Oscar’s Orange Tut
A Look at a Local Economy
Jason M. Petraitis
Senior Capstone
Professor Briesacher
March 13, 2014
Introduction
It was early afternoon on a day in early spring that I found an interesting bottle. I was walking my yellow
lab, Howie, in the woods near our house at the edge of a dirt road. The trees had only begun to bud and
the leaves from last year that still lay on the ground were packed down from winter’s snowy weight. As I
surveyed the trees and ground while Howie investigated the smells around us, I noticed a bottle partially
exposed under some leaves. After I brushed the leaves away, I pulled the bottle (fig. 1), which was
partially submerged in the dirt, from its prison. The bottle was a clear glass with a smooth rim that
would denote a “pop” top rather than a screw top, or it could very well have been a cork held in with a
wire binding. My first thought was that this was someone’s littered beer bottle from days gone by which
is common to find out in the countryside. The moss growing inside the bottle gave the clear glass a
decent back drop for reading the embossed writing on the outside. The bottle itself had ridges that ran
vertically up the side.
Figure 1
“Oscar’s Orange Tut,” was written around a circle that broke up the vertical ridges near the curve where
the bottle begins to form its neck. Within the center of the circle is an image of what appears to be a
nude woman, kneeling down holding an orange. The circle and embossing is located twice on opposite
sides of the bottle. At the bottles base, about a half of an inch from the bottom, is a rim with more
writing. The writing states that the bottle holds seven fluid ounces (“cont. 7 FL. OZ.”). Unfortunately,
there is a small chip out of the top lip and a crack that can be seen but not felt that runs the length of
the bottle from top to bottom. What really sparked my interest were the words, “NO. BROOKFIELD
MASS,” which is the statement on the bottle that says where it was bottled. I was born in North
Brookfield and have lived here for forty years and had never heard about a bottling company. When we
returned to the house I set the bottle aside and made a phone call. The first person I could think of to
call was retired history teacher Eugene Caille. He is also the town historian and at the time he was the
town moderator. Mr. Caille was a well-known town figure who was somewhat famous (locally) for
teaching as much in his history class about our town as he taught about the history of the country. I
knew he had a wealth of information and even on this very narrow topic he was helpful. He told me that
back in the first half of the twentieth century the Hirbour family had owned and operated a soda
bottling company on Central St. in North Brookfield. He mentioned a couple of stories and some of the
people that would remember and I left it at that. That is until the opportunity to write this paper came
about.
My purpose in writing this paper is to provide a look at the story of a local company that thrived and
took an active role in its community. The company itself grew from the beginning of the twentieth
century and ultimately ended in the late nineteen forties due to a series of regional and global factors
that would take the drive out of the owner and bring an end to what was a solid community participant.
A major factor in my decision was the recurring thought that there had been many businesses in our
town that really proclaimed a flourishing town center and local economy. What were some of the
reasons for the disappearance of so many businesses? This paper gave me the opportunity to
investigate this phenomenon.
Reflecting upon the information that was gathered from the interviews that were conducted I noticed
three issues that bear upon a community. Throughout this paper I will describe the interviews and the
people that lived and in some cases, still live within the same community that they have lived in their
entire lives. After that I will present arguments for the three points that I identify here. First, there is the
sense of community that brings all of these people together and the nature of how a small business can
affect the lives of a majority of a community. Second, there are the global economic conditions that can
affect a business for good or ill and the staying power of a business. Finally, there is the inner turmoil of
an owner that can cause him to close his doors and go out of business.
In a preliminary discussion with Charles Hirbour, the great grandson of the founder, I learned that the
company was founded around 1905 by his great grandfather, Oscar Hirbour, and closed around 1945.1
When asked why the company closed, he told me that, “When the Japs started the war; the price of
sugar went up so high they couldn’t afford the sugar anymore.”2 Charles also told me that a man named
John Ingemi could probably give me some information regarding the business. Mr. Ingemi had been a
child near the end of the company’s existence and his father owned and operated a bowling alley and
barbershop across the street from the bottling company.
I went to see John Ingemi and his wife Theresa on a spring afternoon and had a delightful discussion.
