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To keep soldiers & sailors away from strong drink, tons of pop are being rushed to U.S. bases all over the world. Thus Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola common stocks last week sold only an ace below 1942's highest prices.

Sales of the $1,000,000,000-a-year soft drink business are not far from last year's all-time record, despite sugar rationing and the bottlecap shortage. Atop huge military shipments (all made from unrationed sugar), civilian sales are as big as the 80% sugar ration allows. To stretch sugar supplies, bottlers are using less cane sugar per drink, more dextrose and sorghum.

Coca-Cola sales the first quarter of 1942 were only 4% below last year, but higher costs and taxes cut profits 37% to $4,649,000, lowest since 1937. But soda-pop makers outside the U.S. have few such troubles: in the five months ended May 31, Panama Coca-Cola cleared $257,000, almost double the previous year.

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