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  4. Document 564

837.61351/11–2847

Statement Released to the Press by the White House, November 28, 1947

November 28, 1947

The President today issued a proclamation, under authority of the Sugar Act of 1937, as amended, which will make possible the establishment of sugar marketing quotas by the Department of Agriculture in 1948. Because of wartime shortages, sugar quotas have been in suspension, also by Presidential proclamation, since April 13, 1942.

However, because sugar supplies in the areas which normally supply the U.S. market are expected to be more than ample to meet United States requirements in 1948, it now appears that sugar quotas again will be required to insure orderly marketing of sugar. This proclamation is issued now in order to permit the holding of several public hearings and the completion of other preparatory work necessary for the establishment of quotas in 1948. In the event of any significant change in either supply or demand conditions, the quota provisions of the Sugar Act could again be suspended, under authority of the Sugar Act of 1948, the Act which succeeds the Sugar Act of 1937.

Title II of the Sugar Act of 1948, which succeeds the Sugar Act of 1937, contains the quota provisions of the Act. Section 201 provides [Page 627] that the Secretary of Agriculture shall determine the amount of sugar needed to fulfill U.S. requirements, each year—and in the case of 1948, this amount is to be named during the first ten days of January 1948. Section 202 sets total domestic quotas at 4,268,000 short tons, raw value, divided as follows: Domestic Beet Sugar, 1,800,000 tons; Mainland Cane Sugar, 500,000 tons; Hawaii, 1,052,000 tons; Puerto Rico 910,000 tons; Virgin Islands, 6,000 tons.

The quota for the Republic of the Philippines is 952,000 short tons of sugar. The balance of the required sugar is prorated to other foreign countries, with Cuba receiving 98.64 percent of such amount and all other foreign countries receiving 1.36 percent of such amount. Cuba also benefits substantially from any Philippine production deficit. Provision is also made for distributing production deficits in other areas.