John started with a comment about not knowing too much about the company because he, “…was just a
kid at the time.”3 John however, did give me ample information regarding Oscar’s soda bottling
company. He had worked with his father across the street and knew the owner, as well as many of the
1
Charles Hirbour, interview with author, April 12, 2014
Charles Hirbour, interview with author, April 12, 2014
3
John Ingemi, interview with author, April 27, 2014
2
people that worked there. He mentioned a man named Archie Laforte that was the primary driver for
Oscar and had told him at the time that the company supplied soda to stores all over New England.
John chuckled a little when he mentioned “fly soda.” Evidently the quality control was done by
individuals and they basically had to hold each bottle up and inspect it manually by eye for
imperfections and contaminants. When a bottle was found to have a speck of something or other within
it, the bottle was set aside and given away, rather than thrown away. The contaminated sodas were
dubbed as “fly soda” and given away. John laughed when he said, “Nobody thought it would hurt
anyone but the customers would probably be upset if they found specks in their soda.”4
On the day of this writing I met with Mr. Caille again to go over some of the details I learned and we
discussed the “fly soda.” Mr. Caille told me that he would relate the story every year to his high school
students. “I would validate the story by telling them to ask Doc Grace,” he would say. “Some of them
would in fact go and ask Doc about it and he would verify it,” said Mr. Caille. “Then, he would tell them
all about what happens to a fly when it drowns…” he laughed, “…including all of the gases and
excretions involved in the death.”5 I can only imagine that there were in fact some flies that did get
imprisoned under the soda caps due to the fact that it was quite easy, especially in the summer, in an
open facility without many of the sanitary conditions we have today. Sodas that would have
imperfections, particularly flies, would probably be culled out now and disposed of.
“In the 1930s,” said John, “the company built a bigger barn and were able to use granite slabs for the
foundation.”6 He was relating the history of the company that he remembered and it certainly proved
interesting. “Christ Memorial Church (fig. 2) had two big steeples originally and they had to remove
4
John Ingemi, interview with author, April 27, 2014
Eugene Caille, interview with author, May 6, 2014
6
John Ingemi, interview with author, April 27, 2014
5
them because of crumbling mortar.”7 He recalled. “Oscar had the only trucks in the area at the time that
could transport them.”8 In his book, History of the North Brookfield Congregational Church,” Jeffrey H.
Fiske states that the, “…a large part of the building collapsed in the 1930s and it was taken down.”9
According to Fiske, “…the local workmen reported that the re mortar had a small cement content and
that it would not hold for many years.”10 Figure 3 shows how little of the church was left after the
deconstructing phase (fig. 3). Mr. Fiske explains later that, “Much of the stone from the church was
used in constructing a building and garage on the property at the northwest corner of Central and Grove
streets.”11
7
John Ingemi, interview with author, April 27, 2014
John Ingemi, interview with author, April 27, 2014
9
Jeffrey H. Fiske, History of the North Brookfield Congregational Church. North Brookfield: North Brookfield
Congregational Church, 2005), 98
10
Jeffrey H. Fiske, History of the North Brookfield Congregational Church. North Brookfield: North Brookfield
Congregational Church, 2005), 99
11
Jeffrey H. Fiske, History of the North Brookfield Congregational Church. North Brookfield: North Brookfield
Congregational Church, 2005), 99
8
Figure 2
Figure 3
Towards the end of our conversation John began discussing some of the events that closed Oscar’s soda
company. I brought up the idea that Charlie Hirbour had stated, that the price of sugar had gone up due
to the war with Japan and the Hirbours were not able to remain open. After the war, according to John,
“He, (Charlie) was tired of it. He rented the factory to a company called Nu-grape.”12 Evidently keeping
the soda business local, despite not being the owner, was still in the mind of Charlie Hirbour. At the time
of this writing I have been unable to obtain any evidence of Nu-grape operating in North Brookfield.
I still needed more information to define the Hirbour bottling company. I was unable to locate
documentation on exact dates of business and I could not find any one that remembered well enough.
On the weekend before this paper was due, I received a break. I was reading an old posting of a blog by
Robert Potvin, on the Worcester Telegram website, and he stated that Thelma Quigley told him that she
12
John Ingemi, interview with author, April 27, 2014
drove for the Hirbours.13 Thelma still lives in North Brookfield. I made a point to call Mrs. Quigley to get
her approval to call her the next day with questions about her time there. Mrs. Quigley told me that it
was alright as long as I called in the afternoon, but she wasn’t sure what help she could be because it
was so long ago.14 I thanked her for her time and promised to call the next afternoon.
