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Show SUGAR ABUNDANT ZABRISKIE SAYS But for Profiteers and Hoarders, There Would Be No Trouble. IN"13fV YORK, July' '25.' Tho war department de-partment has sold to the United states sugar equalization board. 27,000,000. pounds, of sugar, it was announced here today by George ZabrisUie, president of the board, who declared there is "an abundance of raw sugar in the country, that retail prices should not exceed 11 cents a pound and that there is no need of hoarding." Mr. Zabriskie declared that the refineries re-fineries now are working night and day and that their combined output of 41,175,-000 41,175,-000 pounds a day is bet Tig put into domestic do-mestic channels of trade. Refiners, he said, have not sent a pound of sugar abroad for two weeks. Exportation will not be resumed until American needs are entirely met. The head of the sugar ccpjalization board said that profiteering dealers, if reported, may su ffcr revocation of their licenses, for they are still under the control con-trol of the federal food administration, which will not cease to function until the senate signs the peace treaty. Ho charged tho apparent shortage to speculative "exporters" "ex-porters" and belated orders for canners and candy makers. Housewives were "hoarding sugar" unnecessarily, he said. Sugar is abundant in the United States, and, if it were not for profiteers and nervous ner-vous housewives encouraged to "hoard" It. there would bo enough for every legitimate legiti-mate demand and a thirty days' reserve supply in addition, declared Mr. Zabriskie. "The chief factor in this apparent shortage, short-age, which is temporary." he said, "has been the belated orders of big fruit canneries can-neries and confectionery factories winch failed to anticipate their normal demands and bold off ordering their sugar in the (Continued on Page 2, Column 5.) SUGAR IS ABUNDANT IN UNITED STATES (Continued From Page One.) expectation that prices would be lower. They knew the refiners could not sell above the fixed price of 9 cents. Another element that, as yet, has not affected tho situation, is the marine workers' strike, which we hope will be settled before the entire fleet of sugar ships Is tied up in Atlantic and Gulf ports. Meanwhile we are reaching by radio at sea all the vessels ves-sels possible and diverting them to Cuba to bring back raw sugar. "The cannery and confectionery trade has not realized the limitations of the sugar industry," he continued. "The capacity ca-pacity of the twenty-two refineries is approximately ap-proximately 4.S00.000 tons, while the consumption con-sumption is 4,250,000 tons. The margin between supplv and demand is narrow, and the refineries have to keep going when the demand in March and April is not great, building up reserves for the four months, June, July, August and September, Sep-tember, when the demand is at its height. "There is, however, at present no shortage short-age of raw sugar. The difficulty now is in the capacity of the refineries. Of the 2,630,000 tons the United States sugar equalization board contracted to purchase from Cuba we had still to receive on Julv l no less than 1,100.000 tons. In addition ad-dition to this we have access to 1,970.000 more tons, including the beet sugar, which will begin to come in about October 1, and the big cane crops of Louisiana and the insular possessions of the United ! States such as the Virgin islands, Porto j Rico, Hawaii and the Philippines. 1 "The situation is .entirely satisfactory so far as the raw material is concerned, and I know the refiners are doing their part, for their plants have been operated night and day and some on Sundays for months past. In those parts of the country coun-try where local shortages exist it is true there is an inclination to profiteer, but it is easy to fix the blame for that. The refiner cannot sell sugar for more than 9 cents a pound. The wholesaler is obligated ob-ligated to a maximum profit of 35 cents, so that the retailer does not pay more than S.0-35 a hundred. Everybody, therefore, there-fore, should be able to buy sugar at a maximum of 11 cents a pound, and I know of chain stores selling it today for less than 10 cents." |