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Show STATEMENT OF HOOVER DENIED BY SPRECKELS Food Administrator Appears Ap-pears Before Senate Committee Com-mittee and Asks to Bo Heard; Is Ignored. BABST TRIES TO OBTAIN HEARING Considerable Wrangling Occurs Oc-curs During the Day as Onslaughts Continue to Be Made. I ;.v 1 1 it ci' i ia I iona 1 Xowh Service. WASH I.Xd'TOX, J.)c( J 7. Continued i-iisljiiilils on the Cniti'd States t'ooil :niiinist rut ion 1'outiired today's session ot' I he scm;i te su hcutii mil tec on manti-I'io-tures, investigating the suyar liort;ic. 'I'lio cliniux earne wlien, at t lie cud of hours of bitter bickering, Clans A. Sjircckelrt, head ot! tlie Federal Sujjar lie fining com puny, questioned state-incuts state-incuts ot: Herbert C. Jloover, i'ood administrator. ad-ministrator. ''What have you to say of Mr. I I oover s st at eiucnt that you are sore because you saw ."HI -cent sugar ahead until the food administration stepped in?'' asked Senator Kecd, chairman of the probing committee. "I ean see no justification for that statement, ' ' replied Sp reck els. 'I)id sugar prices mount to any ex-I ex-I i nordinary sum f ' ' ''They did not." "How about the Hoover statement that you wished to see the i'ood administration admin-istration destroyed"? ' ' pursued Senator lieed. "On the contrary, .since last May I have repeatedly offered to work for it and with it, and to operate my plant even at a loss, to help it," Spreckels a nswered. "Von wrote to Mr. Hoover to that ( effect f " ' ' Yes, sir. ' ' Hoover's Statement. Senator Heed then produced a statement state-ment issued by Mr. Hoover through l he publicity division of the food administration ad-ministration and published yesterday, j This statement set forth that France had received in the Just three months at least '10 per cent of a normal supply uf suar from this country. Senator lieed' asked whether this was true. "This country lias sent to France t hese amounts, ' ' Spreckels declared, 'hi October -1,300 tons, in November none, and in December none." ' ' Was that ISO per cent of a normal mi pply ? ' ' asked Senator T I ay den. ''No, sir," answered Spreckels.' "That was about ;ll per cent, of 80,000 ions, whereas the normal supply for I'rance for three months is oOO.OOO ions."' lie went on to renew his previous pre-vious charges that the American Sugar iiefiniug company, which has been designated the " sugar trust " in this hearing, cancelled its French orders to :et higher prices for sugar in the American market. Hoover Ignored. ' Kn rlier in the day 11 oover had appeared ap-peared in the committee room ready to testify. lie asked permission to make a statement. The committee ignored ig-nored his request and Hoover shortly left the room. "Theso suuar men," he said afterward. u.ive heen flt,'litln anions tnemselvos twentv-five years and now they arc trying try-ing to hammer Hie food a dmlnistrai ion into lining up with ih.-m. What we want Is ;i chance to tell what emuliiions really '".jiidnri Dindlev, counsel for (lie food ad-mi ad-mi nisi i alion. attacked the committee for Us refusal to hear Hoover. "We ihouuhl the cormnitrc.- wanted to Kci at the facts In ihe rase," he paid. Not lonir aH'Twai-d whPn Spreckels hud n-j.eat-d his charges 1 1 in l prices fixed on 1'iiiiau sugars had raised Hawaiian susar pii. es and enabled the company of t'eorwe M Kolph, head of tlie simar division, to make six million extra profits. Karl 1). flahst, president of the American Sucar KefinliiK ''Omp.iny, tried to get the lloor. Senator Heed ignored him. Babst Interferes. In a few moments Babst ayain sprang lo his feet. "I wish to state a ip'estion of personal privilege," lie said. "What is it'."' asked chairman Heed, "My character has, heen assailed." I have been accused of usim my position on the International committee to the profit of my company." "Who accused you'."' "The witness." "Oh, no, he didn't," answered Senator Heed. "Vou draw that inference from t he test in ion v. bu t vou were npt named. Vou will have a chance to be heard later." On another occasion .1. K. Freeman, counsel for liabst. jumped up and asked if he could make a statement. "So," sua pped Chairman Keed. "May 1 ask permission to ask a question?" ques-tion?" said Freeman. "No." said Heed. "We are on trial." are tied Freeman, 'and the food administration has power to ask questions." "Vou are not on trial," Heed declared. "But yrm will be called in your proper turn. Sit down and keep quiel," he uddd, pounding the table. Some Wrangling. Later on both Freeman and Judge Bindley Bind-ley were permitted to ask questions through members of the committee. Some wrangling occurred because both wanted to bring UP the question of the Cuban sugar deals, in which Spreckels had accused both the food administration and the American Sugar Refining company's men or" working for the food administration. administra-tion. Senator Reed explained repeatedly that at the request of Counsellor Polk of the state department, the Cuban price fixing arrangement would not be discussed. At the end of the session !he committee met in executive session. Efforts will be made at the next hearing to eliminate the personal quarrels ami charges of crookedness in order that more time can be had for the sugar situation. It is understood tonight that A. TI. Lamborn of Xew York City, a big broker in sugar, will be on the stand. Others include Mr. Babst and Mr. Hoover. Senator Sen-ator Reed said tonight the committee hopes to wind up the sugar testimony in a few days in order to get at the facts as to coal. The coal situation probably will not be touched until Thursday, however, how-ever, for Mr. Spreckels was asked to be in the city ready to take 'he stand again on Wednesday. |
