SUGAR FAMINE.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16732, 15 January 1920, Page 6

SUGAR FAMINE.

• i PROHIBITIVE PRICE FOR JAM | WILL FOLLOW. People connected with tho provision j trado informed a "Press" represcnta-, tivo yesterday that, no report had been ! received from the Colonial Sugar Com-! pany as to tho quantity oi sugar being j | consigned to Canterbury by the Mono-, | wai, which left Auckland yesterday ! afternoon for the South, and neither J did any individual firm know- what it > I was tjoing to receive, or whether it would receive any. It- was not consid-' : ered that the Colonial Sugar Company wvre breaking faith with the Government by sending available supplies f> , a more profitable market. It was pointed out that when the company agreed !t> supply ,"»000 tons per month there

' weie in*:ween tiO.OIX) and 70.('0<> soldiers ' less in this country than now, but we j wore receiving the same quantity of ' sugar. An erroneous impression " was stated to exist in regard to prices m Au-tr.ilia, for though the«o appeared to be or £<) higher, this was laifelv the result of the excise duty imposed. ' gentleman stated that he had been : credibly informed that of a shipment of i ">;) tons of sugar arriving here only alxnit -10 tons were devoted to household consumption, tho remainder be'rii; • utilised for industrial purposes, priu" 1 cipally in connexion with breuerie; and confectionery works, Krooers int rviewel alleged that housewives were u-onti 1 all manner of despicable means in cider to obtain sugar, and certamiv wer> not , stopping at tellintr untruths. People i connected with the fni't business spoke i of the glut on the market of small fruit | caused by tho lack of sutrar for jam- ! making purposes, and said apricots. , peaches, and other large fruits, would | alsT he affected if matters were net imI proved PI :ci; currants were selling at : as low jis !?}d per lb, and inwhos were I frarn 2o tn .'ID i-or cent, lower than they i u ere a t tliis tin l *.* last year. An almost prohibitive price for jam was certain to follow. One gentleman asked why could we not grow beet sittiar in this j country. The conditions wop* i*ar more suitable for its culture in New Zealand than in Germany !ind France, where it was grown considerably.