Evening Star Newspaper, February 8, 1942, Page 6

A—6 » Sugar Profifeering May Force Ceiling On Retail Prices Rationing Is Delayed For Month at Least By Preliminary Tasks While preparations are being rushed for the sugar rationing program, the Office of Price Ad- ministration disclosed yesterday that an outbreak of profiteering in the retail market may force the Government to place price ceilings on retail sugar. The tasks of printing ration stamp hooks for every man, woman and child in the country’and setting up registration and distribution centers under school teachers on a Nation- wide basis will delay the inaugura- tion of the rationing program for at least another month, it was under- stood. The O. P. A. advised consumers who are asked to pay much more than one cent per five pounds high- er for sugar than they paid in the first week of last December to pro- test vigorously to the storekeeper. Small Rise Held Justified. Price Administrator Leon Hender- son branded any increases greater than this as “pure and simple profiteering.”- He explained that a one-cent-per-five-pounds markup was justified in view of an increase of 20 cents per 100 pounds recently allowed refiners. He added, however, that there is no justification for a retail ad- vance of more than one cent except in a few localities where additional “adjustments” have been necessary. One O. P. A. spokesman said that some Washington merchants have been reported selling sugar for more than twice the December price, and | similar price advances, though none quite as drastic, have been reported | from other sections of the country. Meanwhile, a proposal to alleviate the sugar shortage by using Gov- ernment-controlled surpluses of wheat and corn to produce indus- trial alcohol was laid before Chair- man Donald M. Nelson of the War Production Board by Republican Senate Leader McNary of Oregon. Method Declared Cheap. In a letter to Mr. Nelson, Senator McNary said he had been advised that under existing price levels, wheat and corn could be converted into ethyl alcohol—an ingredient of smokeless powder—as cheaply as could molassses, a sugarcane prod- uct. Mr. Henderson pointed out yes- terday that the rationing program will insure a fair sharing of the sugar supply for every one, and in the meantime “scarcity is absolutely no justification for raising prices.” He said that durihg the current month all wholesale sugar buyers are entitled to receive 80 per cent of the amount of sugar they re- ceived during the corresponding period last year. Mr. Henderson said he hoped “the force of public opinion” would in- duce merchants to keep their prices down, but that if such were not the case, maximum prices would be NEW TIME AHEAD OF TIME—Federal Price Administrator Leon Henderson and his secretary, Miss Helene Madden, made certain they would not forget “war time” yesterday. The Hen- derson office clock was set ahead one hour, although the change over is not due officially until 2 a.m. tomorrow. —A. P. Photo. 5,300,000 tons of sugar this year— as compared with a supply of 7.~ 989,000 tons last year. The largest single source of this sugar was Cuba. The State, Interior, Agricul- ture and War Departments have all supported the theory that it was better, from economic and com- mercial points of view, to rely on the island producers, including Cuba. Members of Congress Generally Approve Rafioning of Sugar Bui‘ Some Senators Are Critical of Policies Before Order By GOULD LINCOLN. Sugar rationing was generally ap- proved at the Capitol yesterday as a necessary step. Here and there, however, were members of Congress who were critical. The opinion was expressed that within a year sugar production in the United States would be in- creased sufficiently to meet all needs. That was under the assump- tion the war would continue for a longer period, and greatly increased production would offset curtailment One difculty in the way of in- creased sugar production, Senator Brown said, was in getting the priorities division of the War Pro- duction Board to allow the necessary materials for the machinery and| implements for sugar beet produc- tion. That situatien, he said, has been ironed out. Senator Capper, Republican, of | Kansas, a member of the Committee on Agriculture, said he “would go along with Mr. Henderson” in the sugar rationing plan, believing that it was necessary in view of the war situation. Kansas produces sugar beets, but on a comparatively small scale, and has one sugar mill. Senator Taft, Republican, of Ohio of sugar imports. said he would have preferred a Senator. Brown, Democrat, of | voluntary system of rationing sugar, , one- of great sugar- | rather than the drastic plan which beet . producing. States,’pointed out | is now:. &> be put iute effect. -If that the wdm had re- |a voluntary plan had been started moved all restrictions—imposed un- der the Sugar Quota Act—on the growing of sugar in this country. The Department of Agriculture is now urging the fullest production. He said that he expected a very big increase in the sugar beet crop in this country. “I have no doubt that consider- sooner, he added, and before the people were alarmed by official statements regarding sugar short- ages, it might have been successful. Senator Taft agreed, however, that under existing conditions rationing was necessary. During the last war he was connected with the Food Administration. He said he did not forthcoming from his office. able sugar hoarding has been going He warned consumers not. to hoard sugar, and to buy for cur- rent