SUGAR SHORTAGE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 155, 26 March 1920, Page 7

SUGAR SHORTAGE

■ .——+ —_. NEW RATIONING SCHEME DISTRIBUTION TO RETAILERS / : ~~ • . ' ' Complaints < of 1 shortage of are still coming from householders 'in Wellington. -Families'fmd : themselves ra--1 'tioued' owing to the-inability of .the:grocers .to. supply-more'than 'ft "few pounds of'-sugar at a time.' The grocers seem to ;he'-unanimous in stating that tliey cannot '.get ,all -the . sugar -they ■■require for their trade, hut there are indications that some grocers are in a better position than others. ' The chairman of : the Board of Trade, Mr. 6. W. M'Donald, told a Dominion reporter yesterday -that the board had investigated Jail complaints, and wis. •stall trying, to •improve: the arraniremenis for the distribution of "siijrari. He .was 'fully satisfied that if any-.hoarding was. .being done, the offenders we'e;the consumers themselves."The board had plao.ed before it from week'..to week ...the amount of sugar.sold from the refinery, ■■the quantity supplied to each merchant,: .'and the/supplies-allowed by the .merchants to the Tetailers. The demand for sugar admittedly.had. increased, and that .seemed .to'be the .'real cause of the trouble. '. ■ ' "' : Tho. supervision of distribution by the board had already helped -the ions,limors,said Mr. McDonald. It hi\d.,madej sugar available for jam manufacture in larger quantities 'than '..would otherwise , have' been fhe case, and so. it had saved the' fruit..grower* from. a.serious v lom.. The board was now making : arrai!gements whereby each' grocer .would be supplied with, sugar .in proportion to the .amount of rhis turnover. The .figures -been •worked out yfcry ■ carefully, .and. they were, based upon experience and records. . .The scheme -assumed 'that sugar rcpre- . ' sented a fairly, definite proportion of the. ,total quantity of goods handled by the Tetailer. -Tho board hoped that this >r- , • rangement, "in conjunction, .with mens-.' iire,s : for -the prevention of -the .duplication of orders, would put :all the -retailers, on ;tui .equal footing.