Show Sugar Fires Our Big Guns IN TN A FEW weeks now the war will be brought right into the home of every family in the United States when sugar rationing goes into effect Because it affects every everyone one of us it might be well for all to understand just why this th s rationing is necessary A review of the sugar situation recently prepared by the United States Beet Sugar association gives some some interesting in- in interesting interesting in in- information The government has estimated total stocks of sugar which will be available in the United States this year at short tons That compares with a total of tons avail avail- ale last year Big reductions in the supply result from the loss of all the Philippine imports imports imports im im- im- im ports the loss of almost half of the Hawaiian imports and the loss of more than half of the 1911 1941 Cuban imports The Philippine loss of course is due to Japanese occupation of the islands The Hawaiian loss and part of the Cuban loss is due to shipping shortages and some of the Cuban crop is being diverted to Russia and Britain and some is being converted converted converted con con- into molasses for alcohol Thus sugar consumption must be reduced about a third from the 1941 rate The office of price administration estimates individual consumption must be cut from about 74 pounds per capita last year to around 50 pounds this year ar Industrial consumption will be cut from 40 pounds to 27 pounds There are three main reasons for the sugar shortage 1 Cutting off of our supplies by enemy action either occupation of territory or attacks on shipping 2 Necessity of supplying supplying supplying sup sup- plying western hemisphere sugar to our alli allies s chiefly Britain and Russia because their normal sources of supply of beet sugar in Europe are under German control 3 Extraordinary Extraordinary Extraordinary Ex Ex- demand for sugar for war industrial industrial indus- indus r trial uses This l latter cause of the shortage of sugar in the home is not generally understood Ordinarily 75 per cent of industrial alcohol is made from sugar that is molasses T This is alcohol is an important industrial material being used in the manufacture ture of such peacetime peacetime peace peace- time products as paints varnishes plastics cosmetics etc In wartime its use is greatly expanded because alcohol is used in making explosives as well as for many other war purposes For instance every time a inch 16 gun is fired 2700 pounds of sugar is consumed in the form of ethyl alcohol Every time one of our warships goes into action therefore it hits the American people right in their sugar bowl But Americ Americans ms can take a lot of hard knocks in their sugar bowl if it will help to keep our warships delivering hard knocks at atthe atthe atthe the enemy's solar plexus And that makes sugar rationing and sugar saving really patriotic doesn't it and it-and and ought to insure the fullest public acceptance of rationing and cooperation in making the sugar- sugar saving program successful |