needs only, as one way to prevent prices from'rising is to avoid on in this country since the outbreak of the war, and particularly since the speech of Secretary of Agricul- ture Wickard over the radio three panic buying, which “always tends to create shortages and boost prices.” He also pointed out that under the pending rationing program hoarded supplies of sugar will have to be used up before additional pur- chases can be made. Must Declare Amount. | weeks ago, in which he warned that there might be a sugar shortage,” | said Senator Brown.” It is un- | fortunate #hat the Amercian people | ing of sugar supplies. But it is war time, and we must do what is nec- essary. : Brown's Warning Recalled. ‘The person who registers for his| family’'s copies of “War Ration Book No. 1” will have to sign an application declaring the nmounti of sugar in his home. Anyone whose family supply exceeds two | pounds per person will have torn | from his book an appropriate num- ber of stamps, thereby preventing his purchasing any more sugar until the hoarded stocks are used up. Since each stamp will be num- bered for use in 28 consecutive weeks, those who have hoarded supplies will be lacking the first few stamps. The O. P. A. feels certain that| the prospect of distasteful neigh- borhood gossip, the fear of legal action and the sense of patriotic | duty will combine to eliminate any | widespread hoarding after the sa- tioning program goes in effect. Some officials said the inclination to hoard stocks would disappear in large degree, too, when consumers discover how well they can get along on 12 ounces a week, which is the | per-person allotment contemplated under the program. Senator McNary wrote Mr. Nelson that the conversion of surplus wheat and corn would make available for domestic consumption about one- fifth of the production of sugar for 1941 which otherwise would be used in the industrial alcohol field. Sen- ator McNary said he was advised that there were sufficient existing distillery facilities to take care of the diversion. | ‘While Senator McNary gave no | figures, it was generally understood in congressional circles that more than 1,000,000 tons of sugar had been allocated by the War “Production Board to be converted into indus- trial alcohol. Senator McNary said half a dozen factors are involved in the sugar shortage, “namely, the cutting off of major supplies from the Pacific, the commitments to ship a large quan- tity of sugar to England and Russia, the diversion of sugar from human to industrial consumption, the con- version of a substantial portion of the sugar supply for 1941 into ethyl alcohol for explosives, and, finally, there is hoarding as a result of these influences.” Red Cross Gives Status Of Knitting Projects Red Cross headquarters an- nounced yesterday it is informing women who inquire if théy still are wanted to knit sweaters that under 8 War Production Board statement the knitting will continue when the Red Cross is notified of military needs. Headquarters said numerous in- quiries of this type are being re- eeived from women, who ap- parently thought knitting for the armed services was discontinued to eonserve wool. “The administration discouraged an increase in sugar production in this country up to last December, when Japan attacked at Pearl Har- bor. It was felt that Cuba and the offshore islands were better adapted to raising sugar.” = Senator Brown, along with ,the late Senator Adams, Democrat, of Colorado, and Senator O'Mahoney, Democrat, of Wyoming, warned that conditions might arise which would bring about a sugar shortage, partic- ularly if the imports from the Philippine Islands, amounting to something less than 1,000,000 tons | will have to go through this ration- | annually, should be cut off. That | has now happened, Senator Brown said, and added that there might be a considerable curtailment in the imports recevied from Hawail, which has been sending about 800,000 tons to this country each year. Beet sugar, which accounts for about 1,800,000 tons of the country’s sugar bowl each year, is produced in a number of States. The three largest producers are Michigan, Colorado and California. Utah, Wyoming and a number of other States also produce sugar beets. Senator Brown said that the deci- sion of the Department of Agri- culture to encourage increased sugar production, which had not come until late in January, was in time for growers in his State and in Colorado, but late for California, which plants its beets earlier. Both Louisiana and Florida, which grow sugar cane, can also increase their production of sugar materially, with all wraps off. But, Senator Brown pointed out, it took the cane more than a year or even two years to reach full production. recall that there had been any ra- Shaw Junior Pupils To Sketch History Of Haifi by Radio Broadcast Over WMAL At 2 P.M. Tomorrow One in Star Series The rugged land of Haiti will be the subject of a broadbast at 2 p.m. tomorrow over WM. by, students of Shaw Junior High Bchool in the good-neighbor series, -“The Amer- icas,” sponsored by The Star and the Junior High School Radio Com- mittee, The dramatization, will cover many of the outstanding customs and national characteristics of the people of the small Caribbean is- land republic as well as its colorful history. The exploits of the coun- try’s greatest liberators, Toussaint- L'Ouverture and Henri Christophe, will be described and also the im- portant influence of France on the historic development of Haitl. The script for the broadcast has been