HYDE PARK, Tuesday—From releases which have come to me lately, I gather that we are all going to have less sugar in the near future. Our supply is now coming chiefly from the Caribbean area, and the shortage is intensified, of course, by the liberation of European countries, since last year these countries made no demands on the United Nations' supplies.

I wonder how many people remember the way in which we saved sugar in the last world war. I seem to recall that a request was made of us to ask every individual in our households to use just half the quantity of sugar they ordinarily used. If they usually used two lumps in their coffee at breakfast time, they were asked to use one lump and put the other back in the sugar bowl. If a child was allowed two teaspoons of sugar in his cereal, he was asked to put one back in the sugar bowl. I know it became a game in our house, and worked very little hardship on anyone.

I haven't seen any lump sugar for a long time, but we certainly could do the same thing now with spoons of sugar. If we also kept a little jug of honey on our tables, perhaps we would get accustomed to pouring honey on many things and using less sugar. It does not cost less, but honey on berries brings out the flavor far better than sugar does, and I think it is probably more healthful.

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For people who are canning—and most people with gardens will be canning—there is going to be stricter supervision, to make sure that they use their canning allotment for that purpose only. Some people have used canning sugar simply to augment their supply for ordinary household use.

I think the OPA is quite right in making certain that people carry through honestly on their use of canning sugar. I am sure, however, that every effort will be made to give the full 120-pound allotment to those who are really trying to preserve food for winter use. This is a reduction from last year, and will be a hardship on many people who have always canned to the very limit of their ability. But there are other ways of preserving some of our foods, and the Department of Agriculture is glad to send people information about them.

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I am afraid that because of the weather many of us will be short, in this area at least, on some of the small fruits for canning. Our strawberry crop is going to be small, and we accepted long ago the sad fact that apples and pears will also be scarce because of the early warm weather and the subsequent cold spell. The meat shortage may teach many of us that we can feed our children more fresh vegetables and salads and cottage cheese than in the past, and I am quite sure that we will find they thrive on this diet.