mr.
Hoover said, "an examination was
made of the costs and profits of refin
ing and It was finally determined thai
the spread between the cost of raw
srJ the sale of refined cane sugar
should be limited to $1.30 per hundred
pounds. The pre-war differential had
averaged about 85 cents snd Increased
costs were found to have been Impos
ed by the war In Increased cost of re
fining, losses, cost of bags, labor, Insur
ance, Interest and ether things, rather
more than cover the difference. After
prolonged negotiations the refiners
were placed under agreement estab
lishing these limits on October 1, and
anything over this amount to be agreed
extortionate under the law,
"In the course of these Investiga
tions It was found by canvasa of the
Cuban producers that their sugar had,
during the first nine months of the
past year, sold for an average of about
R24 per hundred f. o. b. Cuba, to
which duty and freight sdded to the
refiners' cost amount to about $5.68
per hundred. The average sale price
of granulated by various refineries, ac
cording to our Investigation, was about
$7.50 per hundred, or a differential of
$1.84. ,
"In reducing the differential to $1.80
there was a saving to the public of N
cflit per hundred. Had such a dif
ferential been In use from the 1st of
January, 1017. the public would have
sated In the first nine months of the
year ahont K4ROO00O."
Next Year.
With a Tlew to more efficient organ
isation of the trade In Imported sugars
next year two committees have been
formed by the food administration :
L A committee comprising repre
sentatives of all of the element of
American cane refining groups. The
principal duty of this committee Is to
divide the sugar Imports pro rata to
their various capacities and see that
absolute Justice Is done to every re
finer. 2. A committee comprising three rep
resentatives of the English, French
and Italian governments; two repre
sentatives of the American refiners,
with a member of the food administra
tion. Only two of the committee have
arrived from Europe, but they repre
sent the allied governments. The du
ties of this committee are to determine
the most economical sources from a
transport point of view of all the al
lies to arrange transport at uniform
rates, to distribute the foreign sugar
between the United States and allies,
subject to the approval of the Ameri
can, English, French and Italian gov
ernments. This committee, while holding strong
views as to the price to be paid for
Cuban sugar, has not bad the final
voice. This voice has rested In the
governments concerned, together with
the Cuban government and I wish to
state emphatically that all of the gen
tlemen concerned as good commercial
men have endeavored with the utmost
patience and skill to secure a lower
price, and their persistence has re
duced Cuban demands by 15 cents per
hundred. The. price agreed upon Is
about $4.60 per hundred pounds, f. o. b.
Cuba, or equal to about $6 duty paid
New York. l ;-
"This price should eventuate,"
Mr. Hoover said, "to sbout $7.30
per hundred for refined sugar from
the refiners at seaboard points or
should place sugar in the hands of
the consumer at from 82 to 9
cents per pound, depending upon
locality and conditions of trade, or
st from 1 to 2 cents below the
prices of August last and from one
half to a cent per pound cheaper
than today.
"There Is now an elimination of
speculation, extortionate profits, and
in the refining alone the American
people will save over $25,000,000 of
the refining charges last year. A part
of these savings go.es to the Cuban,
Hawaiian, Porto Rlcan and Louslanlan
producer and part to the consumer.
"Appeals to prejudice against the
food administration have been made
because the Cuban price is 34 cents
above that of 1017. It is said In effect
that the Cubans are at our mercy;
that we could get sugar a cent lower.
We made exhaustive study of the cost
of producing sugar In Cuba last year
through our own agents In Cuba, and
we find It averages $3.39, while many
producers are at a higher level. We
found that an average profit of at
least a cent per pound was necessary
In order to maintain and stimulate
production or that a minimum price of
$4.37 was necessary, and even this
would stifle some producers.