prepared by Mrs. Lorraine Heathcock and Waldo Webb of the Shaw faculty. The play will be di- rected by Miss Clotille Houston and Mrs. Esther Sutton while the par- ticipating school chorus is to be directed by Mrs. Louise Pack. A study plan on Haiti distributed among all local junior high schools was drafted by Richard A. Gillem, teacher at Shaw. ’ . ’ War Time (Continued From First Page.) have the designation, “war time” instead of standard time. The Weather Bureau will advance its clocks and conform with the new time as far as local recordings are concerned, but international ob- servations will continue to be taken on Greenwich mean time, which is synchronized throughout the world. There won't be any local tem- perature reading for 2 a.m. tomor- row. As far as the records are concerned, bureau officials said, one temperature reading will simply be missing. Naval Observatory activities will not be affected, since it will con- tinue to send out its hourly time signals on Greenwich time. These time signals are recorded. auto- matically on dozens of machines throughout the country, among other places, and it would be quite a task to change the machines, Capt. Prederick Helweg, superintendent of the observatory, said. He added, however, that the “local” clocks would be changed to conform to the new time. Some Save an Hour. Employes who will be on duty tonight at the Weather Bureau and other places will work an hour less than usual, but there were no in- dications that their wages, would be docked. Anyway, they'll give the hour back when time goes back to standard after the war is over. Owners of the big outdoor clocks in downtown Washingten, including those of the R. Harris Jewelry Co., Palais Royal and Hecht Co, said their engineers would wait until they come to work tomorrow morn- ing to move the hands ahead. Wartime will come to the Zoo, too, but Headkeeper Willlam H. Blackburne said he didn't expect it to cause any trouble among the inmates. “Some of the elephants, buffalo, turtles and hippopotamuses were tiere during the last war, and they South End Highway Bridge—Zone 3 National Airport—Zone 4. THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, FEBRUARY 8, 1942. TAXICAB ZONES—The regular taxicab zone system will be the key to the taxicab “pickup” sys- tem to be tried out during rush hours beginning tomorrow. If you enter a “jltney" cab in zones 3 or 4, you will pay the regular fare. If you enter a “jitney” cab in zone 1 or 2, the fare is 20 cents. Details of the operating system are revealed in the story o cLzanerwe wosorta, accompanying this map. Connecticut avenue and Massa- chusetts avenue. Suppose a cab is hailed at some point in the third zone in the morn- ing period. This customer specifies the War Department as the destina- tion. His fare will be the regular 60 cents. The cab driver will then stick in his windshield his sign reading War and Navy and proceed in the most direct route to the original destination. Suppose, agaln, as he enters the second zone or at some point in it he is hailed by another person. The driver will stop and if the destina- tion is the same, he will pick up the second passenger for a 20-cent fare. If the second person’s destination is along the direct route to Wdr and Navy, but not that far, he will also be taken, but the driver will not go even a few blocks out of the direct route. If the prospective customer, for instance, wanted to go to a depart- ment store, the cab driver would probably reply that he could not take the fare, but to be on the look- out for a cab marked “Federal Tri- angle,” which could take him. Any pickup fare in the first two zones, heading downtown in the il ot /\ morning or out of town in the eve- ning, is 20 cents each even for the original rider. The driver is ex- pected to take pickup fares going his way, if he sees them. Drivers have been urged to be pleasant and courteous, especially since the experiment is as new to the public as it is to them. ‘The limit is four passengers, with only one in front. However, if a fare has luggage, the driver uses his discretion as to whether there is room for two, three or four persons and in any case has a “full” sign to put up when he is loaded. Plan to Be Tried 30 Days. Each driver is to report the total number of fares at the end of the day and on such daily reports will be decided the success or failure of the experiment. It is to run 30 days on trial. A formal hearing has been set on it March 5 at the District Building. » While the program might seem to discriminate in favor of those in the downtown zones, Mr. Royer pointed out that this section is where it is almost impossible to board a bus in rush hour. He also pointed out that by forming “riding clubs” even those living in the outlying areas could get almost 20-cent service. For ex e G mr o n g ample, he said, if four persons in§ zone 4 got together at the same | point each morning and went to the | same place, the fare would be a dollar, or 25 cents each. From the third zone the fare would be cor- respondingly cheaper. Such clubs, however, would have to start and stop at the same point. :. The experiment was suggested to the District Commissioners and the Public Utilities Commission by Prederic A. Delano, chairman of the National Capital Park and | Planning Commission and uncle of President Roosevelt, as a means of meeting the transportation problem that has been made more acute here | by the influx of thousands of war workers. In his letter to the city heads, Mr. Delano said his suggestion was based