ALLOCATION OF SUPPLIES OF SUGAR.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3487, 15 May 1920, Page 3

ALLOCATION OF SUPPLIES OF SUGAR.

AN OFFICIAL ST.-XTEMENT.

CRITICISED BY RETAILERS

WELLINGTON, May 13.

The shortaige of sugar has been acute again lately and many complaints have been made by householders_ Answering 1-L question on the subject today the chairman of the Board of Trade (I\l'r W. G. McDonald) said that the amount. of sugar produced at the Auckland Refinery during the first four mlo'lliTl's 0? this year had actually been greater than in the corresponding period of last year. The board was convinced that there had been no hoarding by merchants. It had means of checking the quantity 01‘ sugar handled by ‘each merchant. Shipping irregularities had caused some of the trouble and another factor had «been the stoppage of the importa-‘ tion of sugar from Java and elsewhere owing to the high prices in other parts of the world. He was sure that the supply of sugar from the Auckland Refinery would be “ample for essential purposes if the public plugwéi tingamer”

Mr McDonald added that as thet jam season slackened increased supplies of sugar would become available i for household purposes. The boardi was imposing restrictions on the con-i sumptin of sugar by the brewei-ies,€ eonfeetimiai-_v works. nnd Eiehiateclg water factories. These I'estl'iCtions§ might be continued. The board was“! doing its utmost. to protect the ‘in—i terests of thetpublie and at presenté nothing was being left undone to in-1 crease supplies. “We_have had the same .<ta.tenlellt.i before and we are no .‘r'llrthel' for-3 \\'alw'l__" sziitl 9.. Wellin_g‘l‘on retailer ‘fer re.ading ~,.Mr Mc.Dona,ldl’s ‘COIII-‘i Inellts. “The ehairnla_n oi’ the Boaiwl; of Trade seems to think that tlef public hoarding sugar. How eani that be the case when the publiu has; virtually been rationerl for about :1] year M1111}: of 111_\' mistomers in 114.11“; mal times bu_\,' their sugar by the bag. During the sl10"t::g‘(‘ they l1_:1ve. been’, getting .a few pounds at a tinie, 'l‘he_V are getting from me :i great deal less] than their norm_a‘l supply of_s~ngar.‘! I can show tliat. I ll:lve.l'eeeiv_ed dur—i ing the last six months not more than; half the sugar I usually" handle in‘; the pel'io(i_ - ~ ' “The Board of Trade says that the production of sugar is normal and that the merchants are not hoarding. Well what. has happened to the other half of my normal supply of sugar? That is the question I would like the Board of Trade to answer. The board has access, I understand, to the books of the nlel'cl‘.-ants. It is sat.isfied firstly that the nlerchallt.=: are not hoarding it. If this is true then seine retailers are being i’a\‘olll‘(‘(l as agaiiist o%hel'.<, but wh.ere are the \i'etailems who are receiving the full supplies of ;<:1_:::‘:r‘? I would like, to'(i‘l'aw the ;atTention of the board to what hapille.ned in .~\ust1'alia. The authorities there were not satisfied with lig‘ur‘e:< and -a.sul'allees. They searched for hoards of sllgal' and found them. Renieniber that :1 rise of tlireepence per pound in the price of siigar will mean a clear profit of £2B a ton to the man who is holding sugar.”

Another retailer suggestea that the Board of Trade should üblish figures shoxving just how much 51132111" had reached the Wellington Shops dur‘ng the lasf twelve rnonths, (zoxnpmed with the qllal‘lfit_v in periods beforeflm sllol'tag'o began. Sm‘-11 figtlres. he mid, would in<]icn"re v.‘hefh(~l* or not the retailers or the public were hoarding sug'ar.