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Show Claus Spreckels First Witness Before Senate Manufacturers' Manufac-turers' Sub-committee. HOOVER UNDER ATTACK Food Administrator Agrees to Co-operate in Investigation ' and Offer Counsel to Aid. WASHINGTON, Dec. 14. Declaring that there is no shortage of sugar in the United States and that the famine is local to the Atlantic seaboard, President Pres-ident Spreckels of the Federal Sugar Refining company, testifying today at tho senate's committee's investigation, placed the responsibility on the food administration. Sugar, he declared, was now passing througn New York for Canada because of higher prices. "On October 9, 1017," Sprecklos said he telegraphed Food Administrator Hoovor, urging he be allowed to pay a higher price and agreed to raise the, price to the wholesaler if allowed to do so. The food administrator answered an-swered that the $6.90 per hundred pounds price for imported raw sugar jwas high and that he believed other refiners also wpuld be glad to pay more. Ho attributed some of the inability in-ability to get raw sugar to speculators holding the supply in Cuba. Spreckles said ho was not aware of such a situation. situ-ation. Mr. Hoover also wrote that the supply then available in Cuba at a higher price would not keep American refiners running more than two or three days. j WASHINGTON. Dec. 14. Investigation Investi-gation of the sugar shortage with Claus Spreckles of the Federal Sugar Refining company as the first witness, was begun today by the senate manufacturers' manu-facturers' sub-committee. Arrangements Arrange-ments also have been completed by tho committee to inquire Into the shortage of fuel. Food Administrator Hoover, who has been under attack from Chairman Reed of the committee, yesterday agreed to co-operate in the sugar investigation in-vestigation and proposed that Judgo Lindley, counsel for the food administration, adminis-tration, bo allowed to cross-examine witnesses. Senator Reed declared that the food officials would be shown "every "ev-ery courtesy," but said the matter of questioning witnesses would have to be decided by the committee. "The world supply of sugar is ap. proximately the same as in former years," said Mr. Spreckles. "The available avail-able supply in the United States is generally the same. There is no short-ago short-ago of sugar except in spots." Mr. Spreckles said there was still 900,000 tons of last year's unused and estimated the 1917-191S crop exclusive exclu-sive of that produced by Germany, her allies and Russia as 1,130.000 tons in excess of tho amount produced In the same territory last year. "While the 900,000 tons of old sugar exists it is a question of tonnage in distributing it," he said. By eliminating Java, there would be 180.000 tons less than the available in sight last year. Mr. Spreckles said. He estimated the Cuban crop this year at about 600,000 tons more than ever bc-. bc-. fore. Tho sugar going through New York, Spreckles said, was raw and tho Canadian, Ca-nadian, refiners paid.,?.- higher- pricoj "We entered into an agreement with the food administration to pay a certain cer-tain price for raw sugar," paid Spreckles. Spreck-les. "We adhered to that agreement and the product normally imported into this country went abroad because better prices could be obtained. We were forced to close our refineries for lack of supplies." "If you could pay a higher price-now price-now could you open your refinery ?"-.Senator ?"-.Senator Reed asked. "Not at once. Much of the supply has gone abroad and it would take time to get the raw product here." Spreckels testified that Pacific coast refiners could operate at an advantage ad-vantage over eastern refiners because of price fixing by the international sugar committee appointed by Food Administrator Hoover. Tho committee commit-tee Is composed of Georgo M. Rolph, general manager of the California-Hawaiian California-Hawaiian Sugar Refining company and director of tho sugar division of tho food administration; Earl A. Babsl, president of the American Sugar Refining company; William A. Jamison, president of the Arbucklo Refining company; Sir Joseph Todd-White, Todd-White, a refiner of London, and J. Ramsey Drake, a London sugar merchant. mer-chant. Last summer Mr. Spreckels testified testi-fied that when the refiners agreed to purchase through the international committee the eastern prices were placed at 4.90 for imported raw sugar and Pacific coast prices wero 25 cents a hundred pouiids loss on all imported sugars whatever tho price set for the east This gave an advantage to the western refiners getting supplies from Hawaii. |