on his own efforts to get a taxi at rush hour. According to the president of one of the participating | cab companies, Mr. Delano has been sharing a taxicab with others for months. Mrs. Lucille Foster Mc- Millin of the Civil Service Commis- sion has also been a taxicab sharer, 1t was said. Feeling of Appreciation. Mr. Delano said his taxicab shar- ing has been done largely with his fellow residents at Hotel 2400 that he had no Ot appreciad invited to L Mrs. McMillin said her experi- ences in cab sharing had alway been “with nice people,” and she thinks the District has the finest taxicab drivers ever. Most of her fellow riders are Government em- ployes but some are women going downtown to shop. | Cab sharing has the two-fold ad- | vantage of doing a little bit to help | the war emergency situation and } also giving her opportunities in pub- | lic relations which she otherwise | would miss, she said. Saying that she often discussed | with Government workers their problems at their jobs, she described | the conversations as always inter- | esting, but added: “I always introduce myself to them first and tell them who I am.” Views on Curfew Asked. One asked her the other day what she thought of the curfew proposal for Government girls, she recalled with a laugh. | _ Mrs. McMillin also lives at Hotel | 2400 and said she did not know | whether she had followed Mr. |Dehnn'| lead but she had been sharing her cab for a long time. From the point of view of the | taxicab drivers, there is a definite purpose in their undertaking the | program. Financially, Mr. Royer explained, the men are doing well now and have more business than they can handle. But, he added, they also know that to survive pri | orities and tire rationing and such {wartime restrictions the taxicab in- | dustry has got to become so useful to the general public that it can't | get along without it. Other cab owners may enter the service but must have the approval of the Public Utilities Commission before they do so. Attacked by Schulte. ‘The proposed system has been at- tacked by Representative Schulte of Indiana, who predicted it would clog up traffic and classed it as a “guinea pig” plan. In the last day or so one cab com- pany and several independent drive ers have petitioned to be included in the service, according to Gregory Hankin, chairman of the Public Utilities Commission, but the com- mission voted to postpone action on these until some idea could be ob- tained on the working of the plan. Mr. Hankin also disclosed that “a few” members of the Lincoln Cab Association had asked to be with- drawn from the plan, saying their president was not authorized to speak for them. Mr. Hankin said this request was denied. Rugs—Carpets Remnants Lowest Prices—Open Evenings 'WOODRIDGE RUG & CARPET €o., INC. 1715 Rhode Island Ave. N.E, Telephone—Hobart 8200 tioning-ef sugar then on a national scale, - though it might have been ordered in some places by local administrators. probably will remember all about it,” commented Mr. Blackburne. Chairman Leland Olds of the Fed- Senator Thomas, Democrat, of Oklahoma said flatly he did not be- | lieve that it was necessary to im- pose the rigid O. P. A. sugar ra- tioning plan. He said that one of the reasons given by Mr. Henderson for rationing was that a large quan- tity of sugar would be needed to, make industrial alcohol to be used eral Power Commission announced that a study would be made of electric power records over the Na- tion to determine how much power capacity is being saved by the new time standard. Prior to the outbreak of war, it was estimated that an hour speedup in the Nation's clocks would save | about 750,000 kilowatts of electricity | in munitions. power capacity—equal to making 1,- 000,000 horsepower available for in- dustry. For those inclined to brood over the matter, the father of daylight saving time was a rich English builder of Chelsea, England, who in 1906 wrote a book, “Waste of Day- light,” which started a campaign to advance the clock 80 minutes in the spring. Willet thought civiliza- tion spent too much time in bed in the summer and had not enough time for recreation. Taxicabs (Continued From First Page.) and 1 or operating there during the rush hours is subject to being hailed. The six morning destinations are Army and Navy, Federel Triangle, South Agriculture, Fourth and D streets S.W., Capitol Hill and Navy Yard. These, according to Mr. Royer, cover the southernmost pos- sible destinations of persons going to work or to the downtown section. Those for the afternoon rush period are Sixteenth street, Georgia avenue, Georgetown, Fourteenth street, Rhdoe Island avenue NE., Pennsylvania avenue, Northeast sec- tion, Eighteenth and Columbia road, “Industrial alcohol can be made out of nearly everything,” said Sen- ator Thomas. “It is not essential that sugar be used. It can be made from corn and other grains, and already thousands of bushels of corn have been turned over by the Government for that purpose.” City Flyer to Attend Rites B. M. Eshelman, 2414 Hamlin street NE., will be among a group of 200 airmen of the Royal Canadian Afr Force from Ottawa to visit New York City Thursday for Lincoln birthday ceremonies there. The group will place a wreath at the Eternal Light on Madison Square, in memory of Americans who died in the last war. D. C. Citizens ‘Adopt’ Britons Col. Robert H. Fletcher, 1921 Twenty-fourth street N.W. has “adopted” John Ashcroft, 13-year- old British boy, and Mr. and Mrs. J. K. 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