I called Mrs. Quigley around 3:15 the next day and we spoke for quite some time. As the conversation
went on she got more comfortable and was able to recall several things of interest. She began by
explaining that her husband worked for the Hirbours full time delivering out of a big, rack truck.15 “He
came home one day and asked me if I wanted to work part time,”16she explained. “I said, I guess I can
lift those cases,” she continued. There was “… not much money in it, but back then was a different time,
it was a job.”17Mrs. Quigley drove a pickup truck delivering on weekends to stores around the
Brookfields and Spencer. “We delivered to all the local businesses that sold tonic, all kinds of tonic,” she
explained. “My husband drove full time during the week and went all around, up to Barre and other
places,” she went on. “I delivered to all of the local stores.”18 I have found no evidence to describe the
real extent of their reach, but if Thelma was driving to the local stores on the weekends with a pickup
truck, then her husband in the larger rack truck would, I assume, be going much further with larger
deliveries. Then she asked me if I had ever heard of Oak Grove Annie’s, I had not. “They were in East
Brookfield, they had hot dogs for five cents apiece, those were the days.”19This comment tied in the
earlier statement about not much money but a job, and brings it full circle. This comment is also tied, as
we’ll see to the demise of the company. Thelma also commented that she remembered many of the
13
Robert Potvin, “Oscar’s Beverages,” Worcester Telegram.
http://cf.telegram.com/town_portal_includes/display_blog.cfm?TOWN=north%20brookfield&id=12299
14
Thelma Quigley, interview with author, May 8, 2014
15
Thelma Quigley, interview with author, May 8, 2014
16
Thelma Quigley, interview with author, May 8, 2014
17
Thelma Quigley, interview with author, May 8, 2014
18
Thelma Quigley, interview with author, May 8, 2014
19
Thelma Quigley, interview with author, May 8, 2014
businesses that were in the surrounding towns and there were quite a few. Business was cheaper to run
back then and there were not as many stifling restrictions and taxes.
When I asked her about working for the company itself, she said it was a good company and did good
business. She stated that, “Charlie was a good guy and fussy about the business.”20She stated that they
made very good cream soda and “…all of their sodas were good. Charlie didn’t let anything bad go
out.”21I asked Mrs. Quigley when they closed she claimed that if was after her husband got out of the
service. Robert Quigley came home from the war in nineteen forty six. At this point, I asked Mrs. Quigley
why they went out of business. She claimed that after the war many people were going into business.
She named Polar Beverages and Canada Dry as two of the new businesses competing locally with the
Hirbours for the sale of soda.22Polar beverages began as a brewing company and began making soft
drinks after nineteen eighteen. 23The Polar Company increased greatly after the third generation of
family owners returned home themselves from World War II.24Canada Dry began in nineteen twenty
three but saw a large increase in business in the nineteen thirties when it started selling flavored
tonics.25
Along with Mr. Potvin’s blog there is a picture of a bottle from the same company (fig. 4).
20
Thelma Quigley, interview with author, May 8, 2014
Thelma Quigley, interview with author, May 8, 2014
22
Thelma Quigley, interview with author, May 8, 2014
23
Polar Beverages, http://www.polarbev.com/ABOUT/History/tabid/120/Default.aspx.
24
Polar Beverages, http://www.polarbev.com/ABOUT/History/tabid/120/Default.aspx.
25
Canada Dry, http://www.canadadry.com/#/aboutUs
21
Figure 4
I am of the opinion that it the bottle that I found is an older model due to the lack of color and the
shape. The bottle in the blog has fewer features than the one that I found and there is also the painted
logo. Where my bottle has the logo embossed within the mold, the one in the blog is painted on. I could
very well have that backwards but at this time I have not found any evidence either way. I did find a
statement from the Painted Soda Bottle Collectors Association that implies that painting labels on soda
bottles began in the mid-1930s.26
Community
When Oscar Hirbour started his business, a bottling company in North Brookfield Massachusetts, he
may or may not have known that his business would pass from him to his son and then grandson over
the next forty years. He developed a “tonic” water that was, according to Thelma Quigley, “very good.”27
She even alluded to enjoying the cream soda more than the others. Over the course of the forty year
26
Painted Soda Bottle Association, http://www.collectoronline.com/PSBCA/PSBCA.html
Thelma Quigley, interview with author, May 8, 2014
27
run, the company employed many local citizens and conducted business within all of the Brookfields,
Spencer, Barre, and presumably many other area towns.