"The price ultimately agreed was 23
cents above these figures, or about one
fifth of a cent per pound to the Ameri
can, consjOTerndjnore, than, this
amount has been saved by our reduc
tion In refiners' profits. If we wish to
stifle production In Cubs we could
i take that course Just at the time of all
times' In our history when we want
production for ourselves and the alt
lies. Further than that the stste de
partment will assure you that such a
course would produce disturbances In
Cuba and destroy even our present
supplies, but beyond all these material
reasons Is on of human Justice. This
great country has no right by the
might of Its position to strangle Cuba,
"Therefore there Is no Imposition
upon the American public. Charges
have been made before this commit
tee that Mr. ltolph endeavored to ben
efit the California refinery of which he
was manager by this 84 cent Increase
In Cuban price. Mr. ltolph did not fix
the price. It does raise the price to
the Hawaiian farmer about that
amount It does not raise the profit of
the California refinery, because their
charge for refining Is, like all other re
finers, limited to $1.30 per hundred
pounds, plus the freight differential on
the established custom of the trade.
"Mr. Rolph has not one penny of in
terest In that refinery."
Through the Secretary of Agricul:
ture, Houston, the United States
department of Agriculture is bring,
ing into the country 100,000 tons of
Chilean nitrates for fertilizer.
This material will be sold to the
farmers at cost. It will be brought
to seaports at a coat of approxima
tely $75.00 per ton. This plus the
freight to unloading stations will
be the cost to the farmer.
This office has just received notifi
cation that requests for this fertil
izer must be made through the
office of the County Agent or com
mittee appointed by the Director
of the Extension Service at Corval-
lis. The requests must also! be
made before the fourth day of Feb
ruary. Necessity for quick action
is apparent. If you will make your
wants known to the County Agent,
or committee man from your local
Framers' organization (Farmers'
Union or Grange etc.) at an eery
date we can come in for our share
of fertilizer. , ,
Most all are familiar withSNi-
trate of Soda as a fertilizer. To
those who may not I wish to say
that it is especially good for gar
den and truck crops. It will give
results on any crop that we want
forcing of stem and leaf growth.
It is very readily availabl e to the
plant and may be applied in small
quantities at time of planting or j
during the growing season. 250 to
400 pounds per acre is sufficient for
most intensive crops.
Don t delay if interested in this
proposition. Further information
gladly furnished by this office.
J. E. Larson, County Agricul
tural Agent
See Us For Furniture
Chairs, Rockers, Dining Tables,
A Nice Line of
MONMOUTH HARDWARE CO.
a-vheat
use more corn
use moi&Jtsh (Lbeans
use just enough
and serve
the cause of freedom
U S. FOOD ADM I N I STKATION.
Train into Monmouth
L've Portland 71.5, a in, Gerllnger 10:20, Imlepend'ce 10.32, Monm'th 10:CU
" Salem 9.36, " " " " " "
" " 1.40, pm Dallas 2:45 3:10
" " 8.45, " Gcrlingor 4:24, Independence 4:37, Monmouth 4:GR
"' " 6.00, " " 6:45, " 6:67, " 7:10
" Portland 8.30, Connect with above
" Corvallis 6.45, a m Independence 7:35..,, Arrive Monmouth 7:45
" " 1.15, pm " 2:14 " 2:30
" Dallas 7.00, a m, Arrive Monmouth 7:25
' Airlie 8.30, am snd 3:45, pm. Arrive Monmouth 9:06 am snd 4:13 p m
Leave Independence, 6.50 am, 7.35, 8.45, 10,85, 12.20, 1.30, p m, 2.20, 8.50,
4.40, 7.00
Trains out of Monmouth
L've Monmouth 7:06 a m, Independence 7:35, Gerlinger 7:49, Ar Salem 8:30
"Same as above Portland 11.10
" Monmouth 1:45, p ra, " 2:14, " 227, Salem 8:10
" Same as above Portland 6:50
" Monmouth 4:05, " 4:40, ' " 4:55, Salem 6:35
" " 9:05, am Dallas 10:00 " 11:00
" " 4;30, p m " 4:45, " 6:36
" " 9;05, a m, Independence 10:32, Corvallis 1120
" " 4;55, p m, " , 6:57, " 7:45
" " 7;25 a m and 8,10 p m. Arrives Airlie 8 a m and 8;40 pm
Leave'Monmouth 7.05, a m, 8.15 9.06, 10.50, 12.30, M, 1.46, p m, 2.35, 4.15,
4.55, 7. 3 ' . ,
Bed Room Sets
' " '. '';'.,"" , "... . i
Rugs and Linoleums
and Heaters
V use syrups
A3