Sugar Surplus

The Department of Agriculture reached into the nation's sugar bowl last week and pulled out some sweet news for housewives. The allotment for civilian users in the third quarter of 1947 will be raised to 1,970,000 tons, some 350,000 more than in the same period last year. To speed up sugar distribution, the department announced that 1) sugar stamp 12, which originally was to become valid July 1, could be used immediately, and 2) another stamp for ten pounds--bringing the year's total ration so far up to 35 pounds per user--will be validated Aug. 1. "If recent improvements continue," it added, "a moderate increase above the 35-lb. figure is in prospect."

Did this mean that sugar is so plentiful it might be decontrolled before Oct. 31? This week the Senate began to consider a bill to end sugar rationing immediately. But the Department of Agriculture has not committed itself on the bill. Its chief concern is to get housewives to buy sugar for canning now so that sugar shipments will not tie up freight cars needed to move the bumper wheat crop later.

Nevertheless, there is more sugar on hand than at any time in the last four years, thanks chiefly to a bumper Cuban crop of 6.1 million tons. In all, the U.S. expects to get 6.8 million tons of sugar, or almost half of this year's total world sugar supply of 15 million tons. The U.S. share is 1.4 million tons more than last year. The supply, enough for 85 to 90 pounds per capita, will still be short of the prewar consumption of 96.5 Ibs., and sugar men think that present demand is enough to push consumption up to 100 Ibs. if consumers could get all the sugar they want. So even if rationing is maintained until the Oct. 31 deadline, the sugar industry expects retail prices to jump when free trading is restored.

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