We can also look back with a chuckle, as John Ingemi and Eugene Caille did, when they spoke about the
“fly soda.”28Here is a story that is seemingly an urban legend, but can be verified by a local doctor that
lived there. John Ingemi was the son of a neighboring business owner across the street from the bottling
company and knew the people that worked there as well as the owners. His business was partially one
of the disappearances. Mr. Ingemi’s father owned a barbershop and a bowling alley. At some point the
bowling alley closed and only the barbershop remains.
When the Episcopal Church was in need of trucks to remove the granite that was falling down, John
relates that the Hirbours were the only company around that had trucks large enough to move the
granite. In removing the granite, the Hirbours had a solid foundation material on which to build their
new garage. Of course, back in the 1930s, there was much less media and people were the news. What
the other residents of a town were doing was important. As was often the case in small towns, one
person’s need can often solve another’s problem. In this case the church needed the granite removed
which translated into the Hirbours receiving material (likely free of charge – less the cost to move it) to
help support their buildings. In many small American towns this ‘neighbor helping neighbor’ philosophy
was an integral part of the survival of the small communities.
Having a local company that was run by an honest person who cared deeply about the product, per both
Thelma and John’s reports, was surely vital to the many residents of North Brookfield who worked there
during war-time. As Thelma stated – there wasn’t a lot of money to be made however it was good to
have even a part time job during those difficult economic times.
28
John Ingemi, interview with author, April 27, 2014
Eugene Caille, interview with author, May 6, 2014
Global Economy
Charlie Hirbour relates the closing of the company as a result of the Japanese beginning World War II.
He said that prices went up due to the war. While this was somewhat accurate it was not only price
increases during World War II that hurt the company, but also rationing of sugar during the war. While
the prices and rationing probably hurt the business to some degree that was probably not the straw that
broke the camel’s back. There are other small companies that stayed open during the war as well and
flourished afterwards.
Undoubtedly, rationing of sugar in no small way hurt the business of a soda bottling company. In the
1930s, there were large cost increases in sugar prices because of violence and strikes in the Caribbean
that interrupted sugar deliveries to the United States. There were several occurrences that came about
within the Caribbean that forced prices upwards in the United States. In the coming pages I will
endeavor to highlight some of the more important conditions that attributed to sugar price increases.
In 2012, the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis published a report on the sugar economy in Puerto
Rico titled, What Ever Happened to the Puerto Rican Sugar Manufacturing Industry? This report lists
many issues that contributed to the collapse of sugar manufacturing in Puerto Rico. The report explains
that, “…in the 1930s and 1940s, the local Puerto Rican government enacted policies to stifle the growth
of large cane-farms. As a result, starting in the late 1930s, farm size fell, mechanization of farms
essentially ceased, and the Puerto Rican sugar industry’s productivity (relative to Louisiana) rapidly
declined until the industry collapsed.”29The results of this collapse actually continued on, lowering the
standard of living for Puerto Rico as a whole and extending into the present.
29
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, What Ever Happened to the Puerto Rican Sugar Manufacturing Industry?,
Minneapolis, MN: Research Department Staff Report 477, December, 2012.
http://www.minneapolisfed.org/research/sr/sr477.pdf
In British controlled Jamaica, bananas had evolved to a more important place than sugar prior to the
Great Depression. When the Great Depression occurred in 1929 it caused a slump in the cost of sugar
and thus created a rise in unemployment.30In a Library of Congress study the economic problems in
Jamaica led to local unrest. The article states, “Economic stagnation, discontent with unemployment,
low wages, high prices, and poor living conditions caused social unrest in the 1930s.”31According to the
article, uprisings on Jamaica were beginning primarily on the sugar plantations.32 These uprising would
for obvious reasons create a shortage of sugar.
