Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, January 31, 1918, Page 4

'THURSDAY, JANUARY 81, Hoover uld. “an onmmuon wan made of the costs and profits of refin: ing and it was finally determined that the spread Detween the cost of raw and the sale of refined cane sugar BUSINESS Clothes I’:fl.e‘r’. !or EBIIG Womon ‘American Prloo Rlaldly' Regulated [ by United States Food Administration, CONSUMERS HERE PAY 8o, Sugar Cost 85 Qents a Pound During " Olvll War~—Refiners’ Profits Now Curtalled, Sugar is selling today throughout mnmmmmomu. pound to the consumer, even though there i3 a world shortage which hag reduced this nation’s sugar allotment £ 70 per cent. of normal. Through the efforts of the United administration the sugar been regulated as far as ucen, refiner and wholesaler. muud. The food administration’ to regulate retail prices by public opinion, Even thouzh than 85,000 tons of sugar have France In the last r's sugar cents. He rgg 352 ® H 1 is around 8 to 8 d sugar at 8% to 9 the food administration believes, American housewife to nms g Ei i 288 Be g -August when the food admin- Wluon was organized the price of suddenly to 11 cents a pound. Durlng the Civil War sugar the consumer 85 cents a pound. regulation ot the sugar market and i teducing the price to 8% and O cents I und keeping it from advancing to 20 ents the food administration has sav-, the American public at least $180,- 000 in four months, according to Llhmt made by Herbert Hoover ‘Bhourmmdutytofeed the al- fes, to maintain their health and gnnh At any cost to ourselves,” . Hoover declared. “There has not Deen, 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 Eflr greed and gluttony force thémn 5 n ther to further reduce -their ration to send these ships we will have e damage to our abilitles to win war. - “lf we send the ships to Java for 250,000 tons of sugar next year we will have necessitated the em- ployment of eleven extra ships for #ne year. These ships—If used In transporting troopo—would take o Im h 200.000 meén to France.” . Rnnn for World Shortage. .As Mr. Hoover .pointed .out, the United States, 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 Indies. German sugar is no longer available, a8 it is used entirely in Germany, which also absorbs sugar of surround- countries, gland 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. The Itallan production has fallen from 210,000 tons to 76,000 tons. .Thus three countries were thrown upon East and West Indian sources for 1,025,000 tons annually to maintain their normal consumption, Because of the world's shipping shortage the allled nations started mfln' on the West Indles for sugarg Indian sugar took three times the mumber 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 Hurope when 800,000 tons a yoar 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 lhlpmenu." Hoover stated the other day, "t.he English government in August reduced the household sugar ratlon to a basis of 24 pounds per annum per capita. ‘And In S8eptember the French govern- ment reduced their household ration to 18 2-10 pounds a year, or a bit over 1 pound of sugar & 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 its sugar con- sumption 10 to 18 per cent. this nation wlill be able to send 200,000 more soldlers to France. Sugar today sells at seaboard re- fineries at $7.25 a hundred pounds, The wholesale grocer has agreed limit his profit to 25 cents a hun . 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 adminie- tration, which now asks the housewife to reduce sugar consumption as much a8 possible, using other sweetenel and also reminds her that she shoul pay no more than 9 cents a pound for gn.tnl of Cane Refiners’ Profits. *Immediately upon the establ meeat af the food Mhmua” should be limited to $1.80 per hundred pounds.” The pre-war differential had averaged about 83 cents and Increased costs were found to have been tmpos- €d by the war in increased cost of re- fining, losses, cost of bags, labor, insur- ance, Interest and other things, rather more than cover the difference. After extortionate under the law. “In the course of these In tions it was found by canvass of Cuban producers that their suger hlfl. during the first nine ‘months of thé past year, sold for-an average of about $4.24 per hundred £ o. b. Cuba, to which duty and t added to the refiners’ cost amount to about $5.66 per hundred. The ave sale price of granulated by various eries, 80~ cording to our investiga was about aaw hundred, of & erential of “Inndudn.&odlflmflllbm there was a sa to the public’of 54 cents per hun Had such a dif- January, 1017, the public would have saved in the first nine months of the year about $34,800,000.” Next Yean With & view to more efficlent organ- tzatlon of the trade in imported sugars next year two ‘committees have been forined by. the food administration 1 A committes comprising repre- sentatives of all of the elements 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. g 2, A committee com, resentatives of the and Italian governments; two repre- sentatives of the Amerl refiners, the most economical sources from & transport point of view of all the al- lles to arrange transport at uniform rates, to distribute the foreign sugar between the United States and allles, subject to the approval of the Amerl- can, English, French and Itallan gov- ernments. This committee, while holding strong views as to the price to be pald for Cuban sugar, has not had 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 & 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, £. o. b. Cuba, or equal to lbout W duty paid New York. . “This price lhould eventuate,” Mr. Hoover sald, “to about $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- 8} to 9 . gents per pound, depending upon ‘locality and conditions of trade, or at 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 goes to the Cuban, Hawallan, Porto Rican and Lousianian producer and part to the consuper. “Appeals to prejudice agaiast the food administration have been madé because the Cuban price is 84 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 $3.89, 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 $4.87 was necessary, and even this would stifie some producers. “The price ultimately agreed was 28 cents above these figures, or about one- fifth of a cent per pound to the Ameri- can consumer, and more than this amount ‘has been saved by our reduc- tion in refiners’ profits, If we wish to stifie production in Cuba we could take that course just at the time of all times in our history when we want production for ourselves and the al- lies. Further than that, the state 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 great country has no right might of its position to strangle | (gnbc. upon the American public, the established custom of the trade. .llt in that reflamg* reasons is one of human Juluco. This “Therefore there is no imposition Charges have been made before this commit- tee that Mr. Rolph endeavored to ben- efit the California refinery of which he | ; was manager by this 84 cent increase in Cuban price. Mr. Rolph did not fix the price. It does raise the price to the Hawailan 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 $1.80 per hundred pounds, plus the freight differential on “Mr, Bolphhunotmpunzogh- and chdnn Hair dressing, ‘face massage, -~ sealp treatment. Switchu made from combings $1.5 -Phono us‘w 311 6th St. ‘GENERAL MERCHANDISB Groceries, Dry Goods, Shoes, Flour, Feed, etc. The careful buyers buy bere. W. G. SCHROEDER Bomldjl : Phono (1) H TUSE‘!K SUBOO!. OF MUSIC VIOLIN P’IANO LND BAND . INSTRUMBNTS Phone 683-W - 116 ll‘d lt "DEAN LAND CO, Land, Loans, Insurance and . City Property Troppman Block HUFFMAN & O'LEARY FURNITURE & * UNDERTAKING H. N. McKEE, Funeral Dkdhr PHONE 178-W or B Bemidji WA FUNERAL DIRECTOR M. E. IBERTSON UNDERTAKER 405 Beltrami .%ve.. Ladles' and Gants Sl | MADE to ORDER Cleaning, pressing and alterations of allkinds. All work up-to-date, | “first class workmanship. T. Beaudette, | Merchant Talilor 210 Thlrd Street firi_.ng us your olean obt- ton rags--no buttons, bands or woolen cloth accepted;’ Pioneer Office Let Us Print Your Sale Bills DONTe SUFFER &5 WTH NEURALEIA Use Soothmg thing Musterole When those ‘sharp pai pains go Wfi through your h when if it would split, just rub a httleMlustmleonymn'mpluand draws out the inflammation, AmencanSugar Refmmg Company is earnestfy - supporting the Government’s policy toregulate the supply of sugar so that it shall be sufficient _and ourselves. ‘for the needs of all—-our soldxers, our Allxes “With the new crop of cane sugar coming in, the sugar sntuat:on is more favorable than it was a month ago. There will be sugar enough, according to present indications, li ex- /2, travagmt use and waste are avoided. : War has dnsturbed the whole world’s sagar ‘supply. It has not only wiped out any available surplus, but it has put all nations on a hand-to- mouth basis. The European Allies were the first tofeel the pinch. Before the war, enough sugar - was produced on the Con- tinent to supply all Europe. Today, two-thirds of this sugar-producing area is with- in the battle lipes. o England, France and other nations have had to turn -elsewhere for a supply of this indispensable food. - * And they came to Cuba— the main source upon which the United States depends for its cane sugar. During 1917, Cuba sold and shipped to - Europe nearly 1,000,000 tons of raw sugar—one-third of its crop. In addxtlon to the notmal increase in the: consumphon; of sugar as food in this coun- try, the nation-wide move- ment to save the fruit crop last season greatly mcreased its use.. But - this increased con- sumption of sugar has been a . real factor in combating waste. It enabled the Ameri- can housewife to add to the store of the food of the na-- tion at a time when fruits and vegetables. were plenti- ful and cheap. The sugar is not only in the fruit jar, but it has carried into the pantries of the coun- try a vast supply of fruit and vegetables which would - otherwise have been lost. Sugar itself is not only a food, but it is also the great pre- server of other foods. As the demand for sugar grew, both here and abroad, Cuba’s supply was exhausted last fall. Every atvailable ton in Porto Rico and other cane sugar countries was ac- - quired. But this was not enough, and the shortage came. as unavailable as unmined gold—because ships cannot be spared to transport it. Every 5,000-ton ship whnch ‘can be saved by giving. England sugar from Cuba means the release of a ship: -which can make three trips and take a total of 3,000 sol- diers from the United States to France. . . If we can save the Allies from taking any Java sugar in 1918, we will release for transport purposes enough - - ships to carry over to the Western front and supply - about- 150,000 to: 200, 000 soldiers. "At the same tnme, we w:ll also be giving the Allies the - necessary sugar. it is to the intefest of the common cause to save ships “'and send soldiers. : The American Sugar Re- fining Company has put forth every possible effort to keep up the supply of sugar for the United States, even in limited quantities, ‘and to stabilize the price to the consumer. In order to enable thewidest possible distribution of sugar —so that all may have some sugar—we distribute Domino Cane Sugars in convement- : size packages. = These ' small - unit cartons and cotton bags enable gro- cers to limit their sales so that waste and hoarding may be prevented.. It will be necessary for grocers and consumers to watch carefully their distri- - bution and purchases during the approaching period of re- .adjustment. The refineries are now starting up and sup- plies of raw sugar coming for- ward, but it will take weeks, and possibly months, for the return of normal conditions. Housewives can cooperate with this plan by buying these package sugars. In war time and at all times it is our aim to safeguard the interests of the public we serve. American SugarRefining Company ““Sweeten it with Domino’’ Granulated, Tablet, Powdered, Confectioners Brown [ ¢ ~ . At the same time, an abun- : dance of sugar was and still - is locked up in far-away Java, Therefore;: -