SUGAR FAMINE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17597, 9 October 1920, Page 8

SUGAR FAMINE.

PLIGHT OF CHRISTCHURCH

GROCERS OUT OF" SUPPLIES.

RATIONING SCHEME CRITICISED. Ist TELEOiurn. — oobuxspondent.J CHBISTCHTJRCH. Friday. "Any sugar !"— an ounce, madam." The question was asked and answered in nearly every grocery shop this morning. It is the first time that, the scarcity has been so general. There is neither brown nor white sugar on the retail market. Grocers ( complain that during the past four or five weeks only one shipment of raw sugar has come to their stores, while something like 52 tons of refined sugar have been distributed among manufacturers of confectionery. They (allege that householders have to go short so that these trades may prosper. "l'see very little sign of relief," said a grocer this morning. " Certain clauses in the Government's distribution scheme would handicap trade, even if regular shipments were coming forward. In effect we are to be rationed. For every £1000 of grocery - turnover a shop will be given one and a-half tons of sugar. That means that for every pound sterling spent a customer will receive approximately ; 3 of sugar. Why, not so long ago you could get 61b. of sugar on a 10s order. Anyway we won't be able to work under the Government's scheme. It is impossible. The next thing will be ration cards."

Commenting on the distribution scheme a wholesale merchant admitted that it would restrict household supplies. How.ever, he thought that a very desirable object. New Zealand consumed nearly 50 per cent, more sugar than any other country in the world,.-and a check was imperative. Sugar, he said, was wasted in every _ second household. It went down the sink from tea cups by the pound all the time. The jam factories were short and unable to keep up a normal output. " Three-quarters of our works have restarted, and there is no one out of employment," said the manager of a large confectionery business. "We hope to get better supplies of sugar next week, but our information is indefinite." Mr. W. G. Mac Donald, chairman of the Board of Trade, will arrive in Christchurch to-morrow mornincj to discuss the sugar -position with retail and wholesale merchants.