Finally, in Cuba, the Great Depression caused a severe drop in sugar exports. Brian H. Pollitt, author of
‘Sugar dependency and the Cuban Revolution’ explains that, “The most pessimistic of Cuban forecasts
underestimated the drastic falls in production and prices that would accompany the Great Depression of
the 1930s.”33These were primarily due to protectionist policies by the Cuban government to protect
smaller sugar mills. Finally, the Smoot-Hawley tariff act, according to a paper written by Cassandra
Copeland, Curtis Jolly and Henry Thompson, “The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 stopped the sugar
trade.”34 The problem with the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act is that it raised U.S. Tariffs on imports to
extremely high levels. This in turn caused a decline in the supply of sugar within the United States. It also
caused retaliatory policies by nations that traded with the U.S.
30
Library of Congress, country studies, data as of 1987,
http://www.photius.com/countries/jamaica/economy/jamaica_economy_growth.html
31
Library of Congress, country studies, data as of 1987,
http://www.photius.com/countries/jamaica/economy/jamaica_economy_growth.html
32
Library of Congress, country studies, data as of 1987,
http://www.photius.com/countries/jamaica/economy/jamaica_economy_growth.html
33
Brian H. Pollitt, “The Cuban Sugar Economy and the Great Depression,” Bulletin of Latin American Research 3,
no.2 (1984): 3-28 http://www.jstor.org/stable/i275685
34
Cassandra Copeland and Curtis Jolly and Henry Thompson, “The History and Potential Trade Between Cuba and
the US,” Journal of Economics and Business, (2011): 1-22, http://www.auburn.edu/~thomph1/cubahistory.pdf
It only stands to reason that the rising costs of sugar within the United States stem from turmoil of one
form or another with their trading partners. Decline of production in Puerto Rico, political unrest in
Jamaica, and Cuban protectionist policies add to the scarcity of sugar. The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act all
but eliminated imports of sugar to the United States and the repercussions of the Act created more of a
decline. According to the U.S. Department of State the Smoot-Hawley Act, “…contributed to a drastic
decline in International trade.”35
Rationing
Sugar rationing during World War II is likely what Charles Hirbour was referring to when he spoke about
the costs of sugar increasing as a result of the war. The soda companies were evidently only allotted a
half share of sugar for civilian consumption. However, Coca-Cola was given preferred status as result of
becoming available at a lower price for soldiers. The National World War II Museum states that the soda
was, “Treated as a wartime necessity, the Coca-Cola bottling plants established near the front lines were
allotted considerably larger sugar rations than the half-share allowed to the company for production of
the beverages intended for civilian consumption in the States.”36
A short informational movie produced by the Office of Price Administration explains the rationale
behind rationing during as well as after the war. The Japanese attacks and ultimately their capture of the
Philippines and Java halted the exports of sugar from those countries as well as destroyed the cane
fields. In Europe, many of the countries produced sugar by growing sugar beets. These operations were
halted and the fields destroyed by war begun by Nazi hostilities.37 Once the war was over the countries
were free to rebuild and begin growing again but the fields needed to be repaired and replanted.
35
U.S. Department of State. Smoot-Hawley Tariff, 1930.
http://future.state.gov/when/timeline/1921_timeline/smoot_tariff.html
36
National World War II Museum, “Coca-Cola: The Pause That Refreshed,”
http://www.nww2m.com/2011/08/coca-cola-the-pause-that-refreshed-2/
37
What’s Happened to Sugar?, Office of Price Administration (1945)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtlE5K36IvU
Agriculture takes time to reestablish itself.38One other important factor involving rationing of sugar is
the refugee factor. On both fronts there were many emancipated peoples that added to the demand of
sugar and sugar products.39The war itself cut the production of sugar in half and the end of the war
expanded that. Consumers, both individual as well as corporate, were given rations that reflected their
share of the market before the war in a percentage based system.40
Competition
Thelma Quigley provided some insight into another business problem that had an effect upon the
Hirbour bottling company, competition. Polar Beverages began in New York between 1901 and 1918.
