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Show oo Hoover Warned That Famine Stories Would Cause Serious Hoarding by the People. j - i WASHINGTON, Doa IS Sugar men saw the danger of a shortage j early last spring because of stories of la fictitious famine, and later when they began to realize tho large amounts being sent abroad, Earl A. Babst, president pres-ident of tho American Sugar Refining company, today testified before the senate investigating committee. Babst said that in May he warned Food Administrator Hoover that famine fam-ine stories circulated during February and March would have a serious effect ef-fect and again in June predicted to Mr. Hoover a shortage this fall because so much sugar was being sent abroad. Babst pointed out that hi3 company advertised extensively during the summer sum-mer that there was no prospect of a shortage if people would not hoard and added that his company took only two foreign orders after June 28. These, he said, were filled at the earnest ear-nest plea of the British royal commission commis-sion that some sugar was needed there. The total shipped abroad this year, he testified, was -123,000 tons. Food Administrator Hoover today made another Ineffectual attempt to be heard at the senate sugar Investigation. Investiga-tion. Chairman Reed said that while he wished to treat Mr. Hoover with all courtesy he saw no reason why witnesses wit-nesses waiting to testify should be displaced dis-placed at this time. oo |