They began by brewing beer. The Polar website describes the circumstances related to switching to soft
drinks rather than beer;
Changes in our Nation’s capital greatly impacted Polar’s business. In the 1920’s
the 18th Amendment was added to The Constitution of the United States. This
amendment prohibited the sale of alcohol, and thus Polar’s most profitable business
was forced to cease, leaving Polar to focus on its ginger ale and spring-water
company. In 1933 the 18th Amendment was made null with the 21st Amendment,
which allowed the Crowleys to resume their liquor business as “rectifiers and
wholesalers;” however, the company remained focused on soft drinks and water as it is
today.41
38
What’s Happened to Sugar?, Office of Price Administration (1945)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtlE5K36IvU
39
What’s Happened to Sugar?, Office of Price Administration (1945)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtlE5K36IvU
40
What’s Happened to Sugar?, Office of Price Administration (1945)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtlE5K36IvU
41
Polar Beverages, http://www.polarbev.com/ABOUT/History/tabid/120/Default.aspx.
The headquarters of Polar was on Summer St. in Worcester at the time the Hirbours were
operating. Polar also had a warehouse in Springfield and a bottling plant in Hartford CT.42 The
nearby presence of Polar is a local issue that would impact the smaller scale competition.
Canada Dry was another up and coming competitor in Worcester County. In 1923 Canada Dry
began a national expansion that would include many new flavors of tonic that would compete
with the Hirbours locally owned small enterprise.43As another soda company with various
flavors this would certainly impact the Hirbour bottling company. Polar and Canada Dry were
much larger scale businesses with a larger market and could therefore minimize costs more than
a smaller regional company.
Ultimately, the closing of the company would probably be more in line with what John Ingemi
claimed, that the Hirbours just got tired of running the business. After several decades of market
fluctuations due to tumultuous reasons, the war and rationing and price increases due to the
Great Depression, as well as turmoil in the Caribbean due to colonial strife and tariffs it is easy
to see how a business owner could be tired of the fight. Add to market fluctuations the rise of
larger competitors with easier ways to meet market demands and prices and we have the
perfect storm to influence the closing of a small business.
One of the most interesting aspects of this journey, starting with a leisurely walk with my fourlegged friend, was learning about a small part of my town’s history. I am fortunate to have had
direct resources to go to in order to learn as much as I could about this seemingly long-forgotten
part of our town’s past. All of the people that I talked to about this company not only fondly
remembered Mr. Hirbour but also each held a different piece of the historical puzzle that was
North Brookfield’s very own Soda Company. Delving into a simple soda bottle led to me learning
42
43
Polar Beverages, http://www.polarbev.com/ABOUT/History/tabid/120/Default.aspx.
Canada Dry, http://www.canadadry.com/#/aboutUs
about a local business and the ramifications of war and political unrest around the world that
can reach directly into a small town and have major consequences.
Bibliography
Canada Dry, http://www.canadadry.com/#/aboutUs
Copeland, Cassandra and Curtis Jolly and Henry Thompson, “The History and Potential Trade Between
Cuba and the US,” Journal of Economics and Business, (2011): 1-22,
http://www.auburn.edu/~thomph1/cubahistory.pdf
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, What Ever Happened to the Puerto Rican Sugar Manufacturing
Industry?, Minneapolis, MN: Research Department Staff Report 477, December, 2012.
http://www.minneapolisfed.org/research/sr/sr477.pdf
Fiske, Jeffrey H. History of the North Brookfield Congregational Church. North Brookfield: North
Brookfield Congregational Church, 2005.
Library of Congress, country studies, data as of 1987,
http://www.photius.com/countries/jamaica/economy/jamaica_economy_growth.html
National World War II Museum, “Coca-Cola: The Pause That Refreshed,”
http://www.nww2m.com/2011/08/coca-cola-the-pause-that-refreshed-2/
Painted Soda Bottle Association, http://www.collectoronline.com/PSBCA/PSBCA.html
Polar Beverages, http://www.polarbev.com/ABOUT/History/tabid/120/Default.aspx
Pollitt, Brian H. “The Cuban Sugar Economy and the Great Depression,” Bulletin of Latin American
Research 3, no.2 (1984): 3-28 http://www.jstor.org/stable/i275685
Potvin, Robert, “Oscar’s Beverages,” Worcester Telegram.
http://cf.telegram.com/town_portal_includes/display_blog.cfm?TOWN=north%20brookfield&id=12299
U.S. Department of State. Smoot-Hawley Tariff, 1930.
http://future.state.gov/when/timeline/1921_timeline/smoot_tariff.html
What’s Happened to Sugar? Office of Price Administration (1945)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtlE5K36IvU